lotusinthemud

Detection and Diagnosis of ASD in Females

:: link

Marcia Eckerd: 

Autism in females is often unrecognized and undiagnosed. This article describes the presentation of autistic traits of females and how they differ from those of males with autism. Screening tools for assessing autism in children, adolescents, and adults are identified and described. The process of clinical assessment of females for possible autism are described, including the disclosure of potential diagnoses to the patient.

Michelle is a self-referred, 24-year-old woman complaining of anxiety. Her anxiety impacts sleep and seems to worsen physi- cal GI symptoms. She is appropriately dressed, having come af- ter class, and she is articulate although she takes long pauses to collect her thoughts. She graduated from an excellent college, and she is attending graduate school in English literature and was working part time until recently. She quit her job because her boss frequently yelled at her about not meeting his expectations. She felt he was never clear and constantly changed what he wanted her to do. She felt anxious every day and dreaded going to work. She had quit a prior job because she found it difficult to work in the constant close “team” environment of the office. The team members regularly went to lunch together or out for drinks after work at a noisy bar, neither of which she enjoyed. She felt that her right to a private life and need for time alone were not understood. Michelle lives in her own apartment. Michelle describes herself as a child “always having her nose in a book” and loving reading. She felt she had not fit in socially through all levels of school. She reports few close friendships, although she had friends in school and had been somewhat friendly with a woman in her last job. Parties and family events made her nervous. She didn’t feel that her parents understood her point of view about attending family events, although they were generally supportive of her. She had not dated until college, and then had one relationship that she broke off. Michelle appears to be a serious young woman of high intelligence. She does not display much emotion, despite being obviously upset by her situation. Her descriptions of her experiences are very detailed. When asked about her feelings, she often does not respond beyond saying she was anxious. Is this social anxiety or something more complex? Should a pos- sible diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) be considered? What exactly does ASD look like in female patients?

On Spiritual Bypassing and Relationships: The Non-Dual Mistake

:: via bodhicitta monastery

 

An excerpt from an interview with John Welwood

“The cure for pain is in the pain.

~ Rumi

 

Spiritual bypassing is a term I coined to describe a process I saw happening in the Buddhist community I was in, and also in myself. Although most of us were sincerely trying to work on ourselves, I noticed a widespread tendency to use spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep or avoid facing unresolved emotional issues, psychological wounds, and unfinished developmental tasks.

 

When we are spiritually bypassing, we often use the goal of awakening or liberation to rationalize what I call premature transcendence: trying to rise above the raw and messy side of our humanness before we have fully faced and made peace with it. And then we tend to use absolute truth to disparage or dismiss relative human needs, feelings, psychological problems, relational difficulties, and developmental deficits. I see this as an “occupational hazard” of the spiritual path, in that spirituality does involve a vision of going beyond our current karmic situation.

 

Trying to move beyond our psychological and emotional issues by sidestepping them is dangerous. It sets up a debilitating split between the buddha and the human within us. And it leads to a conceptual, one-sided kind of spirituality where one pole of life is elevated at the expense of its opposite: Absolute truth is favored over relative truth, the impersonal over the personal, emptiness over form, transcendence over embodiment, and detachment over feeling. One might, for example, try to practice nonattachment by dismissing one’s need for love, but this only drives the need underground, so that it often becomes unconsciously acted out in covert and possibly harmful ways instead.

 

I’m interested in how spiritual bypassing plays out in relationships, where it often wreaks its worst havoc. If you were a yogi in a cave doing years of solo retreat, your psychological wounding might not show up so much because your focus would be entirely on your practice, in an environment that may not aggravate your relational wounds. It’s in relationships that our unresolved psychological issues tend to show up most intensely. That’s because psychological wounds are always relational — they form in and through our relationships with our early caretakers.

 

The basic human wound, which is prevalent in the modern world, forms around not feeling loved or intrinsically lovable as we are. Inadequate love or attunement is shocking and traumatic for a child’s developing and highly sensitive nervous system. And as we internalize how we were parented, our capacity to value ourselves, which is also the basis for valuing others, becomes damaged. I call this a “relational wound“ or the “wound of the heart.”

Autism: Disclosure for Adults

(Note - Aspergers is not currently a term used - the preferred term is Autism/Autistic)

Introduction

Disclosure is the process of making known what was previously unknown. This can mean an individual disclosing to others their suspicion of, or diagnosis of, their own Asperger profile. Additionally, this can refer to the process of a person suggesting to another that they might fit the description. In more broad terms, disclosure refers to the process of navigating conversation related to the topic, whether that be in relation to work, friends, family, or strangers.

Disclosure is a process that every person with an Asperger profile navigates, each in his or her own unique way. Most of the time, an individual’s first identification with this profile is met with enormous relief. The sentiment, “Oh, that explains so much!” is not an uncommon response. This discovery is often experienced as a revelation, in terms of understanding personal struggles, strengths, and differences that have spanned decades. Of course, some people can be resistant to the idea of identifying (at least at first) with this category, and that is why we are talking about ways to be sensitive to the process.

The DSM diagnostic criteria written from a Neurodiversity perspective

"This is a historic blog post which I want to share, mostly because I really like it and it is an example of the strengths approach to autism. We are almost on Neurodiversity Pride Day and I thought this was a good pride piece…

When I was writing The Guide to Good Mental Health on the Autism Spectrum, I had to dig out the diagnostic criteria for Autism in the DSM- 5. It made me sad, so I decided to whip out my advocate brush and give it a neurodiversity-based touch-up. I hope you like it. I’m not sure how a doctor would use it but I prefer it to the original version. The way it works is that I have listed each category of the DSM -5 diagnostic criteria for Autism in italics and underneath have redrafted it. Enjoy.

Joanna Macy & Chris Johnstone introduce ACTIVE HOPE

 

 

spiritual bypassing ~ therapeutic shamanism

 

SPIRITUAL BYPASSING means using spiritual practices and beliefs to avoid dealing with painful feelings and unresolved psychological wounds. The reason people engage in it is simple.

 

𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁.

 

On top of this, the parts of us that we are avoiding are also parts that we fear and which we have disowned and see as ‘monsters’ - all the more reason to avoid them.

And so, when in pain, rather than dealing with the pain, we reach for ‘pain-killers’ instead. So, when a spiritual teacher or religion tells us that we do not need to feel our pain at all but that we can just ‘transcend’ it, then we jump at it.

 

𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲. 𝗦𝗼, 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻-𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱.

 

The problem is that, like all pain-killers, the numbing that spiritual bypassing brings comes with a cost.

 

*****

Are you brave enough to make the darkness conscious? The Inner Tribe Course begins next summer.

More info:

 

:: Inner Tribe Work: Shamanism, Soul Retrieval, and Parts-Of-Self Therapy

Shamanism understands that we are not a single "I” but are instead made up of different "parts-of-self" – an “inner tribe”. As with any tribe, for it to be healthy, each of its members needs to be honoured and understood, and brought into healthy relationship, and much of shamanic practice is about doing this. As well as honouring the middle-world self and its different sub-parts, this includes honouring Body, Soul and Spirit. It also includes the ancient shamanic practice of soul retrieval – finding lost soul parts, bringing them back, and helping them to integrate again.

Many modern psychotherapies have also come to understand that we are made up of parts-of-self such as Internal Family Systems Therapy, Voice Dialogue Work, Transactional Analysis, and various other psychotherapies that work with the idea of “sub-personalities”. In these therapies, it is understood that the issues people present with are often due to the various parts-of-self being in an unhealthy relationship with each other, with some having too much power and others being marginalised or even excluded altogether.

The area of parts-of-self work is one area where shamanism and psychotherapy overlap. As well as the similarities though, the different approaches, knowledge and insights that shamanism and psychotherapy have in this area means that they also have much they can contribute, and much they can learn from each other too. This 10-meeting course will explore this in depth, covering soul-loss and soul retrieval (both traditional and modern), how to identify parts-of-self, and different ways to work with them.

The course is suitable for anyone who is interested in not just the spiritual aspect of shamanism in their own practice and development, but in its more psychotherapeutic aspects too. It will also be of use to counsellors, psychotherapists and other psychological therapists, who wish to bring a more shamanic aspect to their work. This includes any practitioners (such as Internal Family Systems Therapists etc) who already work with parts-of-self, but who wish to explore incorporating a more Soul-centred, Nature-based, and other-than-human approach into their practice. The course is also essential for anyone who wishes to explore becoming a Therapeutic Shamanic Practitioner.

FIND OUT MORE

the axis mundi - therapeutic shamanism

therapeutic_shamanism 

'AXIS MUNDI' is a place where we usually start a shamanic journey.

‘Axis’ means centre, and ‘mundi’ means ‘world’. So, the ‘world’s centre’. Or more accurately, a place where the different worlds come together.

The axis mundi is a place in this reality where the veil that separates this world and the shamanic worlds is thin, and so it is a place where it is easy to step between the worlds.

You may be surprised to know that axis mundii are in fact very common. They are all over the place. You will have already noticed them yourself, probably without realising or knowing that is what they are.

If you would like some company in exploring shamanism and finding your axis mundi, the next intro course in therapeutic shamanism, starts in September :: link

Why shamans use drumming

To do a shamanic journey, we need to venture into a trance state. We can do that by dancing or other repetitive rhythmic movements such as shaking or swaying, singing and chanting, fasting, and the use of hallucinogenic plants. Most common, though, is the use of the drum and the rattle.⁠
⁠
𝗙𝗲𝘄 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀⁠
There are few shamanic cultures that do not extensively⁠
use the drum or some other form of rhythmic instrument. The Kahuna shamans of Hawaii are a notable exception. Other cultures where the drum is not much used are those cultures where it is very difficult to keep a drum-skin taut and protect it from rotting due to the high humidity in the environment, such as in tropical rainforests. These cultures tend to rely more on the use of hallucinogens.⁠
⁠
𝟮𝟬𝟬-𝟮𝟰𝟬 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲⁠
For shamanic journeying, the drum is used in a very particular way. It is usually played at somewhere between 200 to 240 beats a minute - so around 4 beats per second or slightly slower. I once read that this rhythm has a particular effect on the human brain, in that ten minutes⁠
of shamanic drumming can produce the same level of theta brainwaves as two hours of transcendental meditation. ⁠
⁠
𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁⁠
As well as the effect on the brain of playing the drum at that particular speed, the drums are also usually tuned to produce a lot of overtones and undertones. The human brain has trouble processing this and tends to start ‘making things up’. When listening to a shamanic drum, it is common to start hearing not just the drum, but chanting, pan-pipes, whistling, singing, bird-calls, other drummers, and all sorts of other sounds after a while. ⁠
⁠
In addition to this, overtones and undertones tend to produce 𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗮, which is where the senses become crossed over. So, the drum sounds start to be perceived as colours and visual images, sensations, smells, and even tastes. This further aids the shamanic journey in making it a rich multisensory experience. In this way, the shamanic drums are a beautifully crafted piece of technology, perfected over thousands of years and used worldwide to enter a rich meditative state.

What is your favourite drumming track?
On  :: Therapeutic Shamanism courses, we usually use Carol Waver's

A Hopi perspective

 

“We were told that we would see America come and go. In a sense, Humanity is dying, from within, because they forgot the instructions of how to live on earth. It's the Hopi belief, it's our belief, that if you are not spiritually connected to the earth, and understand the spiritual reality of how to live on earth, it's likely that you will not make it.

 

Everything is spiritual, everything has a spirit, everything was brought here by the creator, the one creator. Some people call him God, some people call him Buddha, some people call him Allah, some people call him other names. We call him Tunkaschila... Grandfather.

 

We are here on earth only a few winters, then we go to the spirit world. The spirit world is more real than most of us believe.

 

The spirit world is everything. Over 95% of our body is water. In order to stay healthy, you've got to drink good water. ... Water is sacred, the air is sacred.

 

Our DNA is made out of the same DNA as the tree, the tree breaths what we exhale, we need what the tree exhales. So we have a common destiny with the tree.

 

We are all from the earth, and when the earth, the water, the atmosphere is corrupted, then it will create its own reaction. The mother is reacting.

 

In the Hopi prophecy, they say the storms and floods will become greater. To me, it's not a negative thing to know that there will be great changes. It's not negative, it's evolution. When you look at it as evolution, it's time, nothing stays the same. You should learn how to plant something. That is the first connection.

 

You should treat all things as spirit, realize that we are one family. It's never something like the end. It's like life, there is no end to life.”

 

~Floyd Red Crow Westerman

Borrowed from All Natives United

"We are all connected; we all belong."

an introduction to therapeutic shamanism

An introduction by :: Paul Francis, of the Three Ravens College - shamanic training in Therapeutic Shamanism :: link