Recovery from Asperger's - six months along.

For 55 years, I had Asperger’s though for most of my life, there was such a label. I was diagnosed as "just different" but I did not fit any label.

For six months, I have ceased to have this condition This is not a nice, easy “happily ever after” as I have to recover from the condition. A current example is my mother is dying and I have to learn how to grieve “normally” instead of the old way which is – in many ways, much easier. I have to learn how to use sections of my mind I have never used before. You do not magically become normal. Besides which – there are still many advantages to Asperger’s.

One person with a mere six months of a new way of thinking is not a magical success – life is a long road. Being ABLE to think normally does not imply any experience in living normally. It does not even mean I am required to think normally. I have no idea what the future holds.

This is not a post of “I have a magical wand to fix everything.”

I don’t have such a wand and life goes on – but I think on the whole, I prefer normal to Asperger’s. But then, I have the advantages of a very well developed area of mathematics and logic – which few people have. That remains.

Those with loved ones with Asperger’s ... or those with Asperger’s need to hold on to hope that a solution comes – which is good. But it is NOT a magical fix.

We begin with a NEW definition of Asperger’s. With the sure and certain knowledge that this definition is WRONG. It is one part and ONLY one part of a complex thing. I am sure and certain that more knowledgeable experts with better resources are going to develop a better definition to what they now have. But for all the idea that this is WROING – the idea is powerful enough to allow me to recover from the condition.

The definition?

Asperger’s is a malfunctioning switch in the brain which switches from the mathematical/logical part of the brain to the normal part of the brain.

The source of this was one of those incredible “serendipity” moments in medicine and it came about with a few people with epilepsy so bad that they needed brain surgery. They had a tiny part of the brain with malfunctioning neurons which sparks an epileptic fit and they needed to know the exact point in the brain which needed the operation. Each patient needed to be scanned and wait for a fit to identify the unique point which needed surgery.

Obviously, they had to wire up the patients and then wait for a fit. And also obviously, it is boring. So they gave the patients a variety of puzzles to do to while away the time.

And it was in this state that they found that normal puzzles like crosswords and the like – there is one pattern. However with mathematical puzzles, that part of the brain switched off and the ”mathematical” part of the brain kicked in.

I heard about this second hand ... from a friend. And I thought about it. I decided “That describes me – I am always in mathematical mode.” My "switch was stuck."

I spent a few months “re-evaluating myself” using this idea. It fitted me so perfectly that I could understand why I did what I did. Eventually, it allowed me to find a solution. The solution was based upon “knowing why I behaved like I did.”

***

This part is written more for the experts. I have come to you with a report of “this is the issue” and a self imposed experiment “I might be able to fix this” and the outcome “I have succeeded.”

This is a thesis, then a hypothesis, and finally a ‘trial.’ It means that I can encourage others to experiment and duplicate. If it can be checked, experimented, and duplicated, then you can ... go forward. Your part is ** also ** a journey of a thousand miles. This is the first step ... of something profound. I cannot see what is coming but it is far wider than merely Asperger’s.

In order to encourage you to take this first step. I will give you a few things I found as this thing about “brain switches" ... is only partly investigated. Nobody has applied neuroplasticity methods to these switches – except me.

The first thing is that you can create a simple survey. Give the people the idea above. Get your list of common symptoms ... and ask “how well does this fit you?” Remember that this is EXACTLY what I did – see above.

A second thing – look at the self help techniques for depression which targets the same switch. It moves people away from depression by forcing them into the logical. Look at the change from emotional (depression) to logical which is what they describe. Imagine being stuck in the logical. You never go to the emotional. Doesn't this describe Asperger's?

The third thing – they can induce Asperger’s by means of magnets. They did not realize it when they did so – they thought they were trying to develop instantaneous calculations. They failed ... but that is not the issue. I have added in what they actually did – induce Asperger’s - they had NO IDEA that this is what they actually did.

It means that with this external magnetic switch, you can actually think like those with Asperger’s. Before you could say “they think differently”. After you can say “They think in “this way” because you can experience it for yourself.

But do remember that you have entire areas of your brain are already developed, and they remain .. though “muted” when the switch is switched. People with Asperger’s do not have these other brain resources. Still – you ought to be able to get an inkling of the difference in thinking if you undergo that experiment for yourself.

There is actually a surprising amount of supporting evidence when you know what to look for. All I have really done is to say “look here.”

***

The next part of the process is the method for changing the switches - and I have used the sitch of one and only one fo my secondaty symptoms.

In this case, the symptom I am dealing with is hypersensitivity to sound. It was ... debilitating to me. So let me describe my responses. If I was in a store and there was the background music and someone played a DVD or a song – I could not cope with the dual sounds. If I went into a restaurant, I would often leave as though someone had beaten me up as I tried to deal with the background sound levels. If someone whistled, I had to stop what I was doing to deal with the sound. I know I was nowhere near as bad as others – but it did make it very hard to go into a lot of situations.

I could not learn a new language, and I avoided many social settings just because of the sound issues.

Now ... I had tried the usual things and treatments they had devised in order to create a “filter” to the sound. The theory is that the body can hear through the ears and also through the skin .... and they wanted to filter sounds in the brain to differentiate between background sound (skin sounds) and foreground sounds (ear sounds). They were not successful with me.

So we go to the beginning. We learn by two processes – the carrot and the stick. A baby has a bauble set before it. The baby desires it and reached for it. The baby does not know how to use arms and legs and the random neurons cause the arms and legs to reach for the bauble. When the baby accidently touches the bauble – it gets a reward and reinforces that neural path. If it does not – it get frustrated and tries again. Eventually, the reinforced neural paths are what we have learned. So we get a reward when we succeed. That which is reinforced, remains. The law “Use it or lose it” is often used in neuroplasticity.

To RELEARN the process s slightly different. We have to STOP using the reinforced path – and to try ‘something else” and learn again. You also have to choose to remain using the new way and not the old as you might have TWO neural paths instead of one.

So I had the goal. I wanted to cease listening to the skin and only use the ears. And I needed a method ...the "something different." So I decided to ask “why the change from skin to ears?” And the answer in evolution is twofold. One is that ear sounds is directional (ergo the reason to develop ears) and the other is that with interactions with things like dogs, we no longer needed to hear with the skin. I postulated that we had evolved to turn off the input from the skin. So the problem seemed to me that I had to “turn off” the input from the skin.

So I had to change FROM ... what I was – hypersensitive to sound.

I had a deliberate and specific idea of what I wanted – to switch a specific area of the brain which is located as “part of the way the brain deals with sound” and I wanted to “turn off a switch.”

And I developed a visualization technique. I thought hard about the issues, pictured in my mind a switch – pictured myself turning the switch. I pictured that in turning the switch – that the I no longer responded to the “skin” ... you could also use a picture of pulling a plug from the sound system. I then ... contemplated these things in quiet for a few minutes. Thinking of the random neurons ...

And I aslo pictured the test environment – namely to deal with two sounds at once. I had a particular store in mind where it was very difficult for me to go to that store for that reason.

I "succeeded" when I got the reward, when I actually achieved what I desired. Namely the ability to go into an environment with background sound without freaking out.

If you are interested – this is biofeedback – except for the brain rather than for the body.

It took a few tries but it worked. I had learned how to switch that particular brain switch.

A goal, a definitive methodology, a test environment and brain switches. Add in visualization techniques ... shake and stir. That is all there is to neuroplasticity of brain switches. We can switch the various switches in the brain – some we can turn on, some we can turn off, and some are meant to swap on and off.

Brain switches allowed me to fix Asperger’s. It allowed me to fix a couple of “hypersensitivity issues” which are not directly Asperger’s but are common. I have only dealt with the brain switches which are of interest to me. But there are SO MANY brain switches and I hope there is some researcher who is willing to take this new idea of “directing our own brain switches” into all sorts of directions. The potential is ... as limited as the brain. Which is limited but ... far more than anything we have previously thought.

That which is impossible – suddenly becomes possible. No magic wand, no “buy my machine” ... no secret knowledge where you send me a cheque. Merely ... the pen is mightier than the sword. A little knowledge ...

PS = I do recommend learning biofeedback as the body is a really ... easy area to get the “test environment” needed. If you can learn how to use the brain to control the body, it is far easier to learn how the brain to control the switches in the brain. Very similar techniques.

Just because it is impossible - let's do it anyway. You ** Know ** you cannot cure asperger's. Yeah.

Have fun ... and change the world. Or just your world.

Parents

Mark Davis over 11 years ago

Of course it is impossible - ask any expert, any skeptic ... until it is done.
And after it is done ... then they these same experts will explain why it has not occurred until they are forced to accept the new data.
And I can assure you that everyone tries to tell me that I have not done what I have done because - it is impossible. You have done ... whatever excuse they like. They explain to me what I am "really thinking." They explain to me that they know what I am really thinking on the grounds that I cannot convince them what I am really thinking. And they prove they are right because "It is impossible - therefore I have not done it - therefore there is some other reason, theerfore this is what you are really doing."
Unfortunately - I have this saying. When words and actions disagree, believe actions. When rhetoric and reality disagree, either rhetoric or reality is wrong and reality is NEVER wrong.
I think I prefer my maths professor. One fact can overturn the most profound and well thought out and accepted theory.
Fact - you can recover from Asperger's.
Of course, you do not know it is a fact. I do. So you doubt - as you should. Don't worry, reality is rather powerful and that which can be proved will be proved ... one way or the other.
The gap between "this is the problem" to "This is the sollution" is called neuroplasticity.
More, it is a specific type of neuroplasticity - the type which changes lifetime learning disabilities - which can be applied. I recommend the book "the woman who changed her brain" by Barbara Arrowsmith-Young as this was my introduction to the subject. Those who devise techniques on themselves to meet their own needs are usually the ones I go to for answers.
You can also look up her site on the web - she deals with applied neuroplasticity to people with life time learning disabilities, and in changing the school systems to permit these ideas to be taught in schools. Go and read for yourself.
Because you can actually train the brain and this includes growing new neurons, then just because there is a hardware problem in the brain - it is not the end of the subject.
All that has occurred is that another brain hardware problem such as dyslexia can be fixed and not just "trained on how to cope with it."
People with dyslexia and other "learning disabilities" were also told it could not be fixed. They were given training on how to cope. Some still are. But as the new ideas on neuroplasticity are coming out and some places are teaching children using the new methodologies, they actually cease to have the learning disabilities.
Let me explain what brain switches do. They direct thoughts to certain areas of the brain.
If a part of the brain is not working - the problem might be that that particular part of the brain is malfunctioning or is damaged. The usual neuropastic techniques try to envisage the way that part of the brain is supposed to work and devise a series of exercises in order to use it - which causes that part of the brain to relearn and also to grow the neurons to repair itself.
** This approach to Asperger's has proved to be only a coping mechanism. **
I have also pointed out that this is not the problem which is why the various existing processes fail to actually cure the condition. I have pointed out that the actual problem is with the switch.
Apply the same concepts to the switch and then you suddenly have thoughts flowing into parts of the brain you have never used.
** THIS ** works.
I actually stumbled onto this in fxing the back after whiplash - another "impossible thing." It turns out that back problems are in the brain because posture is how we have learned to move. And learning is ... in the brain. Now THAT is subtle, and cause and effect are far apart. Talk about "outside the box."
That is a wonderful training ground for both biofeedback, and also the indirect approach. It also trains in 'relearning" which is another idea I had to invent from the original research. It also teaches patience as you apply a specific stimulus and have to wait for days and weeks as the effects in the body pan out.
But that is another story and another "impossible" until it is done. It is not quite done yet. I have a bit to go there.
Indirect is the key ... and the brain technique which happened to be successful for Asperger's was an indirect one.
You are going to have to think otuside the box.
Here is a tip. Go and learn how they define asperger's. It is actually a functionality - these are the symptoms which we observe as belonging to a group of people who behave in a particular way.
They have found their defintion by category. Thus they do not know the cause. They know it is in the brain and unless you were on the cutting edge - "everyone knows" that the brain is the brain and it cannot be changed.
Except now they know the brain can be changed (Neuroplasticity) - and now you also have a new defintion.
Talk about thinking outside the box.
Have fun. Use the very skills of Asperger's. You can think. You can think outside the box. Do a bit of research. Remember to define your terms.
You can devise your own methods and I think - THINK that as asperger's is a rather fluid concept - there will be many methodologies which can be devised. And need to be devised.
As with learning - the carrot and the stick.
Here is the carrot. You CAN change - it is possible. I TESTIFY it is possible.
Let that idea grow. Find an answer for yourself. It is NOT impossible but you are going to have to do something different. But remember that you are more than Asperger's ... and have FUN.
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Mark Davis over 11 years ago

Of course it is impossible - ask any expert, any skeptic ... until it is done.
And after it is done ... then they these same experts will explain why it has not occurred until they are forced to accept the new data.
And I can assure you that everyone tries to tell me that I have not done what I have done because - it is impossible. You have done ... whatever excuse they like. They explain to me what I am "really thinking." They explain to me that they know what I am really thinking on the grounds that I cannot convince them what I am really thinking. And they prove they are right because "It is impossible - therefore I have not done it - therefore there is some other reason, theerfore this is what you are really doing."
Unfortunately - I have this saying. When words and actions disagree, believe actions. When rhetoric and reality disagree, either rhetoric or reality is wrong and reality is NEVER wrong.
I think I prefer my maths professor. One fact can overturn the most profound and well thought out and accepted theory.
Fact - you can recover from Asperger's.
Of course, you do not know it is a fact. I do. So you doubt - as you should. Don't worry, reality is rather powerful and that which can be proved will be proved ... one way or the other.
The gap between "this is the problem" to "This is the sollution" is called neuroplasticity.
More, it is a specific type of neuroplasticity - the type which changes lifetime learning disabilities - which can be applied. I recommend the book "the woman who changed her brain" by Barbara Arrowsmith-Young as this was my introduction to the subject. Those who devise techniques on themselves to meet their own needs are usually the ones I go to for answers.
You can also look up her site on the web - she deals with applied neuroplasticity to people with life time learning disabilities, and in changing the school systems to permit these ideas to be taught in schools. Go and read for yourself.
Because you can actually train the brain and this includes growing new neurons, then just because there is a hardware problem in the brain - it is not the end of the subject.
All that has occurred is that another brain hardware problem such as dyslexia can be fixed and not just "trained on how to cope with it."
People with dyslexia and other "learning disabilities" were also told it could not be fixed. They were given training on how to cope. Some still are. But as the new ideas on neuroplasticity are coming out and some places are teaching children using the new methodologies, they actually cease to have the learning disabilities.
Let me explain what brain switches do. They direct thoughts to certain areas of the brain.
If a part of the brain is not working - the problem might be that that particular part of the brain is malfunctioning or is damaged. The usual neuropastic techniques try to envisage the way that part of the brain is supposed to work and devise a series of exercises in order to use it - which causes that part of the brain to relearn and also to grow the neurons to repair itself.
** This approach to Asperger's has proved to be only a coping mechanism. **
I have also pointed out that this is not the problem which is why the various existing processes fail to actually cure the condition. I have pointed out that the actual problem is with the switch.
Apply the same concepts to the switch and then you suddenly have thoughts flowing into parts of the brain you have never used.
** THIS ** works.
I actually stumbled onto this in fxing the back after whiplash - another "impossible thing." It turns out that back problems are in the brain because posture is how we have learned to move. And learning is ... in the brain. Now THAT is subtle, and cause and effect are far apart. Talk about "outside the box."
That is a wonderful training ground for both biofeedback, and also the indirect approach. It also trains in 'relearning" which is another idea I had to invent from the original research. It also teaches patience as you apply a specific stimulus and have to wait for days and weeks as the effects in the body pan out.
But that is another story and another "impossible" until it is done. It is not quite done yet. I have a bit to go there.
Indirect is the key ... and the brain technique which happened to be successful for Asperger's was an indirect one.
You are going to have to think otuside the box.
Here is a tip. Go and learn how they define asperger's. It is actually a functionality - these are the symptoms which we observe as belonging to a group of people who behave in a particular way.
They have found their defintion by category. Thus they do not know the cause. They know it is in the brain and unless you were on the cutting edge - "everyone knows" that the brain is the brain and it cannot be changed.
Except now they know the brain can be changed (Neuroplasticity) - and now you also have a new defintion.
Talk about thinking outside the box.
Have fun. Use the very skills of Asperger's. You can think. You can think outside the box. Do a bit of research. Remember to define your terms.
You can devise your own methods and I think - THINK that as asperger's is a rather fluid concept - there will be many methodologies which can be devised. And need to be devised.
As with learning - the carrot and the stick.
Here is the carrot. You CAN change - it is possible. I TESTIFY it is possible.
Let that idea grow. Find an answer for yourself. It is NOT impossible but you are going to have to do something different. But remember that you are more than Asperger's ... and have FUN.
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