Hoffic experience with autistic therapist! Trigger warning, very disstressing!

Potential trigger warning!!!!! 

i am autistic. i found an autisitc “specialist”, who was very kind to me at first, but once i trusted them, started telling me everyone is autistic, you have to fit in otherwise you won’t be hapy, stop stiming, even went as far as to say he knew someone who became “more” autisitic and has been locked up for three years ( i hope this isnt true but am not sure!). he said i could either have written on my gravestone i flapped my hands, or i lived a hapy and fuffiling life. he said he’s concerned i might find other autistic people to socialise with (despite it not existing apparently) and leave the wonders of “society” and “normality”. your only going after autism as an identity, its an identity crisis. “we all have to mold to society” he says. “if i would live in a different country, i would be a different human! autism is learned! you can’t say your autistic because you’ve only have your experiences to go on, so how can you tell you are different! your manic and need a phychaitrist! he even suggestde lithium. you are bi polar! it’s all your imagination! “you are gullible and belive anything you read stop reading about autism, your fixating on it”. my past “therapist” was also horrible ,was clueless at first, but decided to make me “normal” through cbt, i got really really ill emotionally after that (that was two years ago). i’m so trusting i believed him as well for a day. unsuprisingly i felt deeply oppressed, suppressed, depressed and a bit suicidal. and started masking again after that, but it seems to be passing. its been almost a week now since i last saw him. i’ve masked my whole life up until a few weeks ago, and feel like i need to have a meltdown or shutdonw, but haven’t had one for so long and am not in a safe enviroment so can’t do it (my family are telling me to move out cause i’m getting too noisy  im 21). i said i use molehill miontain, and still have no idea how im feeling, he said thats your imagination course you know - and i dont!!! honestly!!!! even my gp, who said im autistic, said “dont go into autism too much” cause autistic people get “obssesed over things”. i wish i could say this never happened, but it did, and i’ll never forget it. i’ve been doing a lot of stimmy things (tho consouly stimming after this is very hard, i feel i might get locked up for it, tho rationally that’s not going to happen ever,) and crying to process it and thats helping. any love would be wonderful at the moment, i know it’s only a comments section so can’t expect much though! i just feel utterly devalidated and worthless!!!!!!!!!  i think the best way to proces all this is by a lot of nice stimi things and reading more about autism and reaching out for help in autistic communites. he is against all autistic communities. he is jewish and ultra orthodox, even spoke of the dangers of the internet! i live in the UK, can’t believe someone could be qaulified and behave like that. the worst is that if i make a complaint they might not beleive me cause im “autistic”. i only get labelled autistic when it suits everyone around me!

and i've found a therapist who does actually help autistic people, but they haven't got back to me, i don't know if they are devalidating me as well! or they might not be free. i live in manchester, if anyone has any advice to get some real face to face validation and support i need that, any helpline for autistic people, or autisitc services...... which wont de humanise me.... my parents seem to be accepting me and showing love which is helping a bit!!!!

please please please dont comment if you don't believe me or dont have anything nice to say.....all i need is to be believed and validated. even something like, "that sounds terrrible, i'm sending support virually!" would make such a difference..... every thing i wrote earlier is almost true word for word, i have a photographic memory, im not lieing, honestly!!!! im telling myself he and my old therapist and my gp are wrong in every sense, utterly incorrect but it isn't helping much the fact is that i've been fully invalidated by real humans and he said sorry but it doesnt help...

  • he apparently hasn't got w degree just done a few counseling courses. his approach is an ignorant one linked to that he's not had an education. regarding my experience the intensity of the shutdown i've experienced is passing but it's still very hard

  • well honestly just thinking of seeing him again makes my skin crawl but my daddy is looking after it for me

  • indeed the more autistic behaviours the better autism is a type of human not a disorder 

  • i am processing it but it's taking time. the truth is i had no idea how abusive and cruel people can be towards autistic people its aweful

  • thanks everyone for such kind words... i'm just hoping i'll get over it it's so hard for me right now. in particular i've got lots of uni work due in friday and i'm not feeling up to it. 

  • hello thanks very much for such kind words and I definitely consider chatting to my GP about it. indeed d**k doesn't cover it. I Saw him about four times and each time his approach was completely different once even suggesting I had severe ADHD and proceeding to complete a diagnosis with me and and my parents despite not being qualified or allowed to do so.. i may well have some adhd but honestly! Another time he suggested that the medication id been prescribed for anxiety from my GP was somehow exacerbating things despite it helping immensely. he also said he thinks I might have bipolar which firstly is untrue and secondly as a counsellor is well overstepping his bounds. he even got in touch with a psychiatrist he knows In London booked me an appointment and broke grounds of confidentiality by having a conversation with him about me without my knowledge or permission. to be fair my parents did give him the green light but he should've asked me as I was confused and bemuddled. 

    he imitated my flapping and said I can't go around doing that. he called me manic and instructed my parents to take me to A&E I saw a specialist who said she knew little about autism wwho completely validated me and said I'm not even remotely manic. once I told him this he disagreed on and said aa&e  he got it wrong.  he called me gullible and said I bet if I told you to jump off the roof you would listen then he said do it and then said see you're struggling!!!!???? Essentially his approach varied between diagnosing with mania and bipolar diagnosing me with ADHD telling me at all in my head threatening me and getting locked up, telling me my medication was incorrect, sending me to a&e, completely disagreeing with me and devalidating me, booking me psychiatry appointments, calling my old therapist without permission, Direct me telling me to avoid tthe other therapist id found, Warning me about autistic people becoming autistic tthrough socialising with other  autistics. and he calls himself a specialist in nuerodevelopmental "disorders".

    my dad  my dad believes I've got enough to get him thrown off the register but he's not sure if he wants to do it or not.

  • First of all I'm very sorry to hear about your experience, I've had some bad therapists too so I can relate, but nothing on this level. Personally I hope you report him to the relevant medical authorities because he sounds like an opinionated d*** spouting utter crap.

    Since your GP sounds more understanding, I'd recommend speaking to them about the possibility of being assigned a link worker. Mine made me aware of a number of services available to me as an autistic person, from art therapy to autism advocacy (something else to look up, see if it's available in your area) so if your GP is able to arrange something like that for you I'd recommend it. I'd also recommend speaking to them about what has happened with your therapist, they might take things further on your behalf, I don't know. 

    I'm new to the autism thing tbh but hopefully this is of some help. I'm sure other more learned posters will be able to offer you some advice too though, just remember you're not alone :)

  • Please dont feel this way. It is very difficult to hold it together when people are firing information at you which you know to be incorrect or inconsistent. I have an 8 year old boy who has autism with ADHD and he suffered very badly and talked about not wanting to live which was, as a parent, very hard to hear. However I got help, after many years of trying my child on new foods, cutting out some of his foods, walking and exercising more, listening, walking in eggshells .. to hearing him tell me he was "happy now and his other behaviours were the past". And yes he is now without his full on anxieties, worries, he is socialising and enjoying playing, he is reading. Even though highly intelligent, reading was something he actually had to concentrate on and couldn't. Two months on he is reading phenomenally well, faster than any of my children learned 10 fold. We were always proud of him but we were tired as he didnt sleep well either. Everyone may not agree with this, but he is now on medication which has turned his life, his sisters and our lives around 360 degrees. If you want details look up Dr Sean O'Domhnaill. Or email reception@drsean.clinic. He works with a guy in the UK and America. This doctor has changed all our lives x He doesnt take the aspergers from anyone, it only removed the anxiety and stress out of his life and helped him to focus on what he wanted to be able to do more easily.  Believe in you, you can get to where you want to be. BEST OF LUCK XX

  • thanks just an accident of some sort

  • i didn't put that there on purpose! it was there already! but i'll edit it out

  • hi  

    Can u please remove the Reply link embedded at bottom of the discussion text. If not I will let the community manger know it is there. You need to ask the community manager before you do a survey for commercial purposes.

    communitymanager@nas.org.uk

  • i cant't think of any thing worse, so sorry you had such a rotten experience ---- i like the molehill mountain idea keep using that Slight smile

  • There are still a lot of people with 1940's/50's view on autism about 10 years ago talked to a senior person in a child social services department that said " i don't believe in all these made up labels ,it's just bad parenting " Just avoid if you can . 

  • There are way too many unprofessional therapists, counsellors, etc out there. Or ones with some kind of a mission or agenda that blindsides them to any other view that might be valid, due to issues they haven't resolved themselves. 

    Some therapists are more than capable of giving 'advice' that is actively harmful, and  they are in a position of trust. And when the people who go to them are already vulnerable.... 

    Ditch them. 

    The advice may even have its merit when it comes to workplaces where everyone has to mask to a certain degree.....but that's work, and even workplaces are supposed by law to to help employees with difficulties have certain needs met, aren't they? 

  • Agreed - he needs reporting if humanly possible so he can be struck off and not put these toxic ideas into anyone else's heads!

  • I am so sorry you were put through this. You deserve so, so much better. This person is disgusting, ignorant and should be struck off. What a terrible therapist. I am sending support virtually for sure.

    All I can say is 'I flapped my hands' and 'I lived a happy and fulfilling life' are not mutually exclusive. You can stim and have a happy and fulfilling life. Stimming is OK. It doesn't hurt you or anyone else. It feels good and helps us as Autistic people to regulate ourselves and cope with things. I hold down a job I love and I stim. I have a wonderful partner and I stim. Stimming is just a part of my life, and the people I love accept that. If people don't accept stimming, then they don't have to be in my life. They can enjoy their closed-mindedness elsewhere.

    Is there someone you can complain to? I have to say that this person doesn't sound legit. There are a lot of people who peddle a lot of 'cures' which are very harmful, psychologically and sometimes physically. This 'therapist' should not be working, and if it's within an establishment where they encourage this kind of talk, then you should stay well clear of that establishment. This is toxic and preying on vulnerable people. You are wonderful as you are, and people and rhetoric like this will not do your mental health any favours at all. Stay well away. I hope that this new therapist gets back to you and that they are much better at their job.

    Most of us have experienced invalidation here, I certainly have, and we know how hurtful it is. We believe you. We support you.

  • Look up Chris Packham's investigation of autism treatment in the US on youtube... 

    There are approaches by 'autism specialists' out there, whose whole goal is to make the person less autistic; cure them or avoid the issue. Say, what?

    Errr...autism is not all that you are, but it is a fundamental part of who you are. All cats are individuals, and all breeds of cat are different, but can you ask any cat to be less feline? If you get my analogy...

    You need a therapist who will help you embrace your traits, learn how you differ from NTs and find a path to negotiate both worlds, whilst being exactly what and who you are born to be.

  • even so if they were certified maybe the certifying body should know?

  • Wow that's really shocking, and so unprofessional, especially coming from an autistic "specialist"! Is there any way you could report him?