I am not yet plunging into academic reading on the subject, but rather enjoying discovering and sharing different aspects of autism from the inside. Right now, my inner work is on ‘context blindness’ in autism. I find it not only to be fascinating, but am also discovering its deep impact on my own life.

So there, I said it: context blindness. Think about a little child, in its crib, lonely, scared and hungry. It cries desperately. Mom comes in, stands at the door and the child sees her, but does not calm down, as it doesn’t make the link between Mom is Here and Getting Food Soon. This little child remains upset, fearful, hungry and lonely even with Mom in the room. So this little autistic child uses up much more emotional energy for a normal daily thing : hunger. It comes with an extra back pack each day: fear and a feeling of abandonment. For the autistic child, each situation is always new. Or maybe one day it may become old, but it will take a long while before it will automatically make the link ‘Mom = Food!’ This is why autistic people need routine and re-assurance in order to build an inner safety.

I have come across a very puzzling situation due to context blindness while in my fifties : I had moved house, a new job and the relationship with my partner was undergoing a few changes. I was near burnout and had no clue what the origin of this uncomfortable feeling was. It was hell. In my frustration, I was getting ready to just toss it all out: move house, break up, and other radical ‘solutions’ in search for comfort, while in fact I was just exhausting myself more.

And this is where the Autism Coach/Psychotherapist comes in! I had explained to my therapist (I have no autism coach as I am the first one in my region) why I have difficulty identifying and putting my emotions into their context. So they helped me find the real cause of my burnout. They also helped me set up a program for getting more stability and finding a way out.

As a little bonus, here are some things that helped me strengthen my nervous system : reading books (with ear plugs in) instead of watching screens, taking care of animals (I go feed a horse almost daily and sometimes give help to an animal shelter, plus long walks – and I play with my cat), taking warm Epsom salt baths 2 or 3 times a week, and cardiac coherence breathing 2 or 3 times per day. Of course I can also help you find ways to soothe your nervous system and support you in times of burnout.

Back to ‘context blindness’: this little video by famous expert Peter Vermeulen explains it quite well. According to his theory, the whole concept of context blindness is the basis of autism and not the speechless stuff, the sensory hoo-ha or the social yada-yada-yada. I like it a lot, as it re-centers everything. Certainly worth going into more deeply.

Please check it out and let me know what you think. Have you been through this kind of confusion, where you felt a certain way but had no clue why?