| "I am very angry and filled with rage. I cannot | | | | state of dissociation, but also as he lives in this state of |
| express my anger, but I feel it. This anger permeates | | | | dissociation and as he develops, he learns to adapt to |
| into every part of my being. It helps me to stay | | | | the situation and parts of himself (in this case his rage |
| alive. It gives me energy to exist. It seems to be | | | | and anger) become internal methods to handle and |
| functioning to protect me. It is like a person standing | | | | cope with his dilemma. |
| over me and protecting me. It feels as if the rage | | | | I believe that as he develops a significant relationship |
| has torn me apart and allows one part of myself to | | | | with a person who understands his predicament, |
| take care of the parts that cannot take care of | | | | together they can forge an attachment that will help |
| themselves. My anger and rage are being put to | | | | him to become less dissociated. He will be able to |
| work to function in a way that is helping me inside. | | | | communicate his rage and anger and other emotions |
| This anger and rage is inside waiting to come out. It | | | | as he becomes less dissociated. As this occurs, he |
| cannot come out now because it has an important job | | | | will be able to communicate the feelings that up to this |
| to do, but when it does it will fill a very large room." | | | | point have only been internalized. |
| What is this autistic boy telling us? We can break up | | | | It is important to note that some individuals with autism |
| his message into two parts: 1) the dissociation | | | | are filled with rage and anger and that as they do |
| experienced by individuals with autism and 2) how | | | | develop we see more of the explosive anger coming |
| emotions such as rage and anger function within the | | | | out. Some individuals seem to be filled with inordinate |
| individual with autism. | | | | amounts of anger. I think of this from three |
| He seems to be telling us that he can feel his anger | | | | perspectives: 1) the excessive anger might be due to |
| and rage, but more importantly cannot express it. | | | | his rage at not having had a direct outlet for these |
| From his vantage point, these emotions seem to be | | | | emotions. In other words, he had to live without |
| functioning as an internal protective mode. They | | | | access to his emotions so he is filled with anger that |
| protect the weaker parts of himself that cannot | | | | has never previously seen the light of day, 2) when |
| protect themselves. It is like they are functioning as | | | | anger is dissociated, the child does not have control |
| people who are protecting him. | | | | over this emotion. Until his angry feelings are |
| In some regards this can make sense. The individual | | | | understood, they will come out as intermittent |
| has not had a completed attachment and thus is left in | | | | explosive acts of rage and 3) he probably has lots of |
| a dissociated unconscious state (lowest functioning | | | | angry feelings towards others that have not helped |
| child with autism). This changes as the child | | | | him to express his anger. This may not seem logical, |
| develops. Thus he can become more conscious and | | | | but I would imagine the child with autism looks to the |
| less dissociated and then we would call him high | | | | caregivers and others to know how to solve his |
| functioning or with Asperger's. Eventually he may not | | | | dilemma and when this does not occur in a reasonable |
| be identified as being on the autism spectrum at all. | | | | period of time, his anger may grow. When he finally |
| It is important to note that from the perspective of an | | | | has access to his emotions, there is what I think of as |
| incomplete attachment the child is functioning in a | | | | a lot of residual anger to deal with. Thus it would be |
| normal state of dissociation. Parts of the self are not | | | | important that when working with individuals with |
| conscious to or available to the person to use in their | | | | autism from a relational perspective, to expect this |
| communications with others. It is the state that the | | | | build up of anger to come forward. This will be a |
| person with autism lives. Bromberg (1994)* believes | | | | positive move for the individual with autism, but |
| all individuals begin life made up of multiple self-states. | | | | caregivers and others may not know how to manage |
| Our wholeness develops through a relationship with | | | | their own feelings when they are bombarded with |
| another person during the attachment process. | | | | these angry emotions. |
| Because the person with autism lacks an attachment, | | | | For more information on autism, read and follow my |
| he remains in a non-whole state of existence. Thus | | | | blog at |
| the individual has different parts of himself that have | | | | *For more information on dissociation see :Bromberg |
| not been validated, remain unconscious and are also | | | | P.M. (1994) "Speak! That I May See You" Some |
| not integrated. | | | | Reflections on Dissociation, Reality, and Psychoanalytic |
| In this situation, this autistic boy not only is in a normal | | | | Listening. Psychoanalytic dialogues, 4 (4): 517-547. |