Autistic Innovation - how it turns up in therapy

So in this post I'm going to explore pillar six of autistic culture (as explored in the Autistic Culture Podcast) which is titled Game Changing Innovation. It's a huge topic area, so I'm going to help my firework brain by narrowing down my response to this pillar into the context of 'how this shows up in the counselling room'.

I have to admit that I’m a bit out of practice in writing, and so if this article seems a bit disjointed please forgive me. I guess I am practicing the art of ‘prioritising purpose over polish’. I want to say though that I’m pleased to be back here, in the longform content dimension. :-)

In the article on pillar six of autistic culture, Game Changing Innovation is defined under one of the following headings:

"Autistic people challenge assumptions, not to be difficult, but because we can see the assumptions in the first place."

I just want to respond to that sentence. The truth is, we are often seen as difficult. And we can end up believing that we are being difficult. What can then happen is a slow but sure fracturing of the self, until confidence is utterly lost. A major piece of the counselling work is about rediscovering the self that knows it was right all along. The counselling hour is incredible fertile ground for nurturing the autistic self that has got lost along the way. So many times I have seen clients grow back into themselves as the experience of validation leads to their quieter voice of truth reappearing slowly but surely.

And then there are those who I work with who do challenge assumptions, only to find that it isn't well received and they are left confused or devastated as a result of just being themselves. And then they begin to doubt what they've done. This is where my role is to listen, to validate and let them know they're not going crazy. They were still right all along, it's just that no one else has quite caught up yet!

As I reflect on this pillar, the image that comes to mind is of an autistic person standing at the gateway of the dimension of innovation, and the keys being taken while being told: "no, that's not going to work" - "we don't do things that way" - "why would we do it like that" - "you're wrong" - "there's nothing to see here." And then the questioning of assumptions internally shrinks away.

Well. I'm here to tell you. You can have your keys back!

Frontispiece to Fridtjof Nansen's In Northern Mists: Arctic Exploration in Early Times, 1911 — Source.

"It is going to work!" "You can do things that way" "You can do it like that" "You are right!" "There's a lot to see here!"

Look, I'm not saying this is easy. And you might well not be able to game change in your current workplace. But my job is to let you know that you're not going crazy and you have the right to be yourself and build the confidence to step through that gateway into innovation.

That game-changing innovation might not happen (yet) at work, but it can begin to happen in all sorts of other areas of your life. This is what we can explore in therapy - working out what game changing tools will work for you to make life work for you. You can go for the low hanging fruit first – for example, changing how you do the daily habit of eating. You might not want to eat the neurotypical breakfast suggestions or even eat breakfast at all. You might eat pizza at 11pm, you might eat the same thing every day – and that in itself is game changing. Who says you have to eat something different every day anyway?! I eat the same breakfast every day and it's been a total revelation for me!

If it's not safe to be a disruptor in your workplace, you can still be a disruptor elsewhere. We can explore innovation around how you relax, how you have fun, how you have relationships, how you do hygiene, how you connect with others, how you engage with the streets and buildings that are around you. It's fun to be autistic together and break the moulds.

Only this morning I was in a counselling session and one of my clients was describing a relationship that was entirely unconventional. I just sat there thinking, wow, how autistic is that. It's just so different. Through our conversation, they were able to remove the neurotypical lens on it and begin to see it as a game-changing way of doing relationship.

You already have everything you need to innovate

The gateway to your dimension of innovation was never actually locked. Those keys were always yours. Sometimes we just need a safe space to remember that our different way of seeing isn't wrong - it's exactly what the world needs. In the counselling room, we get to practice stepping through that gateway together, one small game-changing innovation at a time.

Your voice matters. Your innovations matter. And you have every right to challenge those assumptions - because you can see them in the first place.

Tell me tell me tell me….

💡What are your latest game-changing innovations?

💡What doors have you opened and stepped into that are different to the norm?

💡How are you challenging ‘this is how you’re supposed to do things’?

I’d love to hear from you. You can engage with me on Substack! ;-)🐧🪼😻💝