HSP or Autistic? How much does a label matter?
Today I met with someone who labeled himself as “autistic, on the spectrum.” I really wanted to know what that label meant to him. As our conversation deepened, it occurred to me that many of the ways he was describing himself sounded a lot like the ways HSPs describes themselves. Which got me to wondering where the overlap was, where HSP-ness and autism might coexist. I’m fairly sure the list of triggers looks something like this:
- You feel unsure, uncomfortable, anxious in social situations
- You are easily overstimulated, overwhelmed
- You find it hard to understand signals from other people—even if you feel what they’re feeling intensely
- You find it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own
- You find it hard to express how you feel—even when/if you’re feeling what you feel intensely
- You feel out of place in the world in general
I do not raise this question to challenge anyone’s labeling of others or labeling of self. If the label is helpful, wear it! On the other hand, I’m all about moving past the label into a higher/deeper sense of awareness and consciousness around that label to get to a shift in dynamics, perspective, and quality of life.
Living with the label
It seems to me that whichever label you choose, if you “suffer” from any or all of the responses listed above, what really matters is what to do about it. Today, for example, it was interesting to note that “John” led the conversation with a disclaimer. “It took me a long time to learn I was autistic. My ex-wife and I had always agreed that ‘something was wrong with me, that there was something missing.’”
What’s even more interesting is that so many of the people who come to see me start out with the same kind of disclaimer. “It’s just that I’m too sensitive about everything. I cry too much. I feel too much. I don’t want to be this way, but I don’t know how to stop.”
What if . . . ?
What if we were to ask different questions? What if we asked:
- How our perception of who we are might change based on how we labeled ourselves.
- How the traits we do have benefit us in ways we may not have appreciated before.
- How, instead of locking down, shutting out, tuning out, hiding, etc., we might tune into the senses we have to fully take advantage of them.
For example, I know someone who “is autistic,” who is clearly much more intuitive than he gives himself credit for. He’d rather be just about anywhere than in a crowd of people. Ditto for another person I know who is “highly sensitive.”
We are not talking about extremes! HSP-ism and autism both run the gamut in terms of symptoms and manifestations. With that said, once we change our approach, new doors open, new possibilities emerge, new ways of thinking and living and being often encourage a shift in the core of the Self.
****
Check out my posts on the Psychic Octopus (globbing onto other people’s energy); your UES (how to identify and stay in your Unique Energetic Signature); and your IGS (how to confidently and consistently tap into your Intuitive Guidance System. Visit me at heidiconnolly.com for private coaching sessions, healing music, and other offerings.
Thank you for shining your light into the world!
