Skip to main content

Mirror Sensory Synesthesia and the Nuances of Autism

 I have been doing a little bit of research on mirror sensory synesthesia after becoming aware of the term mirror emotion synesthete, which resonated with me. I heard the term from an Autistic therapist on Twitter and decided to look into the wider picture a little bit. I now recognize myself as a mirror emotion synesthete, but I also experience other mirror sensory synesthesia as well, such as the feeling of pain in others almost as if it were my own. Being a mirror emotion synesthete means that I can feel other people's emotions.

Synesthesia is a blending of the senses, and while it may seem bizarre to others that I can feel and see music, it is not all that uncommon in Autism. It may also go against your preconceived notions of Autism that I am hyper-empathetic to the point of feeling other people's emotions, but this is also not as uncommon as once thought. Autistics do not necessarily lack empathy, although some of us exhibit it in a much different way than allistics (non-Autistics).

What I would like everyone who reads this to take from it is that Autism is a varied neurotype that can exhibit itself in more ways than many other neurotypes. In neurobiological terms, every Autistic seems to have a different pathway of connectivity in our brains to the point of being more diverse than neurotypical people. If you have not read it, I highly recommend the book Unmasking Autism by Devon Price, PhD, which is what I am currently reading. The information about mirror emotion synesthesia, I obtained from an Autistic therapist on Twitter and then further looked into scholarly articles about mirror sensory synesthesia and the ability to feel another's pain as if it were your own. Sometimes I feel like I feel other people's pain more than my own even. It is not uncommon for Autistic people to have a different reaction to pain than allistics, which often leads to doctors and other healthcare workers doubting our needs. 

What I hope you learned from this is that Autistic experiences are very diverse, coming from all spheres, including gender identity, race, sexual orientation, and various other minorities and is not a strictly "male" neurodivergence, which much of the past literature seemed to tout and leads to underdiagnosis in people who may need accommodations and have been masking their whole life. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction

 My name is Lily Maureen O'Nan, and I am currently going to university for my associate of science degree in social science, and then will be moving onto a bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology with a minor in gender studies. I am non-binary transfeminine and autistic and ADHD, and will be using this platform to publish essays as I go through academia until I have a better grasp on coding.  I will be discussing a wide array of topics from disability studies to traditional psychology to psychedelic therapy to Marxism and more. I will also be discussing gender and "neuroqueer" experience, and possibly publishing poetry and art-themed pieces as well. Be on the lookout for updates. 
Post a Comment
Read more

Mirror-touch Synesthesia & the "Empath"

 I personally do not like or adhere to the term "empath," but I believe I have figured out the explanation for this phenomenon, which I do experience. It's specifically called mirror-touch synesthesia, and is also related to mirror-pain synesthesia and mirror-emotion synesthesia, which I spoke of at an earlier time. Studies show that mirror-touch synesthetes experience heightened levels of empathy because, in addition to feeling at least an echo of another person's pain, many of us also feel their emotions as if they were our own. This sounds an awful lot like the horrific pop psychology term, "empath," but most people attribute it to a supernatural phenomenon if they're not lying about it, rather than a Neurodivergence. It's a lesser known type of synesthesia, but I experience mirror-touch, as well as more "traditional" types of synesthesia where many of my senses blend together. I was actually misdiagnosed with schizoaffective because I d...
Post a Comment
Read more

Communication and Assistive Technology for Autistic and Other Disabled People

 Communication is more than speaking and Autistic people are a great example of a community who uses a wide variety of communication techniques and technologies to help assist us. Some Autistic people are speaking, some are nonspeaking, some partially nonspeaking, many have apraxia of speech, some connect to language in a synesthetic way, some are object visualizers, and some spatial visualizers. For nonspeaking and partially speaking (and even speaking Autistics who want an alternative) can turn to assistive technologies or other forms of communication, such as facilitated communication, RPM (rapid prompting method), letterboards, AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) devices or apps, writing, typing, ASL (American Sign Language), and a multitude of other ways to communicate, including, but not limited to music, sound, and motoric movements that convey a message to the Autistic or otherwise Disabled person. These methods are used for other Disabilities sometimes as well...
Post a Comment
Read more