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linatet
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20 Apr 2014, 4:35 pm

I didn't find any topic about this that is not very old so here it is. I am making lots of threads today but I am feeling anxious because of the exam and need to keep talking :D
What is the relation of spacing out and aspergers/autism?
what happens to you/your mind when you space out?
what triggers your spacing out reaction and how frequently do you do it?
what others think of it? what do you think is the difference between nt's spacing out and aspie spacing out?
any spacing out experience to share? I love examples!



ZombieBrideXD
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20 Apr 2014, 4:46 pm

i space out a lot, usually when i get bored, or when im uninterested, when i space out, my thoughts kinda go off on theyre own, its usually my special interest or a movie or tv show i saw.

i dont know the connection between autism and spacing out, i dont know how NTs space out,


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20 Apr 2014, 5:02 pm

I'm constantly spacing out. Would be interesting to know if that's AS thing.. I think for me it comes thanks to constant anxiety and other problems, so it's hard to tell. I tend to disassociate as well.. I don't like my life that much. But also I can't hold attention for long and have an uncontrollable urges to space out. By that I mean blank, numb mind and unfocused eyesight, shallow breathing. Quite pleasant actually



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20 Apr 2014, 5:03 pm

"Spacing Out" is an awfully vague term. You'll have to be more specific.

Are you speaking of daydreaming, getting lost in one's own thoughts to the point of withdrawing from the world. How is that different from the self-hypnosis one induces as one reads a book?

Or are you talking about the kind of cognitive 'flatline' that occurs when thrown into an unexpected social interaction and one's mind goes blank and you can think of nothing to say?

Or do you mean the kind of yogic trance referred to as "stilling the mind" so that the internal dialogue ceases and there is utter absence of any thought process whatsoever?



kraftiekortie
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20 Apr 2014, 5:05 pm

Good luck on your exam.



linatet
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20 Apr 2014, 5:17 pm

Willard wrote:
"Spacing Out" is an awfully vague term. You'll have to be more specific.

Are you speaking of daydreaming, getting lost in one's own thoughts to the point of withdrawing from the world. How is that different from the self-hypnosis one induces as one reads a book?

Or are you talking about the kind of cognitive 'flatline' that occurs when thrown into an unexpected social interaction and one's mind goes blank and you can think of nothing to say?

Or do you mean the kind of yogic trance referred to as "stilling the mind" so that the internal dialogue ceases and there is utter absence of any thought process whatsoever?

any meaning you take. It is an open question. I want to hear subjective experiences.
Also I didn't know there were so many meanings of spacing out in english. I thought your second case was named mutism (that is the term they use in some aspergers and selective mutism books and articles at least), the third I thought was called meditation or trance. But english is not my language, you see. and you may consider any of those meanings in your answer besides representing diverse experiences.



Last edited by linatet on 20 Apr 2014, 5:22 pm, edited 2 times in total.

linatet
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20 Apr 2014, 5:19 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
Good luck on your exam.

Thanks ! :D



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20 Apr 2014, 6:39 pm

I tend to space out in the shower. I think it's probably because of the feeling and sound of the water - I just love standing there with warm water running over me. Then my mind starts to wander, mostly into making up imaginary stories (in which I or a character I've made up for myself am a main character), although sometimes it can wander into imaginary arguments with people who are annoying me in real life (which is much less pleasant). And then I completely lose track of time, and sometimes (rarely, thank goodness) even of what I'm doing, i.e. have I washed myself or put conditioner in my hair yet?

I also space out when I'm exercising (between exercises, so it takes me forever to get through what would normally be a perhaps 15-minute routine), and when playing simple computer games (solitaire, minesweeper, bubble shooters, that type of thing), which I why I normally don't allow myself to play them because it ends up being such a waste of time. And I can sometimes space out in public, if I'm not expecting to have to interact with anyone - if I'm going to have to speak to someone, I'm way too anxious and hyperalert to space out.

Whether it has anything to do with aspergers/autism I don't know (I don't know if I have aspergers/autism). I do think it might have something to do with anxiety - that anxious people are perhaps more likely to drift off like that when they need to or think they can allow themselves to.

kraftiekortie wrote:
Good luck on your exam.


Yes, good luck!



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20 Apr 2014, 7:10 pm

every few seconds.

actually, you can tell when i am spaced in if i have tics.


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linatet
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20 Apr 2014, 7:13 pm

AdamAutistic wrote:
every few seconds.

actually, you can tell when i am spaced in if i have tics.

what do you mean? do you have tics when you start spacing out?
also what happens in your mind when you are in this state?



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20 Apr 2014, 7:16 pm

if i am not spaced out, then i tic.

i am very difficult to watch television with :P


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linatet
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20 Apr 2014, 7:18 pm

AdamAutistic wrote:
if i am not spaced out, then i tic.

i am very difficult to watch television with :P

:lol:
what do you think about when you are spacing out? what happens in your mind?



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20 Apr 2014, 7:21 pm

I space out all the time! Have for as long as I remember. It really annoys those around me.... :twisted:



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20 Apr 2014, 7:36 pm

I space out all the time, in the sense that my mind just starts wandering on to other things, and if people are talking I don't hear what they said. I may LOOK like I heard them but I really have no idea. It's like their voice suddenly sounds like the teacher who says "wah-wah wah wah" on the Charlie Brown cartoons.

I space out whenever I am doing an activity where I don't have to talk to anyone else, or if I'm just sitting quietly by myself. Now when I space out like that I am thinking about something, and I mean I am THINKING. Like I am having some intense commentary in my head about something. So if you came up and started talking to me it just sounds like "wah-wah wah wah" and having to respond is like trying to bring a freight train to a screeching halt on a dime, or making a team of 10 horses turn completely around.



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20 Apr 2014, 7:55 pm

Sometimes when I get overwhelmed I'll stare off or close my eyes and pretend to sleep. I'm not really thinking of anything doing this.

I'll get lost in thought too, in the shower as someone else mentioned is a good place. On walks, in bed, or whenever I'm by myself to be honest.



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20 Apr 2014, 7:58 pm

linatet wrote:
:lol:
what do you think about when you are spacing out? what happens in your mind?


nothing. my mind is blank. it is like a time warp. it is just instantly later.


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