Autism and Trauma

[Butterfly88]

I have PDD-NOS and PTSD. I’m in therapy working through trauma. Problem is my therapist says she doesn’t think I’m autistic. She also seems to not know the difference between Asperger’s Syndrome and PDD-NOS. When I started stimming in her office she looked worried and asked me if I was okay. I’ve had my PDD-NOS diagnosis for 18 years and everyone else has agreed on this diagnosis so I know I’m autistic. I’ve just learned to fake eye contact and blend in a little better over the years but I’m still autistic. My therapist does seem to be helping me with my trauma though. I’ve heard that autism can affect how one responds to trauma, so I’m thinking perhaps her lack of knowledge could be problematic. Does it really affect it that much for someone high functioning? Should I try to find another therapist? It takes me forever to get used to new therapists so half of me doesn’t want to have to go through that again but maybe I should.

 

[Mathalamus]

i don't know if autism makes any sort of difference as to how to respond to trauma. but the lack of knowledge is a red flag, especially since knowing about autism is basic stuff. id try to find a new one, but it may take quite a long time.

 

[Streetwise]

I have PDD-NOS and PTSD. I’m in therapy working through trauma. Problem is my therapist says she doesn’t think I’m autistic. She also seems to not know the difference between Asperger’s Syndrome and PDD-NOS. When I started stimming in her office she looked worried and asked me if I was okay. I’ve had my PDD-NOS diagnosis for 18 years and everyone else has agreed on this diagnosis so I know I’m autistic. I’ve just learned to fake eye contact and blend in a little better over the years but I’m still autistic. My therapist does seem to be helping me with my trauma though. I’ve heard that autism can affect how one responds to trauma, so I’m thinking perhaps her lack of knowledge could be problematic. Does it really affect it that much for someone high functioning? Should I try to find another therapist? It takes me forever to get used to new therapists so half of me doesn’t want to have to go through that again but maybe I should.

Does her therapy harm you ?if she is not a psychiatrist she will not have taken the Hippocratic oath !which quite a long way down the list says first do no harm.
The problem is you will feel trauma more intensely , she has to take that into account when applying techniques !!! as she disagrees with an autism diagnosis it may cause problems .hope this helps !

 

[Butterfly88]

Thank you @Streetwise! No, I wouldn't say her therapy is harming me. But that's a good point, if I feel it more deeply she would need to understand that.

 

[Gritches]

According to my therapist (an expert in both autism and trauma) one of the key differences is that where an NT might be desensitized to further traumas after suffering one trauma (growing thicker skin), those with autism seem to become more and more sensitive to further traumas after suffering each additional trauma. And if it's her saying this, it's either canon or it will be soon. My point is, this among other things is a pretty significant difference in how you would approach trauma. So, understanding autism and not disagreeing with an 18-year-old diagnosis (what's up with that?) would be pretty important. That said, it might be hard to find someone knowledgeable in both autism and trauma. If this therapist has helped you with trauma rather than being completely useless, you might considering sticking with the bird in the hand rather than going for the two in the bush. Getting any help at all from talk therapy is really beating the odds; the success rates for talk therapy are pretty dismal.

 

[SusanLR]

I have been trying EMDR therapy for trauma.
So far it hasn't helped.
My therapist is the one who diagnosed me with Aspergers.

 

[Chance]

I have PDD-NOS and PTSD. I’m in therapy working through trauma. Problem is my therapist says she doesn’t think I’m autistic. She also seems to not know the difference between Asperger’s Syndrome and PDD-NOS. When I started stimming in her office she looked worried and asked me if I was okay. I’ve had my PDD-NOS diagnosis for 18 years and everyone else has agreed on this diagnosis so I know I’m autistic. I’ve just learned to fake eye contact and blend in a little better over the years but I’m still autistic. My therapist does seem to be helping me with my trauma though. I’ve heard that autism can affect how one responds to trauma, so I’m thinking perhaps her lack of knowledge could be problematic. Does it really affect it that much for someone high functioning? Should I try to find another therapist? It takes me forever to get used to new therapists so half of me doesn’t want to have to go through that again but maybe I should.

I basically agree with Gritches... ASD is ASD and yes it overlaps and gets all murky but I have PTSD (Childhood trauma) and the counselors have always kept them mostly as separate items to deal with. They are honestly 2 different things with very different components. First off your born with ASD, and PTSD was a caused situation by an event, then the overlaps take place.

I can see ASD and SPD being battled over because they basically have the same varied effects, where as PTSD not so much.

Maybe it might help to tell your counselor that.. "yes I KNOW I am ASD, but I am here to work more on the PTSD and or the overlaps into ASD..."

I'm a really quiet guy, but when I truly feel my counselor is taking me down a wrong road I tell him what I think. We usually stop back up and start again, unless he has some good reason that he can explain to me what he is doing. I have been in counseling long enough now, that I can probably literally council the counselors. I know the questions, I know the tactics, and I just know when they have went the wrong way... and it sounds like you already know this also.

 

[Streetwise]

I basically agree with Gritches... ASD is ASD and yes it overlaps and gets all murky but I have PTSD (Childhood trauma) and the counselors have always kept them mostly as separate items to deal with. They are honestly 2 different things with very different components. First off your born with ASD, and PTSD was a caused situation by an event, then the overlaps take place.

I can see ASD and SPD being battled over because they basically have the same varied effects, where as PTSD not so much.

Maybe it might help to tell your counselor that.. "yes I KNOW I am ASD, but I am here to work more on the PTSD and or the overlaps into ASD..."

I'm a really quiet guy, but when I truly feel my counselor is taking me down a wrong road I tell him what I think. We usually stop back up and start again, unless he has some good reason that he can explain to me what he is doing. I have been in counseling long enough now, that I can probably literally council the counselors. I know the questions, I know the tactics, and I just know when they have went the wrong way... and it sounds like you already know this also.

From what you said ,Id say find a counsellor that agrees you have autism as realistically there aren't enough counsellors or therapists know about it !and if you could find a counsellor !!!! There aren't many people who want to be counsellors or therapists ,there aren't many people Who would want to listen to you without saying oh you should go to a doctor , (when all you really want them to say is I'll help you if you need help )which means basically I don't want to listen -when it comes down to it ,they don't want to listen about it or they may say something that does not help you personally in the slightest!!! ,we've got to be a realistic A lot of people just wouldn't help you if you were the only person Who needed help.

 

[Butterfly88]

Thank you everyone!

 

[the_tortoise]

I have PDD-NOS and PTSD. I’m in therapy working through trauma. Problem is my therapist says she doesn’t think I’m autistic. She also seems to not know the difference between Asperger’s Syndrome and PDD-NOS. When I started stimming in her office she looked worried and asked me if I was okay. I’ve had my PDD-NOS diagnosis for 18 years and everyone else has agreed on this diagnosis so I know I’m autistic. I’ve just learned to fake eye contact and blend in a little better over the years but I’m still autistic. My therapist does seem to be helping me with my trauma though. I’ve heard that autism can affect how one responds to trauma, so I’m thinking perhaps her lack of knowledge could be problematic. Does it really affect it that much for someone high functioning? Should I try to find another therapist? It takes me forever to get used to new therapists so half of me doesn’t want to have to go through that again but maybe I should.

If she doesn't think you're autistic then she will attribute normal aspects of your autism to trauma or to something else -- it could be she'll just think of them as quirks of who you are, but given that every other professional you've seen has found your autistic traits significant enough to count as symptoms of something (of autism) then your current therapist will probably think the same and just attribute them to something else.....possibly to PTSD. That could be problematic if she ends up trying to treat your autistic symptoms as if they were the result of trauma, or if it results in a lot of general misunderstanding and miscommunication.

 

[Butterfly88]

Good point @the_tortoise, thank you.

 

[onlything]

You may want to try to find someone else. Eventually stay as long as you feel it's not too harmful to you. There will come time sooner or later that there will be a really great breach between you caused by musunderstandings and miscommunication. When it happened in my case, therapy turned rather uncomfortable and after my anxiety, panic attack and flashbacks turned more severe, I had to leave and cut myself out. Not exactly helpful.

Of course, my experience is surely different due to our differing circumstances. Still, please, take care of yourself and watch out for any sings of worsening of your mental health. I definitely do not want you to crash more severely than you already had and/or will.

 

[Butterfly88]

Thank you @onlything.