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Nightmares, autism and ptsd

LJ51125

Hi, I get a lot of nightmares (almost daily) linked to ptsd and past trauma. They are usually very personal and extremely distressing in theme. Personally I find myself in a low mood (to be expected) but then question if outcomes could have been different.

I tend to overthink and now I’m wondering just how much has been affected because of being autistic (past trauma, friendships, relationships… everything). I do try not to dwell on things but sometimes they are intrusive thoughts that I literally can’t control.

I’m just curious if anyone else experiences this and if so, how does it affect your autism?

I’m sorry for asking and hope it doesn’t trigger anyone, that is the very last thing I would want to do.

Parents
  • LJ51125 said:
    I’m just curious if anyone else experiences this and if so, how does it affect your autism?

    Most autists suffer from complex PTSD built up from a lifetime of bad experiences plus a few really bad ones along the way which can give us the sort of issues you describe.

    PTSD tends to stem from a specific event which fortunately makes it more straightforward to address, but it is not easy.

    I believe the most effective approach is to work with a psychotherapist with experience in helping PTSD patients, and in your case they also need to be experienced in helping autists. They will then most likely work to help you "unpack" the traumatic event which is the key to taking away its hold over you.

    By using their techniques such as looking at what really happened, who bears responsibility etc you can see it in a more logical way, realising you probably were an innocent victim and you carry no blame etc. There is a lot in this and it can be painful to do but it is key to taking back control of the subconcious reactions you are still having to the event.

    Now that this viper has been de-fanged you can work on modifying your behaviour to overcome the defence responses you have been using all these years and life starts to get a whole lot better.

    I note that many therapists use CBT for trauma cases but this needs to be modified to be effective for autists. Please check that the treatment has been suitably modified or it has a low chance of success.

    These are only my views on what I have experienced and read about - I'm no expert in the field so take my opinions in this context.

    There is a very lengthy article all about this subject if you like doing deep dives:

    https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6901292/

Reply
  • LJ51125 said:
    I’m just curious if anyone else experiences this and if so, how does it affect your autism?

    Most autists suffer from complex PTSD built up from a lifetime of bad experiences plus a few really bad ones along the way which can give us the sort of issues you describe.

    PTSD tends to stem from a specific event which fortunately makes it more straightforward to address, but it is not easy.

    I believe the most effective approach is to work with a psychotherapist with experience in helping PTSD patients, and in your case they also need to be experienced in helping autists. They will then most likely work to help you "unpack" the traumatic event which is the key to taking away its hold over you.

    By using their techniques such as looking at what really happened, who bears responsibility etc you can see it in a more logical way, realising you probably were an innocent victim and you carry no blame etc. There is a lot in this and it can be painful to do but it is key to taking back control of the subconcious reactions you are still having to the event.

    Now that this viper has been de-fanged you can work on modifying your behaviour to overcome the defence responses you have been using all these years and life starts to get a whole lot better.

    I note that many therapists use CBT for trauma cases but this needs to be modified to be effective for autists. Please check that the treatment has been suitably modified or it has a low chance of success.

    These are only my views on what I have experienced and read about - I'm no expert in the field so take my opinions in this context.

    There is a very lengthy article all about this subject if you like doing deep dives:

    https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6901292/

Children
  • in reply to Iain

    Thank you so much, that is a very helpful insight. It would make a lot of sense as a lot of the trauma came from different places and situations.

    I am on a waiting list for therapy but been told it is a long wait. Anything that may potentially help in the meantime is more than welcome.

    Although I am beginning to get a bit of an understanding with other autistic people it is such a broad area to cover. The help and topics on here are definitely enlightening.

    Thank you for taking the time to share this, I really do appreciate it