The part about grief really hit me. I had to take a break and make myself a cup of tea before reading on. Thanks for writing about this. I'm high masking. I also have ME/CFS, or chronic fatigue syndrome, which is getting in the way of me getting a proper diagnosis and help. Could you perhaps recommend a good book about unmasking?
Thanks for your comments Conny. your right the grief was a large part of my own journey, but not one I had been prepared for!
Co-occurring conditions can make things harder, both because they can mask elements of each other and exacerbate them (for us and other professionals).
I love Unmasking Autism by Devon Price, it's got a lovely mix of research, lived experience and reflective invitations, it one of the books I most commonly recommend to clients or people starting this journey. (I listened to the audiobook version)
Thank you so much for your comments, i really do value hearing when things resonate with other.
Please don’t underestimate the power of your writing! It was such a beautiful and vulnerable sharing. Please do post a link to it here so other people can read it too.
I think I read that piece just after I’d written the first draft of this and it reaffirmed to me that it was the right thing to share this week!
This work is really hard, there is so much unlearning that many of us have to do, while living in systems and structures that are not affirming of our own lived experiences. I often have to remind myself that it's a practice and one that often doesn't have a perfect ending, but can lead to more sustainable balance in our lives.
You're so right about the knowing just being the first step, being able to ask and being listened to are not always options that are available, which is why context is also such an important strand. It can help us to identify where the safer places might be, but I firmly believe that we have to begin by learning to feel safe with ourselves.
I constantly experience moments like this 🤯 in the most wonderful way when reading your newsletter! Thank you! 💖💖💖
Thank you so much, that's a wonderful thing to hear!
The part about grief really hit me. I had to take a break and make myself a cup of tea before reading on. Thanks for writing about this. I'm high masking. I also have ME/CFS, or chronic fatigue syndrome, which is getting in the way of me getting a proper diagnosis and help. Could you perhaps recommend a good book about unmasking?
Thanks for your comments Conny. your right the grief was a large part of my own journey, but not one I had been prepared for!
Co-occurring conditions can make things harder, both because they can mask elements of each other and exacerbate them (for us and other professionals).
I love Unmasking Autism by Devon Price, it's got a lovely mix of research, lived experience and reflective invitations, it one of the books I most commonly recommend to clients or people starting this journey. (I listened to the audiobook version)
Thank you Louise. The book looks really interesting. I'll get myself a copy :)
Thank you 🫶🏻 Lots here I wrote about in my Paradox of Bravery piece. Just much less useful than yours!
I needed to read *all* of this today - particularly after doing some IFS Parts work in my therapy session yesterday.
Thank you for writing this. I will probably read it a number of times!
Thank you so much for your comments, i really do value hearing when things resonate with other.
Please don’t underestimate the power of your writing! It was such a beautiful and vulnerable sharing. Please do post a link to it here so other people can read it too.
I think I read that piece just after I’d written the first draft of this and it reaffirmed to me that it was the right thing to share this week!
Thank you Louise - I really appreciate that, truly.
I ummed and ahhd about linking it but let doubt get the better of me (as I do) and you can't edit comments!
Appreciate the opportunity to share it here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/thethoughtlibrary/p/the-paradox-of-bravery-when-letting
Having a neurodivergent therapist who worked in an affirming way was a game changer for me! I can recommend https://neurodivergenttherapists.com/directory/ and https://www.ndsupport.org/ for therapists with lived experience.
This work is really hard, there is so much unlearning that many of us have to do, while living in systems and structures that are not affirming of our own lived experiences. I often have to remind myself that it's a practice and one that often doesn't have a perfect ending, but can lead to more sustainable balance in our lives.
You're so right about the knowing just being the first step, being able to ask and being listened to are not always options that are available, which is why context is also such an important strand. It can help us to identify where the safer places might be, but I firmly believe that we have to begin by learning to feel safe with ourselves.