…been profoundly useful for me. I hope it is as illuminating for you as well. For more information on the experience of alexithymia, I highly recommend reading the post below, which I wrote when my alexithymia was particularly high: The experience of alexithymia Types of alexithymia Alexithymia can be divided into two types: Cognitive alexithymia…
…a cross-sectional study Alexithymia is also associated with heavy drinking,[14]Coping with Inner Feelings and Stress: Heavy Alcohol Use in the Context of Alexithymia and the prevalence of alexithymia among alcoholics is very high (45–67%).[15]Alexithymia and alcohol use disorders: A critical review [16]Alexithymia and temperament and character model of personality in alcohol‐dependent Turkish men [17]Criterion validity…
…anorexia nervosa, substance abuse, and PTSD.[10]Alexithymia from the Social Neuroscience Perspective (Berthoz, Pouga & Wessa, 2011) Alexithymia is also associated with heavy drinking,[11]Coping with Inner Feelings and Stress: Heavy Alcohol Use in the Context of Alexithymia and the prevalence of alexithymia among alcoholics is very high (45–67%).[12]Alexithymia and alcohol use disorders: A critical review [13]Alexithymia…
…of nowhere”. Maybe that is more characteristic of PTSD, but PTSD and alexithymia often co-occur, and PTSD is moderately associated with alexithymia, in particular difficulties with identifying feelings.[8]Posttraumatic stress and alexithymia: A meta-analysis of presentation and severity (Edwards, 2019) When I was very high in alexithymia, I was generally quite non-reactive, but over a period…
…the section below! What does my score mean? Interpretation The TAS-20 uses cutoff scoring, with scores of 52–60 indicating possible alexithymia, and scores above 60 indicating alexithymia. ❮ ScoreInterpretation 0–51 No alexithymia 52–60 Possible alexithymia 61–100 Alexithymia present ❯ In other words, the higher your score, the more alexithymic traits are present, and the more…
…cause of frequently co-occurring alexithymia.[5]Alexithymia, Not Autism, Predicts Poor Recognition of Emotional Facial Expressions (Cook et al., 2013) Experiment 1 showed that alexithymia correlates strongly with the precision of expression attributions, whereas autism severity was unrelated to expression–recognition ability. Experiment 2 confirmed that alexithymia is not associated with impaired ability to detect expression variation; instead,…
Today I would like to talk about Natalie’s and my alexithymia, our results of the Online Alexithymia Questionnaire, and how we reduced our scores. If you want to know more about how alexithymia tends to present in autistic people, read this post: Alexithymia & autism My results Early September 2017, I did the Online Alexithymia…
…can read more about that in the Defense mechanism section in this post: Alexithymia & autism Alexithymia as a vulnerability marker So the biggest danger of alexithymia when it comes to manipulation and exploitation is that it shuts you off from your own emotions, which is very different from not having emotions. So while you…
…3 Disagree = 4 Strongly Disagree = 5 Interpretation Like the TAS-20, the OAQ-G2 uses cutoff scoring: ❮ ScoreInterpretation 0–94 No alexithymia 95–112 Possible alexithymia 113–185 Alexithymia present ❯ The overall score can offer a good indication of whether you have alexithymia. However, in some cases, you may get a relatively low score despite scoring…
This post was written at a time when my alexithymia was very high, making this post a perfect demonstration of alexithymia. (Notice how I try to explore feelings I barely know I experience) I have alexithymia, which is the inability to identify and describe emotions and feelings in the self. As such, the question “What…
…or emotions that manifest as physical symptoms. Also have a look at: Autism & empathy Taming alexithymia To overcome alexithymia, follow these steps: Pay attention to your feelings. Label your feelings correctly. Experience the feeling in the body correctly. Experience the action tendency toward the emotion. Also have a look at: Alexithymia Questionnaire results [+]…
…that both trait autism and alexithymia were uniquely associated with atypical empathy, but dominance analysis found that trait autism, compared to alexithymia, was a more important predictor of atypical cognitive, affective, and overall empathy. And the conclusion: Together, these findings indicate that atypical empathy in ASD is not simply due to co-occurring alexithymia. And to…
…of mental disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, VA (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) Alexithymia and eye contact Interestingly, alexithymia appears to be another factor that influences eye contact. You can read more about Alexithymia and autism in our Suffering from Alexithymia article but broadly speaking, alexithymic individuals struggle to identify and describe feelings and facial expressions. It…
…rates and a greater risk of eating disorders. There is a possibility that these risks can be reduced with targeted interventions for alexithymia.[19]Alexithymia may explain the relationship between autistic traits and eating disorder psychopathology, Vuillier et al, 2020 . Follow the link below to learn more about alexithymia in autism. Alexithymia & autism guide Treatment…
…report their feelings accurately. This can be important information for those who have to assess the threat level of a crisis situation; for instance, an autistic person who experiences a meltdown in public. Read our alexithymia guide below for more information on alexithymia and its consequences. Alexithymia & autism guide A 2014 review A systematic…
…the example of alexithymia A research study from 2014 indicated an association between the number of traumatic experiences and alexithymia, and the influence of emotional avoidance and numbing within this relationship.[24]Traumatic experiences, alexithymia, and posttraumatic symptomatology: a cross-sectional population-based study in Germany The prevalence of alexithymia among autistic people is so high (40–65%,[25]The validity of…
…in group interactions). And as it turns out, prosocial interactions are negatively influenced by alexithymia more so than autism; and sociability is negatively influenced by both autism and alexithymia, but more so by autism.[7]Common and Distinct Impacts of Autistic Traits and Alexithymia on Social Reward, Foulkes et al., 2005 For more information on alexithymia, read…
…46 2016 Eva Silvertant AuDHD & alexithymia Trans-female 34 25 2014 Hailey Revolone Autism, alexithymia, BIPOC Female 24 22 2021 Shreddy Dee AuDHD & alexithymia Male 63 58 2018 Dr. Debra Bercovici PhD AuDHD & biracial Female 30 28 2021 ❯ Do you find social demands overwhelming? If so, in what way? Natalie’s experience Autism,…
…caused me problems in this case. As you can read in the post below, although alexithymia can be annoying, it also acts as a protection mechanism. So with my alexithymia being reduced and being more in tune with my feelings, that opens up certain vulnerabilities, and makes it possible to tap into emotional experiences that…
…alexithymia. I believe quite a few negative aspects often attributed to autism are actually due to alexithymia, and if we can quell this kryptonite. Ultimately, hopefully, we will experience more moments where we are glad to be who we are, and are able to appreciate our beauty and depth. I’m still on that journey, and…
…Solving (Mikulincer & Sheffi, 2000) — Cognition Alexithymia Among those with insecure attachment, those with preoccupied patterns had a high prevalence of alexithymia (65%). Dismissing patterns had a lower prevalence (35%).[36]Insecure attachment and alexithymia in young men with mood symptoms (Troisi, D’Argenio, Peracchio, & Petti, 2001) Avoidance is associated with somatic symptoms, indicating that avoidant…
…Another significant piece of the puzzle came from alexithymia, which I discovered when I was around 28. I never quite managed to make sense of my empathy until I came across that concept. I just figured I would mention that, for those not yet familiar with alexithymia. Read the post below for a comprehensive guide…
…the incident. This is also why we have such a high prevalence of alexithymia! Read more on alexithymia and autism here: Alexithymia & autism guide Trauma symptoms For autistics, the most common symptoms detected following trauma were:[8]Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in individuals with diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorders Deterioration in social and communicative abilities Increase in…
…alexithymia are more prevalent factors when it comes to emotional profiles showing diminished emotions or absence of emotions. There are two things to note here, however: Cognitive alexithymia makes it difficult for the individual to identify or rate certain emotions. So rather than an absence of emotions, gaps in the emotional profile can indicate deficits…
…combat selective/fluctuating empathy as a result of issues with cognitive empathy (largely stemming from alexithymia). Researchers and investigators have also noted MDMA’s capacity to help people talk openly and honestly about themselves and their relationships, without the use of defensive mechanisms.[12]Subjective Reports of the Effects of MDMA in a Clinical Setting (Greer & Tolbert, 2012)…
…with alexithymia. What puzzles me, though, is that while the prevalence of asexuality among autistic people could be as high as 19.2%, all autistic women in my personal life seem to fall on the ace spectrum. What kind of bias is there that the prevalence of asexuality is close to 100% around me? Am I…
…myself with disgust just because I need food? I think that is also a powerful reminder to eat at the appropriate times; because whether our interoception problems are due to our autism[4]Interoception in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A review (DuBois et al., 2016) or alexithymia,[5]The Feeling of Me Feeling for You: Interoception, Alexithymia and Empathy in…
…2016) Framing effects are particularly prone to emerge during uncertainty, and research suggests it may be the co-occurrence of alexithymia and autism that lies behind the use of logic. Alexithymia is the inability to recognize one’s own or another’s feelings—leaving only logic as a way to decipher the world. The research indicates that although framing…
…neural rewiring 17:50 Alexithymia and autism 21:00 Autistic Roomba 23:25 Martin’s tree experience 26:26 Hypersensitivity and trauma 31:35 Synesthesia 33:40 Psychedelics aiding a person with overwhelming synesthesia 35:00 Comparing and contrasting conscious experiences in NTs and autistics 36:47 Serotonin is (seemingly) ubiquitous: the model neurotransmitter 39:10 Parallels between infant brains and adult brains on psychedelics…
…about autism. For example, item 8: When I’m reading a story, I can easily imagine what the characters might look like. Older research papers claim we lack imagination, but this is affective alexithymia, not autism. Furthermore, affective alexithymia is not at all common in autism. To read more on alexithymia and aspects of this construct…
…distract myself came up. What was it that made me look for a coping mechanism? The more mindful you are, the more control you can exert over your emotions, and the more in tune you will become with your feelings and emotions, leading to a reduction in alexithymia. I wrote more about that in the…
…may be autistic. I also assess for ADHD, alexithymia, and Ehlers–Danlos syndromes in the autism assessment, since these conditions often co-occur with autism. Assessments with consideration Not every diagnostician is equally considerate of the experience of autistic people. But being autistic myself, I understand the challenges autistic people face when seeking a diagnosis. Here are…
…every autistic person necessarily comes of as sensitive, which can be due to alexithymia and depression, which cuts us off from many of our emotions. Noasaurus is also very kind, gentle, and good at maths. But he can get nervous and clumsy. Anxiety tends to be high in autistic people, and we are perhaps infamously…
…alexithymia. I’ve created a list of self-reflection questions that you can use to practice becoming more self-aware about when burnout may be occurring. Each question asks us to reflect on a change in behaviour that is commonly associated with burnout in autism and ADHD. Integrating these questions into a weekly routine can help us learn…
…pain sensitivity (SF-MPQ; electrical: p = 0.0071, cold: p = 0.042). These results suggest that the cognitive pathways for pain processing function differently in autism. So it seems this study indicates that hypothesis #3 from the previous section was correct! I also wonder, then, if it’s not autism but alexithymia that alters the cognitive pathways…
…nor incompetent but thinks he knows better than me what is good for me. All the while simultaneously acknowledging that I have successfully managed to take care of myself, heal my alexithymia, and figure out my autistic condition without any professional medical assistance. Instead of him expressing regrets about the awful medical journey I had…
…intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP), which is a powerful trauma therapy that Natalie also recently got trained in. We will most certainly write a post specifically on this therapy at some point, because there is something about it that connects to autism and alexithymia in a crucial way. Anyway, while Natalie was undergoing this intensive…
…impose on autistic advantages or traits—including our (affective) empathy[5]The Feeling of Me Feeling for You: Interoception, Alexithymia and Empathy in Autism (Mul et al., 2018) and our sociability.[6]Alexithymia – not autism – is associated with frequency of social interactions in adults (Lerner et al., 2019) Because it can be challenging to find out what autistic…
…health care practitioners when they propose the possibility of autism. There is an acute absence of understanding that our preferred job choices tend to be actors, healthcare workers. Some conditions often co-occur with autism, such as ADHD and alexithymia. This can cause confusion and feelings of being an impostor post-diagnosis since we may not neatly…
…Empathy? | Psychology Today which I suspect could lead to alexithymia. Read more about alexithymia here: Alexithymia & autism guide [+] References 1↑ Three kinds of empathy: cognitive, emotional, and compassionate | Daniel Goleman 2↑ A New Understanding of Compassionate Empathy | Psychology Today 3↑ Motor Empathy in Individuals With Psychopathic Traits: A Preliminary Study…
…mental and physical resources occurs over time and is often unseen. Alexithymia may aggravate accurate monitoring since physical and mental needs are often outside awareness. A significant factor to remember is that headroom is not so quick or easy to replenish. For these reasons, you must build it into your life’s schedule. These areas can…
…Lived Experience of Codependency: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Bacon et al., 2018) External focusing (i.e., a tendency to focus on others) Self-sacrifice A need for control, which may fuel interpersonal conflict Emotional constraint (i.e., difficulty recognizing and expressing emotions, also known as alexithymia) I think another prominent factor in codependency is camouflaging. One of the…
…a difficulty interpreting neurotypical social cues. By not understanding, the only ways to avoid real rejection is to adopt RSD qualities such as people-pleasing. Interoception difficulties Many autistics struggle with emotional regulation due to alexithymia and poor interoception. We may not be able to accurately identify what we are feeling. For example, in response to…
…Question: What caused your autistic burnout? Natalie’s experience Autism, alexithymia, anxiety; cis-female; age 54; diagnosed at 46 I am passionate about autism advocacy, which involves various activities such as public speaking, teaching, writing advising, and assessing individuals with autism. In addition to this I am a mother to my young adult ADHDer who I help…
…of diagnosis Dr. Natalie Engelbrecht ND RP Autism & alexithymia Female 54 46 2016 Eva Silvertant AuDHD & alexithymia Trans-female 34 25 2014 Hailey Revolone Autism, alexithymia, BIPOC Female 24 22 2021 Shreddy Dee AuDHD & alexithymia Male 63 58 2018 Dr. Debra Bercovici PhD AuDHD & biracial Female 30 28 2021 ❯ Post-diagnostic experiences…
…experience joys that elude others. You are able to appreciate the absurdities of life, and the layers of irony that is life itself. Alien empathy Your empathy is quite a mystery; due to being high in alexithymia, you don’t seem to get emotionally affected by the hardships of people you don’t know,[3]Alexithymia decreases altruism in…
…have alexithymia, you wouldn’t necessarily consciously experience it as fear. It’s not necessarily a phobia that preoccupies the mind constantly, but it may often come up in social situations. The conviction of being ridiculous, strange, peculiar, etc. in the eyes of one’s social partners, and the subsequent expectation of being ridiculed, is what distinguishes gelotophobia…
…well, because in my understanding, alexithymia contributes significantly to the lack of social motivation, and I have not seen any research on how Asperger’s syndrome and autism can be differentiated based on alexithymia. So at the very least, I think the research is incomplete. But I worry that Asperger’s syndrome isn’t even a consistent construct…
…characteristic of alexithymia rather than autism (e.g. the ones on lack of compassion and empathy). While alexithymia correlates strongly with autism, it should not be confused with autism itself. Two-thirds of autistic adults were incorrectly identified by clinicians when they used this test, despite the fact that the test has strong validity.[8]Examining the Diagnostic Validity…
…more on alexithymia and aspects of this construct that are commonly mistaken for autism, have a look at: Alexithymia & autism guide The Y–BOCS Part 1: Symptom checklist Aggressive obsessions Check all which apply to you. 1. I fear I might harm myself EXAMPLES: Fear of eating with a knife or fork, fear of handling…
…marvelous news is that your autism encompasses numerous positive perks. A lot of the negative things tend to originate from co-occurring conditions, and the way we interface with the external world. Alexithymia, for example, is responsible for the majority of distressing symptoms that we have. Alexithymia can be treated; DNRS, EMDR, and VNS are effective…
…Matt’s diagnosis 2:45 Christine’s early career 4:21 Autistic characteristics and school 5:34 Christine and school 6:31 Work experiences and limitation 7:45 Difficulties in school 9:17 Christine can’t remember faces 10:07 Spiky skills profile 12:33 Alexithymia & visual skills 13:36 Autism obscured 15:47 Pathologizing conditions 16:34 Labels 17:19 High & low-functioning autism 18:57 Savant myth &…
…eye out for the first episode, which will be announced on our website in the upcoming days, and will be available on our YouTube channel and on our Soundcloud profile. Research I am also excited to let you know that Natalie and I have taken on the mighty task of writing a paper on alexithymia,…
…platforms besides YouTube and Podbean. For example, you can now find us on Spotify as well! On the downside, we got burned out producing the episodes. But we are preparing ourselves for more audio and video content, including two more episodes of the podcast. A research paper on alexithymia — Some weeks ago we submitted…
…taking one of the tests below. Toronto Alexithymia Questionnaire Measures difficulty in identifying and describing emotions and feelings Empathy Quotient Measures your ability to tune into how someone else is feeling, or what they might be thinking Toronto Empathy Questionnaire Measures your emotional ability to understand and respond to others. Online autism tests can play…
…Social Anxiety Scale, consider taking one of the tests below. Systemizing Quotient Measures your systemizing and pattern finding proclivities and abilities Toronto Empathy Questionnaire Measures your emotional ability to understand and respond to others Toronto Alexithymia Scale Measures difficulty in identifying and describing emotions and feelings Online autism tests can play an essential role in…
…my Oura ring lets me measure my moments of stress. Before using a heart monitor, my lowered interoception due to my autism and inaccurate interoception due to my alexithymia made it impossible to know when I was stressed. Learning to unmask is another strategy for prevention and recovery. Although everyone (including non-autistics!) mask to some…
…few items wrong (probably 3 or so); and what I remember from that time is that I had a tendency to evaluate facial expressions as more negative than they were due to my alexithymia. This tendency generally applies to people with some kind of trauma history; especially ambiguous facial expressions will be interpreted as more…
…about asexual, but I think I’m close. At the very least, sex is nowhere near as important to me as it seems to be for most people, and I can hardly fathom myself doing anything like that. Perhaps that has more to do with alexithymia? D: My sexuality is confusing to me, especially since I’ve…
…autism are actually due to co-occurring alexithymia. Education regarding your strengths Many great people are autistic. Anthony Hopkins, Charles Darwin, Tim Burton, Lewis Carroll, Steve Jobs, Emily Dickinson, Bobby Fischer… Research suggests that if a person is very intelligent or very creative, they should be screened for autism. There is in fact so much overlap…
…behaviors on the spectrum 39:53 Autistics prefer detailed instructions and minimal social interactions 41:20 The sociological issues of the treatments of autistics 42:55 MDMA reduces anxiety in autistic study participants 46:22 Supposed empathy deficits in autism really caused by co-occurring alexithymia 47:25 Coming out as autistic at work 48:22 Everyday discrimination 50:02 The Moses of…
…amount of insight into oneself that alexithymia may prevent. The first time I took this test I scored less than 6, and it was only when Martin went through the test with me and pointed out things that were obvious to him, that I realized that I indeed scored higher. The CAT-Q may be a…
…agree with it. Definitely Agree Slightly Agree Slightly Disagree Definitely Disagree Score Recommended next steps After the EQ, consider taking one of the tests below. Systemizing Quotient Measures your systemizing and pattern finding proclivities and abilities Toronto Empathy Questionnaire Measures your emotional ability to understand and respond to others Toronto Alexithymia Scale Measures difficulty in…
…physical symptoms, during a meltdown I experience an extreme amount of anxiety. I may experience stomach pain, and pressure on my chest. I don’t notice necessarily notice my physical symptoms, however, both due to alexithymia as well as focusing so much on the emotional overwhelm that there isn’t any mindfulness about bodily sensations. In terms…
…ketamine treatment could have a potentially profound impact on those that are affected by all three of the conditions, and I suspect ketamine could also have a use in treating alexithymia, though I have not seen any literature on this. Anesthetic Ketamine has also been found to be a good anesthetic when it comes to…
…people with alexithymia who have difficulty describing their symptoms in a nuanced way, but there is also a general tendency for autistic people to underreport symptoms. For instance, when conveying the experience of pain, we may argue that the potential intensity of pain is far above what we’re experiencing now, and thus rate our pain…
Home
About 
Blog
Autism strengths
AuDHD
Autism tests
Autism assessments
Store
Contact