My experience with AS and meditation

[Modus.Ponens]

Hello

I haven't posted here in a while. I want to report my experience with asperger's syndrome and meditation.

I don't think AS will ever be "fixed". I believe I will always have different points of view regarding social relations and social protocol. But I think the main thing we strugle with is not knowing how to relate to others in an intuitive manner, integrating their speech, body language and tone of voice in a whole comunicative process. At least that's what I think people in the moderate end of the spectrum strugle with the most.

My social experience changed dramatically due to the practice of meditation. (This is not intended as promoting religion. It's intended as promoting mental well being through meditation.) Two forms of meditation allowed me to change for the better. One of the forms is what is commonly known as mindfulness meditation. The persistent effort to be aware of my thoughts and feelings allowed me to recognise them much quicker than before. And one of the advantages is that I can recognise these in others more naturaly. The other form of meditation is metta, aka, loving kindness. Practicing metta, primarily towards myself, but also towards others, allowed me to conect better with myself and others. The deficit in empathy was compensated. And since I was subject to bullying from young age, metta towards myself allowed me to be less self conscious and more relaxed and accepting of myself.

The bennefits of my meditation practice largely surpass the above bennefits in many ways. But I also have to mention that if you ever decide to embarc on this journey with intensity, you will meet obstacles. It can be a very rough ride because a lot of personal stuff bubble up. Many times this stuff is hard to deal with. And the very way you relate to the world can change. During the adaptation period it's very difficult.
What I can say is that it has been a rough ride, but completely worth the time and effort.

Take care.

 

[making_art]

Modus,

Thanks so much for sharing this with us. I find your experience fascinating and I'm so glad you discovered mindfulness meditation and it has been so helpful for you!

I have found mindfulness meditation very helpful for my depression and anxiety but also just for my general well being. I am so glad I had the opportunity to learn about mindfulness meditation. I am trying to practice mindfull eating during meals but have yet to be vigilant enough with it and before I know it I have inhaled my meal before I remember to practice mindful eating. I eat way too fast! :facepalm:

 

[GDPR]

I am trying to practice mindfull eating during meals but have yet to be vigilant enough with it and before I know it I have inhaled my meal before I remember to practice mindful eating. I eat way too fast! :facepalm:

What is 'mindful eating'?

I eat way too fast too,I didn't realize just how fast until someone pointed it out to me.For me though,I think I have always eaten that way,food was scarce when I was young and I always ate as much as I could,as fast as I could, when I got the chance,so I think it became a habit.

The problem now is that I eat real fast and I get full really quickly,but I am not eating enough.My doctor said I need more protein,but I think I just need to slow down a bit and maybe I can gradually eat more.

 

[Modus.Ponens]

Modus,

Thanks so much for sharing this with us. I find your experience fascinating and I'm so glad you discovered mindfulness meditation and it has been so helpful for you!

I have found mindfulness meditation very helpful for my depression and anxiety but also just for my general well being. I am so glad I had the opportunity to learn about mindfulness meditation. I am trying to practice mindfull eating during meals but have yet to be vigilant enough with it and before I know it I have inhaled my meal before I remember to practice mindful eating. I eat way too fast! :facepalm:

Well, one of the main tricks I found was to practice mindfulness during "unimportant" tasks. Cleaning, washing dishes, walking from, and to, home, etc. Since you really have to do these tasks, why not seize the opportunity to be mindful of the activity? Just not while driving.

Lost in Thought: Mindful eating (or walking, or cleaning, etc.) is just paying conscious attention to what you're doing. For example, you can pay attention to the movement of your lips, tongue and jaw. Or to the taste of the food. While walking you can pay attention to the sensation on your feet while they touch the ground sequentially. And so on. It's better to pay attention with little attachment or aversion. Obective, patient, analytical and understanding.

A good reason why mindfulness should be acompanied by metta (done while seated) is that mindfulness alone can feel dry. Metta is good to generate joy, to soften the edges and bring peace. I would love to see the results of a scientific study on the practice of metta and its effects on depression _ or anxiety disorders, dissossiative disorders, etc.

 

[making_art]

Metta is good to generate joy, to soften the edges and bring peace. I would love to see the results of a scientific study on the practice of metta and its effects on depression _ or anxiety disorders, dissossiative disorders, etc.

The metta or loving kindness meditation is my favorite meditation as well and I would like to see the results of those studies too.

May you be in good health and feel peace......may all of our Psychlink friends be in good health and feel peace......