therapy - Emergent Divergence

Autistic people should not have to educate their therapist

I have had extensive therapy, as one might expect for a recovering drug addict who is also Schizophrenic. I have had mindfulness therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. I’ve had CognitiveContinue reading “Autistic people should not have to educate their therapist”

Is mental “illness” actually the brain trying to protect itself?

Up until about a year ago, I still sat firmly in the camp that, while I viewed myself as multiply neurodivergent, I was mentally ill. Over the past year IContinue reading “Is mental “illness” actually the brain trying to protect itself?”

ABA: Essentialism in practice

For as long as I have been part of the online Autistic community, we have spoken out against and educated on the topic of the harms of Applied Behavioural AnalysisContinue reading “ABA: Essentialism in practice”

Double empathy, solipsism, and neurotypicality

Why do interventions such as Applied Behavioural Analysis and Positive Behavioural Support exist? Why is it that our world uses neurotypicality as the standard from which neuronormativity is drawn? Fundamentally,Continue reading “Double empathy, solipsism, and neurotypicality”

Creating Autistic Suffering: Neuronormativity in mental health treatment

This article was co-authored between David Gray-Hammond and Tanya Adkin Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of systemic mistreatment in the mental health setting, traumatisation, references to pathologizing theories andContinue reading “Creating Autistic Suffering: Neuronormativity in mental health treatment”