Autism Advocate

In this summary, I discuss some of the up to date research regarding the idea that neurotypical brains commonly synchronize together, whereas autistic people do not synchronize in that same way to neurotypical people.  I also explore and ask different questions about how this type of synchrony can occur between two neurodivergent individuals.  I also discuss the five types of brain waves that can be filtered out of EEG sensors, and how those EEG readings can sometimes be used as biomarkers when it comes to ADHD and OCD.  In summary, I study the big picture of how to bridge the gap of communication between allistic and autistic people, studying and questioning the current deficiency view of the way society calls autistic individuals.  I also ask you to consider - what aspects of the way you socialize are based on a subconscious framework that has gone on unanalyzed for your entire life?

In this episode, I interview a wonderful lady named Christina who is diagnosed with ADHD, and also is suspected autistic level 2.

Her own daughter's diagnosis became the catalyst for her own self-understanding.

At age 40, she shares how she lived her whole life up to this point without knowing why and how she was different.

She grew up in the 80's when autism research wasn't well-established and well-known.

She shares a snapshot about her experiences with socializing, the struggles of connecting with others around her, and some medication struggles as well.

She explains her unique perspective; her desire to connect with people yet the dichotomy of trying to do it in an environment with no autism awareness.  

In particular, she explains what it feels like from a first-hand perspective to be nonverbal, the ways others misunderstood her intentions in those non-verbal states, and how often she  became a target as a result.

We also discuss the ideas of parallel play, social interactions,  sensory issues, dissociation, masking, the effects of masking and how it can cause burnout.  She doesn't drive, for a long time she couldn't make eye contact, and she learned to mask from a call center.  She struggles a lot with spatial awareness and directional sense.

Supporting her daughter who is also autistic, who she can recognize her own self's traits within, she inspires us all with supporting her daughter's diagnosis, supporting her from a first hand perspective, and the beautiful beginning for her own self love and acceptance.  :)

Thank you, Christina for being willing to join the podcast!

Today, I interview a lady named Melissa. 

Melissa is self diagnosed with autism & she shares many of her struggles with sensory issues, social challenges, and shares a snapshot of how she experiences and goes through life.

We discuss many topics like masking, fitting in, the social stigma of being autistic, the cultural disconnects associated with speaking differently from people around you, along with Melissa's ideas for what she wishes society could do differently to better accommodate autistic people.

Warning: Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria Trigger.  If you have a deep rejection wound and are not ready to shift it; this will be triggering.

In this episode, I explore the very common rejection wound with specific examples and ideas around healing it.

Most autistic people suppress their autism - often at a subconscious level - because they know that somehow they're different but they get trapped in a rejection wound and they feel like they have to hide their autism in order to be accepted by society.

I'm here to tell you there is a way out - self love, self expression, and recognition that everything you experience is your subconscious patterns on display.  Recognizing total oneness and taking responsibility of your experience is what can liberate you from these painful rejection patterns.

In this episode, I propose that we as a society begin to redefine what social awkwardness means.

I discuss the typical definition of social awkwardness and offer an example for you to consider.

Maybe we shouldn't judge the differences of others & instead should look within to truly understand why you feel uncomfortable around others who are different.

What is it about a flat tone of voice that is so frightening to you?

Why do you feel so compelled towards creating more conformity; when variety is where true growth occurs?

Why do you feel uncomfortable past the plateaus of deeper thinking?

In this episode, I discuss what Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria.

Most autists have a deep rejection wound.  A rejection of self and self expression because autistic traits are rarely understood by neurotypical majorities and are often immediately rejected.

However, like everything in life, the outer is always a mirror of the inner world.

If you can shift your inner world to confront your deepest fears and dive towards everything that makes you uncomfortable emotionally, you can become more aware of your own dysfunctions and heal them.

The ego often loves to mask itself making it difficult to discover your own wounds.

Read the book Heal Your Wounds, Heal Your True Self by Lise Borbeau to become aware of the 5 key wounds (Rejection, Injustice, Betrayal, Humiliation, and Abandonment)

And listen to this episode to dive deeper into understanding and healing your own self rejections along with some examples of that.

In this episode, I examine all the ways that autism disabled my life - ways that I was never aware of until they were gone.

Texture issues from autism restricted my deep breathing and impacted my sleep as well because I was unable to filter out noises.

Now - I'm breathing deeply, I can sleep at night because my brain can filter out noises finally.

My entire life has changed from this experience and I have hope for hundreds of thousands of other suffering autistic people.

And above all - a new level of emotional human connection is available to me and I can feel the emotions from other people's faces.

Mushrooms - Psilocybin - is truly the medicine to cure the disabling aspects of autism without changing the underlying personality or the autistic strengths.

I hope to create a new world from the inside out where both autism and Psilocybin are actively studied, legalized, analyzed, and fairly understood.

In this episode, I share my miraculous success story of how just 1 gram of psylocibin mushrooms has changed the course of the rest of my life, relieved 95% of my most disabling autism symptoms, and given me a framework for what freedom truly feels like.

Life is so beautiful, such a gift for us to experience ourselves. :)

Today I interview an autistic lady named Rel.

She grew up from a very different background and culture from me; yet we share many similar struggles with autism.

In this podcast, we explore some of these similarities and differences to illustrate what autism in women truly looks like and how to advocate for oneself.

We discussed many topics like masking, fitting in, the social stigma of being autistic, sensory issues and how it affects her life.

She also grew up undiagnosed like me, and it wasn't until the age of 26 that she received a diagnosis.

I hope our conversation teaches you more about what autism looks like, the differences in communication style between two autistic women, and a renewed understanding about what autism acceptance entails.

Her Youtube channel is listed below if you'd like to hear more from her perspective!
https://youtube.com/channel/UCUCmwzzNa5u3HibgVT25rXg

Autistics people very often have heightened affective empathy & sometimes there is a disconnect between feeling what others are feeling and knowing why they are feeling that way.

I challenge the notion that autistic people have reduced cognitive empathy - because cognitive empathy can exist independently of facial analysis, social cues, and a display of empathy.

In this episode, I list the myriad of linked comorbidities from a physical perspective caused by autism.

Autism affects more than just the brain.  Everything that affects the brain also affects the body.

I absolutely encourage you to learn to become more aware of your body states - and gain an emotional awareness of self in doing so.

There are a lot of internal physical things that doctors ignore and don't understand when it comes to autism - especially autism in women.

A few of the most notable, besides sensory issues which I've spoken about in detail in previous podcasts:

1) Digestive Issues / IBS

2) Delayed reaction time, delayed emotional processing

3) Increased inflammatory biomarkers / joint pain

4) Sleep terrors / Sleep issues

5) Increased prostaglandins

In this episode, I cover the following topics:

- NT Socialization vs ND - my experience with my best friend

- power of autistic visual focus, attention to detail, neuroscience of how this is structured - my experience with how I see the world, daily life.  It's like a small circle that can be moved around to look at different things, whereas NT see the entire square.

- autistic people actively take in more information and it can be overwhelming

- autistic hyper focus & hypersensitivity

- how sensory issues are at the root of most autism symptoms

- how a manager can successfully work with an autistic employee:

Takeaway:  Written expectations, written feedbacks, clearly defined requirements, routines and consistency, and individual projects.

In this episode, I go over the most common responses I get to telling people I'm autistic, along with what NOT to say and why you shouldn't say it.

One that I forgot is - never tell someone they don't look autistic.  Autism does not have a look.  People seem to think it is like Downs Syndrome when it isn't. 

In this episode, I talk about the many biases against autism research, and I do a deep dive explanation of how the right anterior insula ties into orbitofrontal cortex, along with some inspiring stories of healing and rewiring the brain.

You are enough already as you are in this moment.

Do not believe the many biased researchers who tell you that you're deficient.

Yes, autistic people struggle.  Yes, sometimes life can be harder for us than it is for others.

But you have the power to be the best version of yourself and you're not bound by the way others perceive you.

How do you know if you're neurodivergent or neurotypical?

In autism, the cerebellum is hypoactive and does not have as many purkinje cells and this impacts motor skill development, emotional regulation, short term memory, spatial awareness, and many other things.

In this episode, I talk about what I've struggled with and acknowledge these struggles and vulnerabilities that I experience and likely will continue to experience in my life.

Buying and wearing clothing is a huge source of stress in the autism community.  It's more than wanting to wear clothes that feel good - trying to force an autistic person with sensory issues to wear triggering clothing feels about as painful as stepping on a tac with your bare feet.

In this episode, I talk about these struggles with clothing, what that looks like for me, and a few solutions I've found to help ease the struggles.

In this episode I talk about gender nonconformity, how it is more prevelant in the autistic community.

Neurodivergent people are a lot more likely to be trans, nonbinary, and GNC.  This adds an extra layer of vulnerability on top of being autistic that is rarely talked about or considered.

In this episode, I explain how it feels to dissociate - aka shutdown - how responding verbally is very difficult when I'm in the middle of a shutdown, and the wide variety of triggers that cause it along with strange feelings that go along with it.

Find me on Facebook for free weekly music!
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Find me on Spotify and Apple Music for music specifically geared towards the flow state!

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/kelsey-cameron/1169653082

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/kelsey-cameron/1169653082

There are many differences between how autistics socialize versus NTs.  I talk about some of these differences in today's podcast.

Find me on Facebook for free weekly music!
https://www.facebook.com/mypianocreations

Find me on Spotify and Apple Music for music specifically geared towards the flow state!

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/kelsey-cameron/1169653082

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/kelsey-cameron/1169653082