Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello, my son now 11 with little speech but high logic has an increasing list of phobias that prevent him from taking part in school activities so I am trying to understand them in order to find ways and help him cope. Therapists strategy do not work so far..
The biggest problem in a video/photo/cameras world is Scopophobia, he cannot stand seeing himself on a photo (even his passport cannot be opened when around but has no problem with mirrors). He has huge meltdowns when someone wants to take a picture and he is around, screaming: "No photo, No video, No Future!". It expanded to watching videos at school on which he has no control whereas at home he knows he can switch off TV when it distrubs him and watch videos he choses on his tablet.
Would anyone understand this link to the future? Thank you advance, I am a bit lost with this one.
Deepcake said:There is a whole literature about it but frankly the uses of photography are increasingly sinister and your son is entirely right to be sceptical.
I fully agree! The current narcissitic tendancy is absurd, the problem is everyone think it is so normal that they take pictures all the time.. even at schools it seems. People need photo proofs of anything.I' ll try the actor tip!!! Thank you!
Thank you! Hiding from others eyes I think I get it. I thought photos was an independant phobia but you remind me that his came along with what I thought was "shame" at around 5 years old. Indeed a photo will allow people in the future to watch you. The soul concept is too complex for him I think.
As someone who has always had this problem, I am sympathetic. I am still avoiding video calling and generally can't do social media as it is so video/photo oriented.
I suggest that you encourage your son to think of himself like an actor. To think of photography and video in this way, as something essentially fictitious. Such that he can appear in a photograph as someone else. Allow him to appear in photographs as anyone he wants to. It is then not necessarily a photograph of himself, in a sense.
Obviously this is one of those things that autistic people have right. Portrait photography is a massive drag unless you happen to be young and good looking. Even then it is arguably worse than useless. There is a whole literature about it but frankly the uses of photography are increasingly sinister and your son is entirely right to be sceptical.
John Berger said that photography is always an act of violence which is why photos are not made, but rather they are taken.
I think it's possibly the 'capturing part of your soul' thing.
If you believe that every time you are photographed a little bit of your soul is imprisoned in that image it affects your future.
This is a superstition but could also be related to autism.
I have always hated having my photo taken and still put my hand over my face.
There is an old photo of me when I was a little child with my mum and sister and I am hiding behind my mum's dress.