What It’s Like to ‘Wake Up’ from Autism After Magnetic Stimulation

I used the think the same about myself until I started talking to a therapist. While I share some symptoms of autism, I always felt that I was the opposite. Hypersensitive and empathic and whatnot.

But after a long diagnostic process combined with reading up on autism and in particular about the Intense World theory ([quick introduction][1], I became pretty convinced that 1) autism is hella complicated and still not well understood, and 2) it may well be that autism, or at least a subtype of autism we might one day discern, is the opposite of how we commonly think of it. It's not a blindness to emotions or inability to empathize that is autism, rather it's (too) high sensitivity expressed poorly, especially in men with autism. Like wearing night-vision goggles on a bright day.

And the thing is, not only is this much more fitting to how autists tend to self-report their experiences (which is thankfully something that is finally listened to), but there's existing and growing evidence too.

For example, a significant portion of autists score as high or higher on 'affective empathy'. It's the interpretation where they go wrong (cognitive empathy). Or when it comes to eye contact, it's not so much that autists lack the social skills or mirroring ability to understand that this is important, but rather that it's too intense. Mind, I'm not saying all autists are like this, but this is how I would describe it when it comes to my issues with eye contact, and almost every autist I know or have read about says the same (including some who are rather far on the spectrum).

Anyways, the important thing is that you function and are happy. If that's the case, I'd say the diagnosis of autism isn't necessarily beneficial. It can even be detrimental.

I'm reminded of the vulcans in Star Trek. I remember I wanted to be like them because my emotions were becoming too much for me. And only afterwards I watched the episode where their 'true' nature is revealed...

[1]:https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/feeling-too-much/201407...

> I'm going to come out and say that this is no different than a person born without arms claiming that they're not disabled, that they're not damaged.

You might want to look at the social model of disability, because there are people who do say this. For example, wheelchair using disability rights campaigners have often said that their wheelchairs are not the problem, but the lack of ramps in shops and workplaces is what causes them to be disabled.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_model_of_disability

That's not a new concept; it's been around since the 1970s.

I have taken this approach myself, to some extent, but I'd advise a more mixed approach to those who are interested in trying this.

I've spent most of my twenties pursuing social interaction because I felt that I should and that it would be healthy. I even had a few girlfriends, which was all kinds of agonizing. At the end of my twenties I 'took a break'. To my surprise I discovered that I felt so much happier with a life that, too outsiders, was lonely and sad. The 'break' became a new way of life for me.

However, first of all I don't regret pushing myself to socialize. I learned many skills that I feel I wouldn't have learned had I not pushed myself. I can be comfortably normal when I need to, and that gives me many advantages.

Second, even though I'm quite happy being mostly alone, I definitely notice that I a more healthy person if I force myself into some social interaction (including deeper personal and emotional connections).

For me it's a bit like eating. Much of the time I don't really eat well or enough unless I force myself to. But when I do, I have more energy and and a better general sense of well-being. Similarly, when I forego socializing and/or fostering some deeper emotional connections, I have a tendency to spend way too much time thinking about unimportant things, I forget to properly verbalize or structure my thoughts into something 'worthwhile', and my rhythm and structure disappears, including normal sleep. Even minimal interaction with others in the form of flatmates or meetups significantly alleviates much of the bad stuff.

I can't speak for others, but for me smaller affectionate interactions are actually 'beyond' sex. If I'm in bed with a girl, or if it's clear that things are about to happen, my brain relaxes and I know pretty well what to do. But when it comes to smaller stuff, I don't know what's appropriate, to pick the right moment, to figure out the frequency, etc. So I prefer to just not think about it.

In fact, I'd go so far as saying that having sex is one of the few 'states' in which I feel that I can just let go and do the right things. It's one of the things I love about sex!

Of course I'm aware of it. But redefining well-known terms is a sign of groupthink, common among activist group. By pretending words mean a whole new thing, we can identify the in group, and humiliate the out group. I won't participate in that hallucination.

A disability is when you have less ability than everybody else. We can mitigate that by addressing {everything you list above}.