How do I find a therapist that specialises in autism and complex ptsd

[SunL1ght]

I’m struggling to find one for my son and need one that differentiates between what is the autism or ptsd or both.

How old is your son?

20

Not helpful I know but one difficulty I find is therapists often but areas of expertise after doing a short course. So for example an autism awareness course wouldn't be enough for me to say their were skilled at being able to work with the different mindset of autistic individuals.

Exactly this!!

And with a comorbidity of autism and ptsd proper expertise is needed.

I have CPTSD and it’s almost impossible to find an expert. All of my “work” have been self led through resources such as videos, podcasts and books like Gabor Mate’s books.

The DSM 5 doesn’t recognise it yet (only PTSD) so there aren’t many who even know about it let alone know how to treat us.

@PetrichorSoul - have you considered remedial hypnosis? Trauma/PTSD/C-PTSD are caused by the mind trying to work out what happened and how to avoid the event(s) repeating in the future. All respond very well to RH.

@Eyesopenwideawake I haven’t tried that. I did a lot of somatic therapy which helped me to piece together my experiences. I have extensive memory suppression, I don’t remember much of my childhood.

@PetrichorSoul whilst looking back can be helpful it doesn't always resolve today's issues, especially if the people involved in the past aren't available or willing to explain their role/behaviours. Happy to chat via DM if you'd like.

I worked through the list of therapists in our area from the professional body. I read their bios, looked at their specialisms, and tried to get a feel for their type of work.

Then I email them and where they had availability, arranged a phone session for autistic adult child.

It took about 4 months to find one that clicked. It was a lot of leg work but ultimately worth it.

@Eyesopenwideawake thanks for the offer. It helped me understand what was a trauma trigger, what behaviour it triggers and how to “come down” from the emotional programming. It was incredibly helpful.

I don’t mind telling people what happened to me. My mother was a textbook narcissist, emotional terrorist who was literally the personification of house devil, street angel. I’ve spent my entire life in fight or flight.

Happily, she’s dead. I’m still working on detangling who I am from the trauma behaviours. It’ll never be done but the worst is over.

It’ll never be done but the worst is over. I'm glad to read the last part, but the first part is (could be) incorrect. Weirdly I love working with trauma because it is very precise and very easy to resolve.

Apologies @SunL1ght for derailing your thread.

I can recommend one in London if any help? Specialises in young people and autism. Handles my suspected CPTSD and attachment trauma pretty well.