"Autistic Masking is trauma based & directly related to stigma. It is not a series of social strategies & is vastly misunderstood. The Mask becomes a near permanent projection & uses up an enormous amount of energy to sustain itself." @kieranrose.bsky.social: theautisticadvocate.com/autistic-mas... - ThreadSky

thinkingautism.bsky.social • 4 days ago

"Autistic Masking is trauma based & directly related to stigma. It is not a series of social strategies & is vastly misunderstood. The Mask becomes a near permanent projection & uses up an enormous amount of energy to sustain itself." @kieranrose.bsky.social:

https://theautisticadvocate.com/autistic-masking/

Comments

cherylarmistead.bsky.social•4 days ago

Thank you for sharing
So much resonated.
I’ve been so worried about a child 💔.
I’ve tried to have the conversation with parents
And now I have a new way to approach them 🙏

afriendlycard.bsky.social•4 days ago

I found Long Covid stole the energy required to perform for extended periods of time. I just can't scrape anymore out of the barrel. In order to not need to, I isolate, and the peace is my salvation.

creative-sam.bsky.social•4 days ago

Indeed masking should be called camouflaging, just like we name what some species do to escape predators

phantomlover1717.nl•4 days ago

Will never forget, so you're also a psychopath? As response to mentioning autistic masking.
I guess that question said more about them than about me.

deriviera.bsky.social•4 days ago

I don't understand idea of a mask. To have a mask you need to have real you. I don't have real me, i didn't find it. I have roles. Few I just love. Like my furry self. Others are just tools of communication. But yeah some drain more energy than others.

ma-at.bsky.social•4 days ago

The masking starts so early in our development that I think it’s hard to isolate what’s a personality trait and what’s a survival mechanism.

deriviera.bsky.social•4 days ago

Hm. Yeah. It makes sense. I don't remember any personality in me ... But maybe I didn't have a chance to develop it.

ma-at.bsky.social•4 days ago

If you had folks trying to correct your natural inclinations from a very early age I’m sure whatever you developed to please them started super early as well.

deriviera.bsky.social•4 days ago

Yeah, correct. I spent years to fix what my parent made me to be.

ma-at.bsky.social•4 days ago

Sorry to hear that. I think it’s all too common. FWIW emdr/somatic therapy has been super helpful working through this fallout.

ubuibme2.bsky.social•4 days ago

Masking is the way my Daughter handles social situations.

alpha-aurora.bsky.social•4 days ago

I lost the ability after the lockdowns in Germany - 3 yrs. And ppl here think it was bad. The pandemic lockdown there was really awful. Now I’m just…well, I don’t even try.My son was upset at me cuz my mask came so easily when it was needed.No more. I’m glad.It was exhausting, forced on me by Mom🤬🫤❤️‍🩹

bpsabelhaus.bsky.social•4 days ago

It's almost more of a persona. Having those masks break is almost like a person dying. Once that part of you is gone, it's gone. They're not individuals either. Each persona is part of another and each loss takes a part of the other masks piece by piece. Until all that's left is Raider Dave.

deborahbuddingphd.bsky.social•4 days ago

People still to this day look shocked when I tell them I’m against “interventions” encouraging masking

dadsof3.bsky.social•4 days ago

Tbh, I don’t even know anymore. I just have these roles I will assume based on what I’m doing or who I’m around. I literally feel like a one person show but there’s 15 characters played interchangeably at a moments notice. It’s made me very perceptive of other people though. One good thing from it.

mariatelos.bsky.social•4 days ago

From my experience taking off said mask just make's everyone think its fair game to retraumatize me.

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