psychologists/psychiatrists experiences

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lots of experiences.
the current one is fantastic because he is a psychologist who is an AS specialist.

instead of telling me i need to overcome "emotional trauma" and take risks in areas of life involving vast numbers of social people, he is validating my need to retreat and simply paint and focus on happiness. i have never heard that before.

He suggests I try to carry a notebook and write things down because of my executive functioning issues and short term memory problems.
I have never heard that before.

he suggests sunglasses inside (and we had a laugh as it means i can avoid eye contact with them on - hehehe- ) and he suggests an IPOD and music to block out too much sound that overwhelms. He also suggests ear plugs for the same reason.
i have never heard that before.

He suggests diaphragmatic breathing and it is already reducing my anxiety and my stims.


Years of therapy, thousands of dollars with other therapists.

And finally a good, regular AS specialist who is offering practical and straightforward solutions to problems that have caused havoc my whole life.

All the other therapists tried to turn me into a nice little 'social" NT package with ssri's and trauma therapy. and all that happened with them was that i felt lousier and more fake the longer i went to their sessions.

lots of experiences.
the current one is fantastic because he is a psychologist who is an AS specialist.

instead of telling me i need to overcome "emotional trauma" and take risks in areas of life involving vast numbers of social people, he is validating my need to retreat and simply paint and focus on happiness. i have never heard that before.

He suggests I try to carry a notebook and write things down because of my executive functioning issues and short term memory problems.
I have never heard that before.

he suggests sunglasses inside (and we had a laugh as it means i can avoid eye contact with them on - hehehe- ) and he suggests an IPOD and music to block out too much sound that overwhelms. He also suggests ear plugs for the same reason.
i have never heard that before.

He suggests diaphragmatic breathing and it is already reducing my anxiety and my stims.


Years of therapy, thousands of dollars with other therapists.

And finally a good, regular AS specialist who is offering practical and straightforward solutions to problems that have caused havoc my whole life.

All the other therapists tried to turn me into a nice little 'social" NT package with ssri's and trauma therapy. and all that happened with them was that i felt lousier and more fake the longer i went to their sessions.

It's really great to hear that, Millie! Isn't it great to have someone who wants to work *with* you - in the context of AS (instead of trying to work against your AS characteristics by putting everything in an NT context)?

The psychologist that I'm seeing takes a very similar approach. He isn't trying to change me - he seems really focused on supporting me.

Wow Millie! That sounds so wonderful! I really like the therapist that I am seeing right now, but she knows nothing about AS or any other ASD for that matter. She is very willing to learn, but doesn't really "get" it. She can clearly see that I fit the DSM-IV description of someone with AS, but she just sort of tries to do more or less what you have described. For example, I commented that I felt like me and my husband have some communication issues and she sent me to a website called the "five love languages" or something like that.... (never mind that she didn't "get" what I meant by communication issues).... I looked up the site and it was all based on non-verbal communication. I took a quiz on there that told me what my "language" was like, but I didn't have a clue which one fit my husband. I had him take the quiz so I could read about him. He apparently likes "quality time". I NEVER in a million years would have been able to tell that is what he was trying to say with all of his non-verbal communication!! As it turns out, I did learn something... but what if my husband thought it was silly and didn't want to take the test? I would have been at a loss to try and figure out which little description sounded like my husband!! She also tells me that I am being "hard on myself" and that "everyone had a rough time in school" and "most people have nervous habits like nail biting"..... WHAT ABOUT COMPULSIVE SCAB PICKING?? WEIRD FINGER RITUALS? LEG RUBBING? Agh!! !! She also said that "everyone hates a room full of noise"..... WHAT ABOUT A ROOM WHERE THERE IS AIR BLOWING OUT OF A REGISTER AND YOUR HUSBAND IS EATING POPCORN AND YOUR DOG IS WHEEZING? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THAT SENDS YOU INTO ORBIT???

I can totally see how you would be relieved to have an AS specialist.... I will be so happy if I can get in to see this adult AS specialist with any regularity. I will also be CRUSHED if they evaluate me and determine that I don't have AS (or something in the ASD). Like most of the self diagnosed folks on here, I have never read anything that came so close to explaining my life as the stuff I have read on AS.

Anyone worry that they would go be evaluated only to find that they did not have AS? Just curious... I find that I am becoming a little obsessive with this notion.... I keep reading about AS because I feel more assured that I fit the description when I do....

Therapists are generally too overworked to consider people on a truly individual basis. Their job is to find patterns-basically, they will fit you into one of three pigeonholes:
1. People with extreme psych. conditions that can be moderated using drugs (schizophrenia, severe depression, mania, etc...)
2. People with less severe conditions that might need some medication but mostly just non-judgemental social contact and time to work their problems (moderate depression, anxiety..)
3. People with the usual emotional problems of life (frustration with their spouse, family or co-workers; life-cycle issues of illness, loneliness, death) who just need someone to talk to.

For people with AS all three of these are likely to be dead ends, which explains their frustrations with therapists. In my experience, therapists are pretty good at dealing with non-AS problems. I found cognative-behavioral therapy very helpful on dealing with anxiety (simple breathing and muscle relaxation exercises do wonders). However, avoiding everyday AS problems is mainly a matter of establishing a good (or at least tolerable) housing/working situation, having a routine, and keeping social situations to a minimum. Getting common-sense advice and a shoulder to cry on at $50s/hour is not much help with any of these things.

Am I seeing double?

It was mix of good and bad both.

But if it hadn't been for my psychologist back in rehab who had a daughter with aspergers, I would never have know wtf was wrong with me.

I went through years being a guinea pig and no one knew what IT was exactly that they called different and special or why I was not a social butterfly and why I had these weird quirks about me. My parents after educating themselves about it, knew I fit the traits.

Sometimes I wonder how many women or people go undiagnosed in the U.S. Wasn't until I was an adult. It was blessing and a nightmare as I went through some denial of it being an autistic trait since I really didn't know what autism was except what the media made it out to be.

So therapists are wide and varied just like us people. I think I got more out of the therapist than the psychiatrist who was only prescribing pills.