Autism and Spiritual Guidance | Psychology Today

It’s pretty common for people to refer to autistic person Children are “angels”. I don’t believe in angels and am currently 35 (Ironically, his name is Nathan El in Hebrew.) , which means “gift of God,” which is why I named him Nathaniel over my other two neurotypical sons. There were many more. And I love him with all my heart. That love turned me inside out and perhaps even reborn me. But many mothers blow us away with its strength. However, I believe that people are attracted to his charm. charisma and his personality With deep love and tenacious loyalty. My relatives call this the cult of nuts because it has always been that way. But he’s not a superhuman. Like all of us, he has flaws and virtues, struggles and triumphs.

I am very concerned about his health as he has a communication disorder. He can’t tell me how he feels. He can speak, but does not seem capable of providing information or asking questions. He is a typical yes man. He notes that many people with severe autism answer every question, often using the default answer of “autistic yes” as a way to stop other questions from being asked. Therefore, we autistic caregivers must become pests and comb through the “yes” to look for nuances that might reveal the truth. We are both caregivers and detectives, observing our loved ones with keen eyes even when we are tired and approaching them using every sense at our disposal to make sure they are okay. Masu.

Sometimes when Nat seems weird, I despair because my instincts, experience, and knowledge about him are not enough. Although I deeply respect and value all the professionals in my life, from group home staff to day program counselors, I will probably never get over the feeling of helplessness. fearthat I might have missed something. I then emailed/called everyone in his orbit to remind them that I couldn’t/couldn’t tell them he was sick and that they were paying special attention to him. I hope you will.

I almost always approach religion in a bit of a way. humor And a lot of skepticism. But the other day, when I saw the look in Nat’s eyes, a snorting, coughing red blur, I knew he needed more help. I turned to the autism community facebookI asked if any of my Catholic friends knew of an autism-specific saint who cared about him.

My concerns were genuine, but they were more of a joke. I wanted some sympathy. What I received was an intense response from caring people. They all told me about something special about them. spiritual Strategy and icons. A friend said, “St. Nicholas is the patron saint of sick children. And I like St. Raphael the Archangel. The name Raphael literally means ‘God heals’ in Hebrew.” ” said another. “Saint Dymphna, I have her medal. She is the patron of neurological and mental illnesses. Some suggested that Saint Joseph of Cupertino is the “patron saint of people with developmental disabilities.” Yet another suggested that Archangel Metatron is also a beacon for people with developmental disabilities. Some friends went straight to Jesus or Mary. As one person says, “She gets it. She’s a mother.”

The proposal expanded as follows. extrasensory perception. Two friends mentioned psychic powers, one of whom was William Stillman, an autistic author who wrote: Autism and God Connection He currently runs a website called “Autism Whispers and Spiritism.” Even scientists and doctors are not immune to the ideas of a higher power. Another friend told me about the book proof of heaven, This book was written by neurologist Eben Alexander, who says, “He used to be an atheist and experienced an afterlife, but now he believes in God!!”

None of these suggestions have been of much use to me religiously, but I’m kind of an agnostic and a lapsed Jew. I was encouraged by the love and compassion that came to Nat and I. So many people knew exactly what I was talking about. It is the worry and suffering that comes from not being able to do anything for cute, weak children, even if they are no longer children. The biggest drawback of our existence is that we have children who would do anything for us, but I have come to feel that it is not enough. We have to accept our imperfections and hope that they won’t suffer from their imperfections and that they will develop their “fight muscles” and be okay. I think at the end of the day, we have to have faith in ourselves that we’re doing our best. And as long as we have a circle of friends who understand that, we are definitely not alone in the universe.