Thought loops and anxiety

I would like to express my thanks to Autismman for raising this topic and all the other people for the many valuable contributions that have followed.

It is possible to reflect that this post is about a very human condition that many experience.

From what I understand of autism so far, as a neurodevelopmental condition there is both inherited genetic predisposition that means the brain is more likely to work in the fashion described and there are also events and experiences that maybe reinforce this predisposition.  There is both the "nature" and the "nurture" of the autistic mind.  This has been raised in several good ways in the thread.

Perhaps what many of us do is naturally take this as our normal, and somehow contrive to do the best whilst effectively being disabled by it.

There is first the acknowledgement that this is a problem, perhaps this is the hardest part? - I think it wise to so do - this is especially why I respect you Autismman for being open to share it and help others, including myself, to do so too.  

From this acknowledgement there is then the possibility that one may in some way experience or "nurture" both from external environment and by internally directing one's mind, it functions in the way that it does.  This forms the fashion of one's emotion, thinking, experience and behaviour in complex but potentially identifiable ways.

The same possibility for "plasticity" (that is to say reforming of emotions, thinking, experience, behaviour and ultimately the physical and chemical structure of one's brain) may both be harmful or helpful.  It appears to me that the challenge here is that  a difficulty with change is a core diagnostic feature of autism - yet change from some of the apparent "negative" experiences of being autistic is what many of us seek...

So maybe the key to this is to find strategies that

1) help us identify and acknowledge that the problem is taking place in the first case - in this case I pick up most is that one needs to be clear which of the cognitive distortions is most present in the situation (metaphorically there is little point applying treatment for a broken leg if it's the hand that is injured...)

2) then facilitates a means to address this to help beneficial change and nurture towards this becoming easier and easier to achieve

thanks again to the contributors who have pointed to the resources for this.

I've put thought loops and "cognitive distortions" highest on my work list for my self-led therapy as a consequence of this post.

I also can't resist the temptation to comment on how it seems that the best help comes from other autistic people and that my experiences of access and provision of help and support from "mainstream" health services for autism are woefully ill-equipped and lag far behind in understanding...  Hehe - come the revolution!

I wish all the best :-)

I would like to express my thanks to Autismman for raising this topic and all the other people for the many valuable contributions that have followed.

It is possible to reflect that this post is about a very human condition that many experience.

From what I understand of autism so far, as a neurodevelopmental condition there is both inherited genetic predisposition that means the brain is more likely to work in the fashion described and there are also events and experiences that maybe reinforce this predisposition.  There is both the "nature" and the "nurture" of the autistic mind.  This has been raised in several good ways in the thread.

Perhaps what many of us do is naturally take this as our normal, and somehow contrive to do the best whilst effectively being disabled by it.

There is first the acknowledgement that this is a problem, perhaps this is the hardest part? - I think it wise to so do - this is especially why I respect you Autismman for being open to share it and help others, including myself, to do so too.  

From this acknowledgement there is then the possibility that one may in some way experience or "nurture" both from external environment and by internally directing one's mind, it functions in the way that it does.  This forms the fashion of one's emotion, thinking, experience and behaviour in complex but potentially identifiable ways.

The same possibility for "plasticity" (that is to say reforming of emotions, thinking, experience, behaviour and ultimately the physical and chemical structure of one's brain) may both be harmful or helpful.  It appears to me that the challenge here is that  a difficulty with change is a core diagnostic feature of autism - yet change from some of the apparent "negative" experiences of being autistic is what many of us seek...

So maybe the key to this is to find strategies that

1) help us identify and acknowledge that the problem is taking place in the first case - in this case I pick up most is that one needs to be clear which of the cognitive distortions is most present in the situation (metaphorically there is little point applying treatment for a broken leg if it's the hand that is injured...)

2) then facilitates a means to address this to help beneficial change and nurture towards this becoming easier and easier to achieve

thanks again to the contributors who have pointed to the resources for this.

I've put thought loops and "cognitive distortions" highest on my work list for my self-led therapy as a consequence of this post.

I also can't resist the temptation to comment on how it seems that the best help comes from other autistic people and that my experiences of access and provision of help and support from "mainstream" health services for autism are woefully ill-equipped and lag far behind in understanding...  Hehe - come the revolution!

I wish all the best :-)