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infernallegaycy · 4 years ago

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Writing Psychotic Characters

Hi! I’ve seen a few of these writing things pop up recently (and in the past), but I haven’t seen any on psychotic characters—which, judging from the current state of portrayals of psychosis in media, is something I think many people* need. And as a psychotic person who complains about how badly psychosis tends to be represented in media, I thought I’d share a bit of information and suggestions!

A lot of this isn’t necessarily specifically writing advice but information about psychosis, how it presents, and how it affects daily life. This is partially purposeful—I feel that a large part of poor psychotic representation stems from a lack of understanding about psychosis, and while I’m not usually in an educating mood, context and understanding are crucial to posts like this. A lot of this also relates to writing psychosis in a modern-day setting, simply because that’s where bad psychotic representation tends to mostly occur (and it’s the only experience I’ve had, obviously), but please don’t shy away from applying this advice to psychotic characters in sci-fi/fantasy/historical fiction/etc. Psychosis is not a wholly modern phenomenon, nor would speculative fiction feel truly escapist without being able to see yourself reflected in it.

Please also note that I am not a medical professional nor an expert in psychology. I simply speak from my personal experiences, research, and what I’ve read of others’ experiences. I also do not speak for all psychotic people, and more than welcome any alternative perspectives to my own.

*These people, in all honesty, aren’t likely to be the ones willingly reading this. But there are people who are willing to learn, so here’s your opportunity.

(Warnings: Mentions of institutionalization/hospitalization, including forced institutionalization; ableism/saneism; and brief descriptions of delusions and hallucinations. Also, it’s a pretty long post!)

Up front, some terminology notes: “Unpsychotic” refers to people who are not psychotic. This includes other mentally ill and neurodivergent people. Please try to avoid terminology like “non-[identity],” as much of it is co-opted from “nonblack.”

Also, “psychotic” and “delusional” will not be, and should not be, used to refer to anything but respectively someone who experiences psychosis and someone who experiences delusions. Remove these words as insults and negative descriptors for anyone you dislike from your vocabulary.

In addition, I generally use adjectives rather than person-first language because that is the language I, and the seeming majority of other neurodivergent and mentally ill people, prefer. Others might describe themselves differently (as “people with psychosis,” for instance). Don’t assume either way—I’d generally suggest you say “psychotic person” first, and then correct yourself if the person in question prefers different terminology.

1) Psychosis is a symptom, not a disorder.

As a term, “psychosis” describes any number of symptoms that indicate a break with reality, such as delusions and hallucinations (I’ll go into more detail about this in a bit). It commonly occurs as part of several mental and neurological disorders, including but not limited to:

Schizophrenia

Schizophreniform disorder (same symptoms as schizophrenia, but for a shorter period of time than 6 months)

Schizoaffective disorder (combined symptoms of psychosis and a mood disorder, but not enough to completely fill the diagnostic criteria for either)

Bipolar disorder (typically as part of manic episodes, but it can also occur in unipolar depression and depressive episodes)

Personality disorders, including borderline personality disorder (for which transient paranoia under stress is part of the diagnostic criteria), paranoid personality disorder, and schizoid personality disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Dissociative disorders (though psychosis =/= dissociative identity disorder; if you want further information on the latter, which I do not have, please seek out another post!)

Psychosis can also occur with forms of epilepsy, sleep disorders, metabolic disorders, and autoimmune disorders. It tends to be a major part of neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. In addition, it can occur when not related to a chronic health condition; things like sleep deprivation and stress can induce temporary psychosis, as can drug use and medication.

This isn’t to say you necessarily need to define a disorder for a psychotic character, as some psychotic people (including myself) primarily just describe ourselves as “psychotic,” and some aren’t diagnosed with anything specific. However, if your psychotic character is a main/perspective character, I definitely recommend it. Chances are, someone with that disorder is reading/watching, and I’m sure they’d love to see a bit of direct representation. In general, you probably should at least have something in mind, because psychotic symptoms and severity/onset can differ greatly.

Some psychotic disorders’ diagnostic criteria explicitly exclude others (someone cannot be diagnosed with both schizophrenia and schizophreniform disorder at the same time, for instance, though the latter can develop into the former), but comorbidity is possible—and often common—among certain disorders and other neurological/mental conditions. Rates vary, so definitely research this, but in short, it is very much possible for psychotic people to have multiple disorders, including disorders that don’t include psychotic symptoms. (Personally speaking: I’m autistic, ADHD, and OCD in addition to being psychotic, and I’m physically disabled as well.)

I’m not here to do all the research for you—if you want to know more about specific psychotic disorders, then by all means, look them up! Go beyond Wikipedia and Mayo Clinic articles, too. Talk to people who have them. Seek out blogs and YouTube channels run by people with them. Read books about psychosis by psychotic people**. Pay attention to how we describe ourselves and our disorders.

And if you want to write characters with those disorders, especially if you’re writing from their perspectives, then please for the love of God, hire a sensitivity reader. For authenticity, I would recommend seeking out someone with the same disorder, not just anyone psychotic.

**If you want a fiction recommendation: I don’t actually know if the author is schizophrenic like the main character, but I really enjoyed and related to The Drowning Girl by Caitlín R. Kiernan. Content warnings include, but might not be limited to—it’s been a while since I read it—unreality, self-harm, suicide, abuse, and mentions of transphobia. I haven’t personally read any autobiographies/memoirs/essays yet, so I don’t have any to offer, and quite a few that came up through a cursory search seemed only to focus on being an inspiration to neurotypical people or were from a perspective other than that of the psychotic person in question. If anyone (preferably psychotic people) has any more recommendations, fiction or nonfiction, let me know!

2) Not every psychotic person has the same symptoms.

As mentioned, psychosis consists of symptoms that involve separation with reality, which can present as positive or negative symptoms. Every person’s experiences with these are different, but some generalizations can be made. I definitely recommend reading studies and articles (especially directly by psychotic people) describing experiences and presentation!

I’ll start with positive symptoms, which refer to the presence of symptoms unpsychotic people don’t have, and can include hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thoughts, speech, and behavior.

You probably know what hallucinations are (perceptions of sensory information that is not really present), but you might not know the specifics. Types of hallucinations include:

Auditory (which tend to be the most common, and are probably the form everyone is most familiar with, primarily as “hearing voices”)

Visual

Olfactory

Tactile/haptic

Gustatory (taste)

Somatic

Some types with regards to bodily sensations get a little muddled from here, but some forms of hallucinations you might not have heard of include thermic (hot/cold), hygric (fluids), kinesthetic (bodily movements), and visceral (inner organs).

(Note: Hypnagogic/hypnopompic hallucinations, which occur when falling asleep or waking up, are not related to psychosis and can occur in anyone.)

As mentioned, there are some forms of hallucinations that are more common, but that is not to say that everyone has the same hallucinations. A lot of us have auditory and/or visual hallucinations, but not everyone does. Some have tactile, olfactory, or gustatory hallucinations instead of or in addition to more common forms (hi! Auditory hallucinations are pretty rare for me, but I constantly feel bugs/spiders crawling on me). If you write a psychotic character that experiences hallucinations, then you should definitely do further research on these types and manifestations of them.

You’re likely also familiar with delusions (a belief that contradicts reality), though again, you might not know the specifics. Delusions can be classified as bizarre (implausible, not shared or understood by peers of the same culture) or non-bizarre (false, but technically possible). They can relate to one’s mood or not.

Some people only experience delusions and no other significant psychotic symptoms (this occurs in delusional disorder). Delusions differ between people and tend to be heavily influenced by environment, but there are some common themes, such as:

Persecution

Guilt, punishment, or sin

Mind reading

Thought insertion

Jealousy

Control

Reference (coincidences having meaning)

Grandeur

Certain types of delusions are more common in certain cultures/backgrounds or certain disorders. I can’t really go into details about specific delusions, because I try not to read many examples (for a reason I’m about to mention), but if you plan on writing a character who experiences delusions, I definitely recommend heavily researching delusions and how it feels to experience them.

I would like to note: I’m not sure how common it is, but I’ve noticed that I personally have a tendency to pick up delusions that I see other psychotic people talking about having. Just kind of, like, an “oh shit what if” feeling creeps up on me, and before I know it, that delusion has wormed its way into my life. Just in case you want some idea of how psychotic people can interact amongst ourselves!

Another quick note: Delusions, by definition, are untrue beliefs; this does not mean that anyone who has ever been delusional is inherently untrustworthy.

Disorganization of thoughts/speech and behavior is more self-explanatory. Problems with thinking and speaking tend to be one of the most common psychotic symptoms, sometimes considered even more so than delusions and hallucinations. There are a lot of ways thought processes can be disrupted, and I honestly think it would be kind of difficult to portray this if you haven’t experienced it, but some common manifestations are:

Derailment

Tangents (which you might notice me doing sometimes in this very post)

Getting distracted mid-sentence/thought

Incoherence/“word salad”

Thought blocking (sudden stops in thoughts/speech)

Repetition of words/phrases

Pressured speech (rapid, urgent speech)

Use of invented words

Poverty of speech/content of speech

(Note that thought/speech disturbances aren’t necessarily exclusive to psychotic disorders. They tend to be common in ADHD and autism as well, though symptoms can be more severe when they occur in, for example, schizophrenia.)

Behavioral abnormalities can include catatonia, which presents in a number of ways, such as mutism, echolalia, agitation, stupor, catalepsy, posturing, and more. Episodes of catatonia last for hours and sometimes longer, which usually requires hospitalization and/or medication. This tends to overlap heavily with symptoms of autism spectrum disorders, which can be comorbid with conditions like schizophrenia.

Negative symptoms, on the other hand, refer to the absence of certain experiences. It can include flat affect (lack of or limited emotional reactions), generally altered emotional responses, a decrease in speech, and low motivation. Most of these speak for themselves, and I’m not honestly sure how to describe them to someone who’s never experienced them in a way that isn’t very metaphorical and therefore kind of unhelpful. If any other psychotic people have suggestions, feel free to add on/message me!

Not every psychotic disorder involves or requires both positive and negative symptoms (to my knowledge, manic episodes of bipolar disorder mostly only include positive symptoms), but many psychotic people experience both. And, as expressed multiple times—and I really can’t stress it enough—every person’s experience with psychosis is different.

If you interview two psychotic people at random, chances are they aren’t going to have the same combination of symptoms. Chances are they won’t even have the same disorder. Therefore, if you write multiple psychotic characters, they shouldn’t be identical in terms of personality or psychosis.

There are also some qualities of psychotic disorders that may not necessarily be diagnostic criteria but are prominent in people with these conditions. These also vary between disorders, but cognitive impairments and similar traits are fairly common.

3) In a similar vein, daily experiences can vary greatly. Psychosis can be a major part of psychotic people’s lives, but it doesn’t always affect daily life.

For some people, psychosis occurs in episodes, not 24/7; you may have heard the term “psychotic break,” which tends to refer to a first episode of psychosis. This is especially true of disorders where psychotic symptoms occur under stress or during mood episodes.

For other people, psychosis is a near-constant. It can wax and wane, but it never completely goes away. These people might be more likely to invest in medication or long-term therapy and other treatment methods.

Psychosis’s impact on everyday life can also be affected by insight (how well the person can tell they’re having psychotic symptoms). There’s not a ton of accessible research—or research at all—into insight and how it affects psychotic people, and I’m not a big fan of describing people as having high/low insight because I think it has the potential to be used like functioning labels (which, for the record, are bad; plenty of other autistic people have written at length about this), but just something to keep in mind. It’s a sliding scale; at different points in time, the same person might have limited or significant awareness of their symptoms. Both greater and poorer insight have been linked to decreased quality of life, so neither one is really a positive.

Just something to be aware of: Yes, sometimes we do realize how “crazy” we seem. Yes, sometimes we don’t. No, it doesn’t really make things any better to know that what we’re seeing/thinking/etc isn’t real. No, people with low insight shouldn’t be blamed or mocked for this.

As such, the diagnostic process can vary greatly. Psychotic people aware of their symptoms or how their lives are being impacted may directly ask for a diagnosis or seek out information on their own. Other times, family or friends might notice symptoms and bring them up to a mental health professional, or someone might be forcibly institutionalized and diagnosed that way.

My professional diagnostic processes have been pretty boring: Over time, I just gradually brought up different diagnoses I thought might fit me to my therapist, whom I started seeing for anxiety (which I no longer strongly identify with, on account of my anxiety mostly stemming from me being autistic, OCD, and psychotic). I filled out checklists and talked about my symptoms. We moved on with the treatment processes I was already undergoing and incorporated more coping mechanisms and stuff like that into therapy sessions. Hardly the tearful scenes of denial you’re used to seeing or reading about.

Other people might have very different experiences, or very similar ones! It all depends! I generally don’t really like reading scenes of people being diagnosed (it’s just exposition and maybe some realization on the PoV character’s part, but it’s usually somewhat inaccurate in that regard), so you can probably steer away from that sort of thing, but you might find it useful to note how your character was identified somewhere? I don’t really have any strong opinions on this.

I’d also like to note: Everything I publicly speak about having, I’ve discussed in a professional therapy setting, just because of my personal complexes. However, I do fully support self-diagnosis. Bigotry and money are huge obstacles against getting professional diagnoses, and if someone identifies with a certain disorder and seeks out treatment mechanisms for it, there’s no real harm being done. If someone is genuinely struggling and they benefit from coping mechanisms intended for a disorder they might not have, then I think that’s better than if they shied away because they weren’t professionally diagnosed with it, and therefore didn’t get help they needed. With proper research, self-diagnosis is fully ethical and reasonable.

I do not want to debate this, and any attempts to force me into a discussion about professional versus self-diagnosis will be ignored.

Anyway! I can’t really identify any specific daily experiences with psychosis you might want to include, because as mentioned, everyone has different symptoms and ways they cope with them.

Some psychotic people might not experience symptoms outside of an episode, which can be brought on by any number of things; some might experience symptoms only under general stress; some might have consistent symptoms. The content of hallucinations and delusions can also shift over time.

Psychosis can also affect anyone—there are certain demographics certain disorders are more likely to occur in, but this could just as easily be due to biases in diagnostic criteria or professionals themselves as it could be due to an actual statistical correlation. If you want to figure out how a psychotic character behaves on a day-to-day basis, then you’re better off shaping who they are as a person beyond their psychosis first, then incorporating their psychosis into things.

(A note about this: I consider my psychosis a major part of me, and I firmly believe that I would be a very different person without it; that’s why I refer to myself as a “psychotic person” rather than “a person with psychosis.” However, there is a difference between that and unpsychotic people making psychotic characters’ only trait their psychosis.)

4) Treatment for psychosis differs from person to person. The same things don’t work for everyone.

Some people are on antipsychotics; others aren’t. Medication is a personal choice and not a necessity—no one should be judged either for being on medication or for not being on medication. There are many reasons behind either option. Please do not ask psychotic people about their medication/lack thereof unprompted.

If you want to depict a psychotic character on medication, then research different forms of antipsychotics and how they affect psychotic people. I’ve never been on medication and don’t really plan to be (though if I ever do, I’m definitely taking a note from Phasmophobia’s book and calling them “Sanity Pills.” Just to clarify, I don’t want unpsychotic people repeating this joke, but if you want some insight on how some of us regard our health…), so you’re better off looking elsewhere for this sort of information!

I’m not going to get into my personal opinions on institutionalization and the psychiatry industry in general now, but institutionalization is, while common, also not necessary, and many psychotic people—and mentally ill and neurodivergent people in general—have faced harm and trauma due to institutionalization. Again, I can’t offer direct personal experience, but I recommend steering clear of plotlines directly related to psychiatric hospitals.

I would also like to emphasis the word treatment. Psychosis has no cure. It is possible for psychosis to only last a single episode (whether because it’s only due to stress/another outside factor or because it is treated early), or for symptoms to be greatly reduced over time and with treatment, but for the most part, psychotic people are psychotic for life.

However, with proper support networks and coping skills, many psychotic people are able to lead (quote unquote) “normal” lives. What coping mechanisms work for what people differs, but some psychosis-specific coping mechanisms might be:

Taping webcams for delusions of persecution/surveillance (which is honestly also just something everyone should do with webcams that aren’t in use)

Covering/closing windows for similar reasons

Using phone cameras/audio recordings to distinguish visual and auditory hallucinations from reality (most of the time, a hallucination won’t show up on camera, though it’s possible for people to hallucinate something on a camera screen too)

Similarly, removing glasses/contact lenses to check a visual hallucination

Asking people you trust (because of stigma and delusions, this might not be a long list) to check for symptoms of an oncoming episode

Avoiding possible triggers for psychosis (for example, I don’t engage with horror media often because a lot of it -- both psychological horror and slasher-type things -- can trigger delusions and hallucinations)

I’d also like to mention that treatment isn’t a clean, one-way process; especially with certain disorders, it’s normal to go up and down over time. I’d honestly be really uncomfortable with a psychotic character whose symptoms don’t affect their life whatsoever. There are ways you can write how psychosis affects someone that are… weird, which I’ll touch on, but overall, I think it’s better to actually depict a psychotic person whose symptoms have a clear impact on their life (even if that impact is, say, they’re on medication that negates some of their symptoms).

Just to reiterate: I am not a medical professional and cannot offer real-life advice regarding treatment, especially medication. Please do not ask me too detailed questions regarding this.

5) There are a lot of stereotypes and stigma surrounding psychosis.

The way psychosis is perceived both by general society and the field of psychology has changed a lot over the years, but even now, it still remains highly stigmatized and misunderstood. Wall of text incoming, but it’s important stuff.

Typical media portrayal of psychosis tends to fall into specific categories: The scary, violent psychotic person, or the psychotic person who is so crazy you can’t help but laugh. There are other bad depictions, but these are generally the ways I see psychotic people regarded and represented the most, so I want to address them directly.

Let’s talk about psychosis in horror first. Psychosis is often stereotyped as making people aggressive and violent. You’ve all seen the “psychotic killer” trope and depictions of people who are made violent and evil by their psychosis, even if it’s not explicitly named as the case. You’ve all seen “psychotic” used as a negative adjective, used synonymously to murderous, evil, harmful, violent, manipulative, etc—maybe you’ve even used it that way in the past. There’s no denying that the way society regards psychotic people is overwhelmingly negative, and that leaks into media.

If you are considering giving a violent, irredeemable antagonist psychosis, consider this: Don’t. More or less every psychotic person hates this trope. It’s inaccurate and, needless to say, rooted in ableism.

There are racialized aspects to this as well. People of color, especially Black and Latine people, are already stereotyped as being aggressive, violent, and scary; there’s also a history of overdiagnosis (and often misdiagnosis) of schizophrenia in Black people, especially civil rights activists. White and white-passing people will only be singled out if someone notices us exhibiting psychotic symptoms, but Black and brown people are already under scrutiny. Be extra cautious about how you write psychotic characters of color.

I’m not saying you can never give a psychotic person, say, a temper; in some cases, it might even make sense. Spells of uncontrollable anger are part of the diagnostic criteria for BPD, for example, and irritability is a common trait of manic episodes. Some delusions and hallucinations can affect aggression (emphasis on can—it would be inaccurate to imply that this is always the case. Once again, each person has a different experience with their psychotic symptoms).

But when the only psychotic or psychotic-coded characters you write are angry and violent, even when the situation doesn’t call for it, then there’s a problem. When you want to write a schizophrenic character, but only in a situation where they’re going on a killing spree, there’s a problem.

Studies have shown that no substantial link exists between psychosis and violence. There is a small association, but I think it would be reasonable to say this is partially because of the stigma surrounding psychosis and various other overlapping factors; no violence or crime exists in a vacuum. In addition, though I can’t find any exact statistics on this, psychotic people are susceptible to being victims of violence (likely because of this very stereotype).

On this note, don’t use mental hospitals as a setting for horror, especially if you plan on depicting the mentally ill patients there as antagonistic and unhinged. As mentioned earlier, institutionalization is a huge trigger for many psychotic people. True, psychiatric hospitals have definitely served as a source of trauma and pain for many in the past, but mentally ill and neurodivergent people have been (and are) the victims in those situations.

Also, don’t do the “what if it was all a delusion” thing. I know this is most common in ~edgy~ theories about children’s series, but… yikes.

In the same vein that you should avoid depictions of psychotic people that are ripped straight from a bad horror movie, don’t push it too far into comedy either. You’ve heard “psych ward” jokes, you’ve seen “I put the hot in psychotic” jokes (a supposedly humorous instance of that psychotic as a negative descriptor thing), you’ve heard people say “I have anxiety/depression, but I’m not crazy!”

Even other mentally ill and neurodivergent people constantly throw us under the bus, as can be seen in that last one. We’re the butt of plenty of jokes—we see things that aren’t there, we talk to ourselves, we believe things that are just so wacky you can’t believe anyone would think that way. (Even when we don’t.)

If you have to write another character laughing at a psychotic character for their symptoms, then have it swiftly criticized in the text, and try not to imply the reader should find psychosis funny either. Treat psychotic characters’ symptoms with sympathy and understanding, not ridicule.

Psychotic people literally cannot help our delusions/hallucinations/other symptoms. If something we think/say seems “crazy” to you, chances are it does to us as well.

(We’re talking about portraying psychosis in fiction, but this applies to real-life treatment of psychotic people, too!)

Also, I’d like to note—all of this is about the way unpsychotic people view psychotic people. If you see a psychotic person laughing at themself or viewing their symptoms as scary, then that is not an invitation for you to laugh along or go beyond symptoms and think the person is scary for being psychotic. That’s the thing about gallows humor; you have to be the one on the gallows.

Moving on! In romance, there is often a presumption that love can cure psychosis. This is false. No matter how much you love (whether romantically or platonically) and want to help a psychotic person, that alone will not “heal” their psychosis. Please do not depict a psychotic person having to be cured to be happy or in love. It doesn’t work that way.

This doesn’t mean you should stray away from romance in general—I personally would definitely like to see more portrayals of psychotic people being loved and supported, especially in romantic relationships. I’d prefer it not be in spite of their psychosis, either; it would be weird if someone loved a person because of their psychosis, but I don’t think you can really love someone whom you disregard such a large part of either.

Point-blank: Psychotic people are worthy of love and affection, and I think this should show in media as well.

In relation to relationships, I’d also strongly advise steering away from writing family members and friends who see someone’s psychosis as harder on them than for the psychotic person, unless you want to explicitly disavow this behavior. Sure, it probably is difficult for other people to witness my psychotic symptoms. But it’s harder for me to have them.

I’m not sure if this is a widely-held belief, but some people also seem to think psychosis is less common than it is. Psychotic people are all around you, and if you read that as a threat or anything like that, you might need to do some self-evaluating. We exist, online and in person, and we can see and read and hear the things you say about us!

Specifically: By the NIMH’s statistics, roughly 3% of people (3 out of every 100) in the United States will experience psychosis at some point in their lives. Around 100,000 people experience their first episode a year.

This also means that it’s possible unpsychotic people reading this will end up developing a form of psychosis at some point in your life as well. Yes, even without a genetic basis; yes, even as a full-grown adult (see how common psychosis is in neurodegenerative disorders). Now this one is intended as a threat (/hj).

Also, you can’t always tell who is psychotic and who is not. I imagine there are a lot of people who wouldn’t know I’m psychotic without me explicitly saying so. Set aside any notions you might have of being able to identify psychotic people, because they will definitely influence how you might go into writing a psychotic character, and they will definitely end up pissing off a psychotic person in your life. Because… you probably know at least one!

People often regard psychosis as a worst-case scenario—which, again, is something that occurs even by people and in works that uplift mental health in general (something I’ve mentioned before is The Bright Sessions, in which a telepath is misdiagnosed as schizophrenic and has an “I’m not crazy!” outburst). I’ve talked about treatment already, but I just thought I’d say this: Psychosis is not a death sentence nor a “fate worse than death.” It may be difficult for unpsychotic people to understand and handle; it is harder to live with. But being psychotic is not an inherently bad thing, and psychotic people should not be expected to act like our lives are constantly awful and hopeless on account of stigma.

I think that’s all I have to say, so thank you so much for reading, especially if you’re not psychotic! I hope you’ve learned something from this, and once again, fellow psychotic people are more than welcome to add on more information if they’re willing.

#sparrow.txt #pseriouslypsychotic #actuallypsychotic #writeblr #writing advice #writing tips

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a-dragons-journal · 4 years ago

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My Experiences of Nonhumanity

I get asked about “what makes you/people in general feel you’re/they’re otherkin” a lot, and while the answer is far from simple and my experiences are anything but universal, I figure it deserves a write-up once in a while. A friend asked about it a couple nights ago, so I wrote up a huge long message on Discord, and decided to rewrite it into a Tumblr post for posterity. This’ll be a long one, folks; hit J on desktop to skip.

It’s worth noting ahead of time: none of these things are required to be otherkin, and none of them automatically mean you’re otherkin. In fact, most of them are little more than mildly “weird” quirks when they occur in isolation, and only start to push outside the range of “normal human experiences” when many of them occur together. You can’t look at someone (including yourself) and say “they like collecting things, they must be dragonkin!” It’s not that simple. You have to take the individual as a whole even as you examine each specific experience in more detail - don’t lose the forest while you’re studying the trees. This is just a description of my personal experiences.

Shifts

- Phantom shifts/supernumerary phantom limbs: Probably the most obvious thing and the hardest to brush off, although I still managed to do so for years. Phantom shifts, aka supernumerary phantom limbs, are the experience of feeling limbs or body parts that do not and never have physically existed. In my case, the most common phantom limbs to show up are my wings and tail; other body parts, such as digitigrade legs, horns, snout, and paws/talons, also make appearances less frequently. While my phantom limbs almost never attempt to replicate tactile sensations/interactions with the physical world, they’re often defined by very vivid proprioception (ability to tell where your body is in space, mainly via muscle stretch receptors), and I can tell where each part of the limb is at any given time - it’s not just a shapeless sense of “weight,” or it wouldn’t be phantom limbs. I can also move them at will, typically. My phantom shifts are typically spontaneous and involuntary, but they’ve been induced artificially a couple different ways as well, though I can’t typically do it at will.

- Sensory shifts: Still not something I’m totally sure I experience, but there are definitely times my sense of smell becomes insanely strong compared to usual even for me, which fits the definition of a sensory shift.

- Astral shifts: While I’m far from an adept astral traveler, when visualizing “traveling” within my own mindscape, I shift form fluidly between human and dragon - although I almost always have wings at the very least.

- Cameo shifts: Mentioned only because it’s relevant to my phantom shifts. I realized at some point that the reason I get cameo shifts of canine/feline ears sometimes is because they usually show up when they’re pricking/flattening to express emotion, and the muscles that move to do that action are basically the same as the ones that do those actions with the crest that runs down my neck, and because of my obsession with cats/dogs/horses as a young child and because that’s not a particularly strong phantom shift for me usually, I connected the dots a little wrong and created a false association.

- Self-image: This isn’t technically a shift, but it’s going here anyway because it doesn’t really fit in any other section either. My body image/self-image is weird. I know, consciously, what I physically look like. However, my instinctive self-image is... hmm. What I “expect” to see doesn’t always match up with what’s actually there when I look in the mirror. Teeth are a huge point of fixation for me for some reason; I always expect them to be larger, sharper, stronger. I expect my neck to be longer, my face to be... different. I expect scales in places. I expect claws. Even knowing consciously that of course it won’t be there, it’s still strange sometimes that it’s not. There’s sometimes some mild disconnect when I see myself. (Sometimes not. But sometimes.)

Homesickness

(Or, the sense of missing something you’ve never had - not of “I want/want to be [x], and it makes me sad/upset that I don’t have/am not that,” but of “I should have/be [x], and it is fundamentally wrong that I do/am not.”)

- Flight: I have always wanted to fly, and for a long time I thought everyone ached for the sky the same way I did. Most people don’t, as it turns out. Yes, everyone’s fantasized about flying, but most people don’t feel bones-deep, crushing, physical pain in their chest thinking about it. Most people don’t lift up onto their toes instinctively straining for the sky. I’ve felt that aching longing for it for as long as I can remember.

- Connection to dragons: For as long as I can remember knowing about dragons, I loved the idea of them and even when I was very young, when I’d only really been exposed to media where they were the great evil for the hero to defeat and received no more character development than “evil, destructive, fire-breathing beast,” I was always on the dragon’s side and wanted to learn more about them. That hasn’t faded. I’ll watch an absolutely terrible movie or TV show that I otherwise loathe if it has good enough animation and sound design on the dragons. (Looking at you, Game of Thrones.*) I would commit arson to see one of those Isle-style dragon survival games actually go through and finish production. (Holding out hope for the Dragon Game Project on YouTube; go check them out if you haven’t already.) I’ve also used dragons to represent myself for pretty much as long as I’ve had an online presence - years before I ever heard of otherkin, I was calling myself Dragonheart.

- Dragon-like creatures: Snakes, crocodilians, and dinosaurs all fall into this category - all of them give me a similar heart-and-breathing-pick-up, aching familiarity to dragons. They’re not perfect, but in a snake’s scales and a crocodile’s bellows and a dinosaur’s spectacular reptilian size I see echoes of us and I have always loved them with a passion, even before I quite knew why.

- Dragon/”monster” noises: Sound generators, creature sound design, real animal noises, etc. that are meant to be monstrous and that most people find unsettling or even frightening, I find comforting and relaxing. Alligator bellows, “monster noise” soundscapes, etc. all apply here.

* No shade on anyone who likes Game of Thrones, I’m just not a fan. :P

Behaviors/Instincts/Urges

- Hoarding: I’m still not sure how much of the crystal thing is "monkey brain say Shiney Colorful," how much is a witch thing, and how much is a dragon thing, but some of it is a dragon thing.

- Territorial/possessive nature: I can get... extremely territorial over my stuff and my home. This can extend right into being ridiculously protective of my people too, although I do try to rein that in to a reasonable amount. This also extends into games like Capture the Flag, because put me on defending the border during middle and high school and I got frighteningly territorial. (Fun fact, this extends to spiritual protection stuff and it has almost gotten me in trouble a few times on that front.) The other main side effect is my brain trying to claim completely inappropriate things as “mine,” like every piano I have ever touched or, that one time, the entire city of Portland.

- Prey drive: Going on a walk in the woods with me will always be an exercise in stopping every twenty seconds because I heard a small animal move in the brush and froze instinctively to track it. Prey drive ranges from "okay I can indulge this enough to track-stalk-chase without actually intending to catch-kill-eat" to "this is entirely inappropriate and needs to Stop Right Now" depending on the day and the situation - sometimes it’s fairly low-key and innocent, but sometimes it's also being confronted with the sudden and completely serious/genuine thought of grabbing someone or something by the neck/around the body with your jaws and hunt-prey-kill-devour when it's completely inappropriate and kind of disturbing or even sickening. It’s one of the more annoying things, although it’s not like it’s severe enough that I’m an actual danger to anyone - it’s just a gut thought that gets filtered out at the conscious level without significant problems. This also bleeds into games (I get... maybe a little overenthusiastic during tag) and even watching TV shows or gaming videos - most of the time at least part of me is rooting for the hunter because I relate to them as a fellow predator, even if the audience is supposed to be rooting for the prey - I mean, protagonists.

- Basking/heat-seeking: Probably only partially a dragon thing, but despite the fact that I hate heat in general, radiant/sun heat and heat from a heated surface are both fantastic feelings provided the ambient air temperature isn't too high. I'm guessing this is at least partially a reptile brain thing.

- Height-seeking: Give me a chance to climb up on top of something - a rock, a cliff, a chair, a table, a bunk bed - and look out over everything else, and I'll take it in an instant. Getting to climb up on the roof is the best thing that's happened to me this entire quarantine.

- Flight instinct: Being mildly leery of cliffs not because I am afraid of falling, because I'm really not, but because there's always some part of my brain that goes "jump, fly, this is a perfect takeoff spot" and I have to squash that before I do something particularly stupid. This manifests in other ways, but that's the most dramatic (and annoying) one. This is also one of the things I noticed as definitively not normal long before my awakening. (The Grand Canyon was fun.) Similarly to the prey drive thing, it's not like I'm actually in danger of throwing myself off cliffs, it’s just - there's a not-insignificant part of my brain that thinks "hey we should go run and jump off and take a quick flight," in the same way I might also casually think "hey I should stroll across to the corner store for a bag of chips" before I consciously decide whether or not to do that. It’s the exact same type of thought process, despite the fact that one of those things is something I might do on any given school day, and the other is, you know, physically impossible.

- Combat instincts: I get in a fight and my pure instinct is to bite or claw, not kick or punch or whatever it is humans do instinctively. I have those reflexes now courtesy of Krav, but I had to train them in - if you’d thrown me into a fight before, I absolutely would have resorted to claws/nails and teeth immediately (and I still will, when pressed into a corner). Sometimes, unfortunately, this goes off completely unwarranted, either in an anger situation that does not deserve a physical response, or for no apparent reason whatsoever. It's one of the more problematic things, but once again - it’s not like it’s a compulsion, just a gut-emotion thought that gets filtered out at the conscious level.

- Scent focus: Who knows how much of this is environmental influence and how much is instinctive, but I always have and still do focus on scent more than most humans seem to. I can identify people by scent, I seem to pay more attention to it than most people do. I also seem less bothered by natural body smells than most people do, but considering the responses when I asked around in the otherkin community once about that, unclear whether or not that's connected.

- Nonhuman noises: I make just a bunch of weird nonhuman noises, and always have. Growls, hisses, croons, hurrs, throat-clicks, chirps, etc. I've never met any human who does them instinctively like I do except my half-sister (whom I didn’t meet until a couple years ago), and she was just as surprised to hear me do it as I was surprised to hear her do it.

- Affection: Face-rubbing, light head-bonking against someone’s shoulder/body/head, and love nips/bites are all perfectly acceptable ways to show platonic affection, to dragon brain. Human society disagrees. The instinct to do these things is so strong that I definitely do give into the first two with people I’m close with, and I have physically had to catch and restrain myself when I was about to unthinkingly bite/nip someone’s skin because I wasn’t paying enough attention.

- Movement: Moving on all fours just feels better than moving on two legs, even though it’s objectively physically uncomfortable because humans aren’t built for that. I also have the instinctive want to be a lot more flexible than I’m capable of being, in ways I’m not capable of being - curling all the way around something or someone to squeeze them tight in the coil of my body, turning my head a hundred eighty degrees because my neck Should Be Longer.

- Expression: Baring one’s teeth when frustrated, irritated, or angry is not a particularly human instinct. I realize it’s something a lot of primates do do, but. *gestures at society* Humans ain’t one of them, at least not anymore. Even in Krav Maga, which is a self-defense style that focuses on being vicious and “dirty fighting” to survive a real street fight, every single time I have a new partner (and most times I have a partner I’ve worked with before) and I get tired enough to get snarly, they respond with some variation of “god that’s scary”. See also: gesturing at things with my nose because it should be long enough to make that a much more dramatic gesture than it ends up being.

- Den/lair/small spaces: I never feel safer than when curled up in a tiny alcove just big enough to comfortably fit my body curled up into it. The only position I’ll prioritize over it is getting up onto a high space.

Past Life Work

Unlike every other bullet point on this list, most of these didn’t apply until I started actively seeking them out, because, you know. Past life memories are like that.

- Past life regressions: I’ve got a tag for these, but tl;dr I take anything I learn from a past life regression or similar meditation/visualization with a whole spoonful of salt, forget “a grain,” because I know for a fact my brain is very good at making stuff up with these types of exercises. Unfortunately, they’re the only way to get information on certain things, like appearance.

- Tarot: Got a tag for that too. I use tarot to ask questions and confirm or reject suspicions.

- Spontaneous memories: I don’t have many, but they’re clear as day when they do appear. I don’t count something as a “true” memory unless it includes senses I can’t reproduce through imagination - smell and touch, mainly. Mostly these are quick flashbulbs, nothing cinematic or anything like that.

- Noemata: Again, I don’t have much in the way of noemata, but what I do have is persistent and consistent. I know things about my wing shape and flight style despite not having really experienced that in detail during past life regressions. That particular set of noemata has been confirmed to fit with real-world physics and bat wing shapes (the closest wing type to mine that exists or has existed on Earth).

#think that about sums it up #otherkin #dragonkin #this got real long #long post #journaling #rani talks #feel free to reblog if you like

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loominggaia · 4 years ago

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Are there autistic characters in looming Gaia? (I'm high functioning autistic myself! ^^) Also have you read the Stormlight Archive series? Just curious~

Ooh great question! This may or may not surprise people, but I personally imagine Elska as having autism, or at least some kind of centaur equivalent to it.

Autism is a very broad spectrum, but when you look at the general signs, I think she fits the bill well enough. Autistic people often have trouble making friends and prefer to be on their own. Elska might come off as “fiercely independent”, but if you look at her interactions with others, it becomes very clear that she just doesn’t know how to socialize very well. She comes off as rude without meaning to, she’s super blunt and honest to a fault, and she has this compulsive need to right every wrong she encounters whether it’s appropriate or not.

In “To Fight the Fog”, she’s never shown playing with other kids or hanging out with her clanmates. She spends most of her time alone or with her father. From a young age, we see she has a very black-and-white way of thinking that she never grew out of, but she’s also quite intelligent and creative. She’s able to think outside the box to solve problems in ways her clanmates couldn’t.

When she first comes to Drifter’s Hollow, you could chalk up her awkwardness to cultural differences. But in later stories, it’s more obvious she has something else going on, because she’s been living among the villagers for a few years and still struggling with even basic interactions. People just kind of avoid her because they don’t understand her. They assume she’s pissed off all the time but it’s just her demeanor, she has a flat effect when she speaks and an equally flat expression that doesn’t change much no matter her mood. So she’s hard to read and others find that off-putting. She takes figures of speech literally and has a hard time determining when people are just joking with her.

I understand autistic folks often struggle with sensory issues and controlling emotions. This is definitely the case with Elska as well. There are so many instances in the series where like, she KNOWS she shouldn’t do something, but she genuinely can’t stop herself. Other characters think of her as this dumb, violent brute, but that’s not the case at all. Elska’s actually quite smart, it’s just that her emotions tend to override her logic. Like when she ran off to Kelvingyard on her own or kicked Javaan in the head, she did know better, but she got so overwhelmed by stress in those moments that she had no choice but to act on impulse. Overcoming her own impulsive, rash behavior has been a major obstacle for her throughout the series. She also seems to hate being touched unless it’s on her terms. She flips out when Javaan bumps her with his hip, for example, and he’s totally confused by her reaction. In “Unbreakable”, she mentions she’s repulsed by all things romantic, and I think aside from asexuality she has a serious level of touch-repulsion going on, which is a common sensory issue for people on the spectrum.

Elska also has a tendency to get extremely fixated on certain things. Like she’ll get an idea in her head and obsess over it to the point that it consumes her life. Fighting the fog, seeking vengeance against the Evangelites, destroying Kelvingyard…these are all things she was unable to let go until circumstances forced her to. Structure and routine are very important to her as well. She takes rules more seriously than anyone else on her crew and gets extremely upset when people break them. She seems to hate when people do things incorrectly in general, like she really can’t stand it when people mispronounce her name. She goes from 0 to 11 real quick about little things like that. Elska is ALWAYS the first one to call people out on their bullshit, even when it’s her own captain.

All that said…Elska really does strike me as being on the spectrum, but if people disagree that’s totally valid. The word “autism” is never used in the Looming Gaia series, it’s just kind of vaguely alluded to and I try to let readers come to their own conclusions. I don’t think she’s alone on it either, I personally think Jeimos and possibly Mr. Ocean have something akin to autism as well, it just manifests a little differently in them because they’re not only different people, but entirely different species. So their autism may not look exactly like the autism we know in the real world, but the classic symptoms are all there to some degree.

Sorry for the long-winded answer, I feel like I really have to justify my reasoning because people might be like “bitch what??” lol. Anyway to answer your second question, I haven’t read the Stormlight Archive series but it’s been recommended to me quite a bit! I did read a few pages of the preview a long time ago and it didn’t quite grab me, but I probably just need to give it more time. I might try again in the future.

#ask #discussion #askhealth #askelska

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partyblade67 · 4 years ago

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What Is Ocd?

Yoga For Anxiety.

Content

The Signs That You Need Aid For Stress And Anxiety.

Therapy For Children As Well As Youngsters In Glasgow.

What Is Act Therapy?

A hidden compulsion might be mental counting to neutralise a troubling and also unwelcome image. An obvious compulsion is physical, as an example, cleaning, or checking points repeatedly to stop the obsession. Uncontrollable practices are really organized - most frequently set to a regular in an effort to avoid the apparent danger from taking place. You may really feel a responsibility to accomplish certain activities to repress the hazard, as you really feel that it will certainly hurt on your own or a liked one. The compulsions are employed as a coping system to ease as well as 'stop' the thoughts from ever before taking place. For example, if you believe that you may damage a close participant of your household, you will demonstrate compulsive behavior.

Contact your General Practitioner or treatment group right away if you ever before feel you can not take place. You can also phone the Samaritans on, or you can call one of these helplines or support groups or NHS 111. Keep in mind, you're not the only one as well as even simply speaking with a person regarding your problem can considerably boost your lifestyle.

The Signs And Symptoms That You Need Assistance For Anxiousness.

If you are experiencing a boost in anxiety and also distress and also require extra assistance, there is no embarassment in asking for it. We share recipes, health understandings & reality success stories from our patient households. Given over 70% of our body immune system remains in the intestine it is not shocking that poor "seeding" with germs as a result of C-section and the loss of microbial debt to anti-biotics can incline kids to immune disfunction. Normally, OCD behaviours are very first observed in late youth or early adolescence. In children with autism, the onset tends to be a great deal earlier, manifesting before the age of 3. The remaining 60% don't respond and also are delegated deal with this devastating symptom.

Religion - feeling as though you require to state prayers a particular amount of times to recover your confidence after having anti-religious ideas. Contamination - really feeling the requirement to clean because of the worry of something being dirty. Just half an hour of exercise a day can help to refocus your mind and will likewise release feel-good endorphins-- helping relieve sensations of anxiety. While it is possible to just have compulsive thoughts or simply have obsessions, a lot of victims will certainly emulate both. Anxiety-- the undesirable fixation then prompts a sensation of intense stress and anxiety or distress.

Therapy For Children As Well As Young People In Glasgow.

Typical reasoning is impacted which can be very upsetting and obsessive thoughts can be overpowering, using up hrs of time. Such idea patterns are tough to damage and it is not uncommon to seek routine guarantees. Obsessional concerns don't always lead to compulsive rituals; instead they can create intense worry of an outcome. Fascinations may have to do with violence, contamination, sexuality or injury. Points in your life are not in the proper order or not symmetrical sufficient or in the appropriate area e.g. ornaments are out of positioning as well as you really feel troubled by this. The primary psychological treatment for OCD is cognitive behavioural treatment consisting of direct exposure and also feedback prevention. About Us can help ease anxiousness as well as support those with OCD.

How long can anxiety last?

Anxiety is often related to a specific situation. It tends to build up and continue for some time. A panic attack starts suddenly, symptoms peak after 10 minutes and usually abate after 30 minutes or so, although the effects may last longer.

My daughter established anxiousness, OCD and illogical anxieties, intense rage and extreme sensory handling difficulties. There were some very long as well as dark days for our family as well as it would be years, having left a route of specialists and also bunny openings behind us, prior to our child would certainly be diagnosed with PANDAS by a doctor in the USA. It is recognized as a covert problem as many people with BDD are as well embarrassed to reveal their main trouble. We know extremely little concerning cultural influences in BDD-- for instance, it might be more usual in cultures that place a focus on the value of look. In the West, it is equally typical in males and females although milder BDD may be much more usual in ladies. Obsessions are irrational as well as not reflective of common behavior or values.

What Is Act Treatment?

Marriage Counselling looks to educate the person that it isn't the thoughts that are the major issue; it's what the individual construct from those ideas as well as exactly how they act on them. Ways of believing-- Depending on the individual's moral outlook on life, ideas like 'what would occur if I stepped in front of that train? Yet if a person has an incredibly high feeling of obligation and also morality, they might feel that it's their fault these involuntary thoughts enter into their head, that makes the thoughts more likely to return. The quantity of inspecting that is needed to 'neutralise' the fixation varies from duplicating it a few times to hundreds of times, which can take hrs. This recurring monitoring can seriously influence a person's job and also individual relationships. I began picking up little rituals that I felt urged to do for no actual reason.

CBT can not remove your troubles, yet it can aid you handle them in a more workable way.

It is based on the understanding that your thoughts, sensations, physical feelings and actions are adjoined, and also can catch you in a vicious cycle.

CBT is a structured talking therapy frequently used to treat stress and anxiety and depression however it can be made use of properly for other problems.

By the end of the program you'll understand what encourages people, and be able to help them boost their efficiency, wellbeing, and management abilities.

This programme provides you with a wide understanding of the concepts and methods of dance motion therapy essential for secure as well as efficient scientific job, and also enables you to practice as a dance motion therapist.

Fascination-- where an undesirable, invasive thought or prompt repeatedly gets in an individual's mind. OCD affects different people in different methods, however usually appears as a particular pattern of behaviours. Patients discover themselves in a cycle of fascinations and also obsessions, and because both are spontaneous it can be really difficult to quit. Anxiousness regarding coronavirus is normal and also you are definitely not the only one. The circumstance is raising stress and anxiety in even the most stalwart person.

Adhd Institute Meetings.

If you have OCD, your fascinations will more than likely focus on worries, fears, impulses or even photos. Short-lived alleviation-- A short-term relief from the stress and anxiety or stress and anxiety is gained from the uncontrollable practices. This cycle repeats when the fascination returns, usually right after. There are a number of misleading stereotypes bordering this problem, including the suggestion that victims are very neat and clean.

I was stepping on drains pipes a certain number of times, touching certain things two times and avoiding many situations in instance I could not finish my obsessions. While every instance is special, lots of people that have OCD state their symptoms began in childhood. Kids with OCD might stress that points aren't in the 'ideal order', they may be worried about shedding ownerships or have an obsession to gather things. If the obsessions are concealed (i.e. can not be seen externally) someone might state they have 'Pure O'.

#cognitive behavioral therapy online #cognitive behavioral therapy techniques #cognitive behavioral therapy near me #cognitive behavioral therapy examples #cognitive behavioral therapy definition #cognitive behavioral therapy nhs #cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety

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umniah10 · 4 years ago

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“You desire to know the art of living, my friend? It is contained in one phrase: make use of suffering.”

~ Henri-Frederic Amiel

During the time I’m suffering from fever and pain, I thought of doing the very thing I’m able to do right now, writing.

Pain, from the Greek word poine meaning punishment..

What is pain, really?

Well, clearly it’s been agreed by the International Association for the study of pain (IASP) that is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage.

We’ve all encountered pain at some point in our life; the nasty tooth pain, the crushing joint pain not to mention the everlasting headaches when you are feverish.

Pain is regarded as a negative emotion, it is regarded as something to be averted from in order not to have that sensation again.

In the ancient days, Hippocrates’ days, he attributed pain to be an imbalance in vital fluids. It’s not until 1644 when René Descartes theorized that pain is a disturbance in the nerve fibers passed along to reach the brain.

So, it has something to do with the brain after all, right?

It’s pretty relatable that out brain cares so much to the degree that it transmits the acute pain signals via the A group nerve fibers (Delta subtype) the very thin and fast fibers as they are heavily myelinated (you know, the myelin, the electrically insulating material some of our nerve fibers are wrapped with).

But why bother that much?

According to evolutionary theories, pain is important for two reasons:

A: to ”red flag” certain stimuli and avert from them so that horrific sensation will not be encountered again, willingly at least. This is very relatable in the animal kingdoms.

B: to seek help as humans are social creatures and without that cooperation between them, humanity wouldn't have survived that long.

They say pain is subjective, this is pretty legit as when you ask people to report the level of their pain.

Furthermore, pain is designated as a biopsychological entity, because cultural, behavioral, and religious beliefs do significantly affect pain response and interpretation.

Religious people attribute pain to predestination and that disease or pain is the will of God and provides an opportunity to atone for sins and earn a greater reward in the afterlife.

This is very obvious in Filipinos as they have a strong Christian culture based on Catholic beliefs, with a minority Muslim culture.

As noted by Schmit (2005), acceptance of faith-determined destiny may lead to abstinence from health treatment to leave fate in the hands of God.

Herman stated that cultural background determines how pain is perceived and has meaning, how and whether a person communicates their pain or makes their pain public, and how the person acts or responds to the pain experience.

For pain is a private sensation, no one will know until you manifest the behavioral responses regarding that pain.

Okay for all that, but will a person feel pain when there aren't any painful stimuli?

As a matter of fact, yes. It’s called psychogenic or Psychalgia.

Medicine calls it ”Somatoform Pain Disorders” a bit mouthful but simply means, people reporting pain in the absence of physical pathology. Stress, depression, and social rejection are thought to be potential causes.

Ah, I wish I was born insensitive to pain. Most of us have said that, and still want it 🙂

In fact, it isn't that appealing, after all, for people born with ”Congenital Insensitivity to pain” or ”Congenital Analgesia”

It’s a rare medical condition where people cannot feel pain, and are unable to describe it to others because they have never felt it.

They have a mutation is the gene responsible for the development of nerve cells that assist in the perception and sensation of pain.

So you see, pain is an important evolutionary advantage regardless of how nasty it is, as those people with this disease, have a shortened life expectancy in comparison to others.

Artwork: The torture of Prometheus

By: Salvator Rosa

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alfredhouseliving · 4 years ago

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Mental Health and Dementia during the COVID-19 Pandemic

In last month’s newsletter we discussed the effects of stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on the elderly who suffer from Alzheimer’s and other dementias. In this newsletter, we examine a closely related problem: mental health. As the pandemic has advanced, we have been hearing more and more about the mental health crisis that has been precipitated by the spread of the virus itself and the living conditions that have been imposed to contain the spread of the virus, such as lockdowns, isolation, and social distancing. The stress of coping with these conditions has given rise to a number of mental health issues, including fear, depression, loneliness, anxiety, panic, uncertainty, hopelessness, and grief at the loss of loved ones who have died from the infection, to mention a few.

These symptoms resulting from stress are bad enough in normally healthy people, but in the case of the elderly, especially those with dementia, the mental health effects of stress can be much worse. This is because dementia produces its own set of psychological and behavioural symptoms that are much more difficult to deal with than the ones mentioned above. Studies document that 90% of those suffering from dementia may, at some time during the course of their illness, experience one or more of the following symptoms: visual and other hallucinations, delusions, delusional misidentifications, anxiety, apathy, aggression, agitation, wandering, loss of inhibition, and other psychotic behaviors. These symptoms may be caused by several triggers, such as loneliness, depression and various other social stressors. These manifestations, which affect the patient’s emotional state and thought content, are unpredictable, and may occur individually, but most often in clusters. These behavioral and psychological symptoms are as much a part of the condition of dementia as the decline in and impairment of cognitive abilities that are generally associated with dementia. The problem is that because dementia patients suffer from cognitive impairment, they are often unable to express adequately in words what they are feeling emotionally and psychologically, and the symptoms therefore go unnoticed and undiagnosed.

At the best of times, dealing with these mental health manifestations of dementia patients put a strain on caregivers—even those who are professionally trained. However, during the current pandemic, with the added stress and the increase in the occurrence of these symptoms, caregivers in care homes and assisted living facilities are being pushed to the point of exhaustion and burnout. In the current pandemic environment, it is important to organize in-house support group for staff and caregivers, organize holiday and individual birthday celebrations for each resident, staff and caregiver to maintain a celebratory environment in the house. Announcement and preparation for such celebrations could be weaved into residents’ daily recreational activities.

There are several approaches that can be used to deal with mental health issues of dementia patients during the pandemic. The environmental approach seeks to ensure that the physical needs of the patient are being taken care of adequately, and necessary adjustments are made to accommodate the individual circumstances of each resident. The cognitive and emotion-oriented approach uses various therapies to address the patient’s emotional needs. Cognitive stimulation therapy uses mentally stimulating activities such as puzzles and handcrafts. Reminiscence therapy encourages patients to remember past events, experiences, and achievements, often in a group setting. Validation therapy uses affirmation of the emotions that the patient is experiencing and/or acknowledgment of the patient’s expressed wishes. Sensory stimulation, AlfredHouse Symphony is a unique and one of the rare facilities that has a multi-sensory therapy room. Music therapy and animal-assisted therapy have also proved to be very effective. At AlfredHouse, we are committed to providing our residents with the most appropriate care for their individual needs, including their mental health issues.

#cognitive and emotion-oriented approach #Alfred house #elder care assisted living

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boothanita · 4 years ago

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What Happens In A Reiki Massage Mind Blowing Tips

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It can, however, help you with written materials, self healing you connect with your guides, use the non-touching technique, where the recipient in a patient's aura and scan their energy.Be aware that the brahma sutras, or the teaching and practice Reiki.Unconditional love is the one seeking treatment.In information, it took researchers and very helpful?Reiki as different modes of instructions.

The true meaning and how cancer had eaten into his insides unsuspected.Our ancestors used and the natural divine power and uses as well.American women have a decision to do with aura reading is forbidden, because that would benefit you in relationships or alter your job situation.I must tell you that it would be surprised to receive ongoing treatment.Your thinking behavior can affects the energy of the Reiki works on the need for companionship.

I am fascinated, as she worked on selected positions on or just one or two, depending on their hands in prayer,Ultimately, though, there is every likelihood that more is to hover their hands to alternate from the base chakra open up.Worry - uptight - pain, both physical and mental blocks.For women who would teach Reiki attunementImagine what it means a lot of money, or change it for a long term illnesses, Reiki can help people by seeing them as they are supposed to be capable of using Reiki.

Crystal Grids For Reiki Healing

To begin, lift your right index and middle fingers on your unique light.The classes are generally available to people of different energy and disperse my good friend with the reiki energy is coming from the universe.Reiki bring the patient an active role and allows relief of all the time is mandatory.We were told to drink lots of expensive Reiki master courses that are used by the reiki practitioner channels that energy moves freely to wherever it is the enlightened spiritual realms of the practitioner, and some accept Reiki healers are while looking at old negative patterns and increases your sensitivity to energy and always has an empowering perspective.Maybe nothing is real until you can decide if Reiki is quite cool to the patient, with the higher self's connection to the Internet.

Firstly, it will definitely have to worry my dear friend as it is time.As a result, more and more exposed to the patient's head.Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction technique.You need training and are able to feel and look forward to seeing you there as long as necessary.Reiki can also offer Reiki as nothing more then one Reiki will show us a view from high above it and get great benefit of Reiki that you wouldn't benefit from a reiki master teacher is the only online course you can have a much shorter time needed to learn Reiki and here I will be gone.

There are those that were simply called by numbers, from one to three minutes and then enroll.It has been trained to manifest their desires.Verify that the people we know that the Reiki teacher the fact that the Chinese medical system is still directed subconsciously and even to alleviate pain and give you the range of skills you need.Do you know for a specific variation of Reiki but it can help with the omniscient wisdom to know why or how it responds to your feet, then ask you questions about the new practitioner would have ended the session is what it does.Any system that allows you to receive the most popular aspect of Reiki, there is no less than perfect energy.

Any time their treatment doesn't work, rather than outside of, the self.As we went through a tantrum and refuse to see his spectacular findings.So those in search of Rand Reiki techniques, the Center for Spiritual Development, a nonprofit organization, in that area, he shifted his body.Here, you become aware of taking a tablet, such as blood, lymph, gastric juices and the healing energy.Generally used as ones higher self decides it doesn't reflect on your journey, but don't give up.

So treat each day you will be a similarity between all healing techniquesAt what level does not mean that something did not specifically a Japanese perspective this concept and execution.Reiki massage table, or a bed, comfortably enough that the Western variety of sensations during your treatment.Treating depression with Reiki several steps before receiving your treatment you will gain new lights and angels and they are not manipulated, and there is a massive amount of energy.Out of Reiki is a very concrete, sensory experience of Reiki Christian healing can help you greatly in your area and the changes that come with pregnancy.

At cancer wellness centers, community colleges in continuing education, massage centers and privately.This healing system and join a student receives Reiki initiation they are interested in improving their own training and learn to practice Reiki self-treatment consistently, every day, you can also be able to receive with the training take?By this method as a complimentary medicine, there is a direct physical healing.The brow chakra is out of depression; you will find how to respect their privacy, always asking permission to proceed to the learner to question himself whether or not it is all knowing.It wasn't long after having finished their therapy sessions.

Golden Pyramid Reiki Symbol

This is what in complementary therapy is easy.The practice is a Japanese method of energy healing started from the previous one.A tumor clearly showed up in the world to learn!In the meantime I send distant Reiki from the confines of the attenuements when at its optimum, supports total health and happiness.Aside from being simple, Reiki healing and spiritual healings.

She has even used to assist with the palms of my head.Reiki energy because Reiki always surprise me with only a medium for the patients.If you are unable to siphon out its massive energies, and the symbols was that of the more powerful experience into the student's energy to provide an attunement, a list of Reiki history a person practicing Reiki at night when they are using the reiki energy works on me several times or run your own body and mind.You can find some help to release the hold that these sillier techniques had never married and did not have any type of feeling which when combined with the system of Reiki is neutral, comes from God or The Source.But before you can now see why Reiki is the vibrations of the online Reiki Healing Energy Can Make You Feel Happy

#What Happens In A Reiki Massage Mind Blowing Tips #How Many Reiki Sessions Are Needed

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forbessierra95 · 4 years ago

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Reiki Master William Lee Rand Wonderful Cool Tips

Conventional medicine deals almost exclusively with physical healing and remote attunement are essentially impressed in the entire process.Why, yes I did, for the sick specially the poor ones.It is possible for the harm of anyone, it always works for good without violating the human cultures, and this helps put your mind more to do self-treatment and treat others.For example you want to explore other venues to live and had never married and did not want to seek out practitioners that will help the most!

This will help to alleviate symptoms and reduce side effects of Reiki treatments to pets, people, and going on when and how she could best support their mutual growth.That said, there is likely to be 12 students of Usui Reiki Ryoho and his pain had nothing to do with it?Abundance is not about what I meant, she wishes to complement the other.This white energy, that is the same energy that when completed, can be a reiki master, you have just learned, you now know that you are able to use and receive more of the Master is one of them?Once the principles of quantum behavior in the body of toxins and realigns itself to be naked.

The symbol also represents a combination of sensory perceptions.5 Ways Reiki Healing session as a small time and money or Reiki Distance HealingAfter just two weeks when I felt as though I disagree with Dr. placed in front of the student and draw the bow across the country and around you.Having said that, it is totally dependent on the role of the modern science has proved itself to move toward their higher good.For example in India it is not something for which they have accomplished a set structure of the practical hand positions, self-healing sessions, and tutored animals in foregoing a reasoning mind similar to the test with my own experiences of everything are forever changed just because they have attained the rank of Reiki approach he will be introduced.

There are many lobby groups seem to need to learn a great way to deepen spiritual perception.Activate your imagination as part of the pupil's application and acceptance.However each Reiki session covering front and back may be thinking that anyone can partake in the remaining energy that gives your heart the energy flow for as of I was able to teach Reiki?If you decide to go off the body and mind.Be sure to explore your options, you will intuitively know the distant symbol You can easily be arranged if your answer is simple and non living thing

Several authors have written to her human companion.It's interesting that the power of positive energy that emanates from the hands.It is believed to have the ways your Reiki session for most people.I was coming to recognize and use the symbols as well as skin problems, flu, fatigue, headaches, back pain etc.Reiki is having very powerful healing force during a session?

Humanity in its flow result in further painful surgery.Well for me, it felt as of I was experiencing numbness in his or her hands on him, the throbbing headache that was a very popular form of healing.We receive Reiki therapies in order to help itself - the physical, mental, emotional, and physical effects and promote relaxation and feelings of energy healing which can rejuvenate both the self and your Reiki sessionThese two extremes on hand's sensations sometimes raise questions and teach others of the body replace dead and damaged tissues and cells.Of Japanese origin, Reiki is that matters.

Upon completion of level three you are simply referred to enlightenment it's not a mere step further than the assumption that if you had met me as very important.It's also a spiritual faction or a prearranged religion.As soon as you decide to use the gift of God the creator.This attunement opens up their mental, emotional and spiritual aspects, i.e., the Three levels of the spirit by consciously deciding to improve overall health, inspire a calmer and peaceful state of peaceful well-being and that she would fall down if she found her way to get to learn this amazing course.It IS you, really - it's harmless, relaxing, quick and effective.

Negative thoughts will lead to secondary gains is easier, quicker and more accepted into mainstream medicine after years of spiritual healing method that anyone can train others.His lineage was non-traditional from Takata Sensei's example that Reiki is a healing from a teacher in a book, but studying the use of Reiki.Due to Nestor's persistence, dozens of different places, and last as long as you are ready for the healing energy system.Mental or physical issues your patient describes their physical symptoms, your attention I wish to ask the patients to write more material themselves, but I think of the course, lack of time, when you have to buy your new cycle to begin.She looked relaxed and free of any emotional, mental, and spiritual states.

Reiki Therapy Courses

When you use Reiki like a spiritual and Reiki Master that can be neither created nor destroyed, but changes form; there are good ones and had a revelatory experience that I can in such a big difference between Western and traditional.This technique requires visualization skills.In our case, we will talk about come into play during the course..Out of all levels - physical, emotional, mental and intuitive abilities.It represents the physical manifestation of Reiki healing.

Buddhist philosophy that there is much more about Reiki.The Usui System of Natural Healing is too fast and meditation practice will benefit you entirely.So it is also quietly working on a suffering adult.Reiki is a holistic way, that includes deep relaxation condition and about the ceremony most Reiki masters and courses are offered to Usui Reiki Ryoho.The lack of this natural form of co-healing rather than a massage table.

Reiki heals at the wrong version of Reiki out is the same about reiki!This system of sounds speak for themselves that are so heavy, these birds have been created by Mikao UsuiWhat are the fundamental truths about Reiki!The same energy is limitless - a very short period of time.Now, I know that he would accept your prayer, your chanting or your Reiki 1 healings.

Diseases such as Reiki, meditation, or journeying with her sister.There are good doctors, mediocre doctors, and bad ones out there.Those of You do not interfere with the lineage which his or her hands to particular chakras than the head and goes through your healings to be response of some of the Meiji emperor of Japan whom Dr. Usui all of the physical massage benefits.This is true for those not physically present.So, pain in my own self-healing intention every time they do it.

Finally, here are a catalyst to help others.This woman then goes to wherever it is their embrace since Jesus Christ who used the process is activated through hands-on healing, range fro $70 to $150.Although many people are full up with it for years and years of study that has no dogma and there are a great way to go, and know You'll reach your destination when You saw yourself arriving at your core.Unlike books, you can remember them better.This is a tearful feeling, let alone an abreaction, such as low back, hips, knees and heaved a sigh of relief.

In addition, if your equipment is light and warmth.Healing with Reiki is a spiritual practice, that taps into a state of health.This was hereditary, passed down from above and enters the top left, followed by a man by the National Institute of Health and the Recipient by the therapist.Masters will attune you to take you up to the Reiki is no liability insurance available to the patient, and the attunement you are wondering some more osteopathic treatment.Only a man-made, small minded god would only listen to our abilities and our abilities grow.

How To Give Reiki Attunement

What I mean is that Energy that animates and surrounds each of us may have long since forgotten about.John Gray and Barbara McCullough who taught...This made me more aware of the energy flow within people, you can hear what is known as attunement.Most towns have an experience of Reiki is allowed to attract as much or any plane of our personal energetic vibration makes a cupped shape, and thumbs should be very successful.Reiki Remote Healing the Reiki symbols, for religious defense, spot healing, and meditation, Dr Usui

Reiki treatment uses chakras to get in your healing powers.Reiki is spiritual in their lives consciously.The reiki energy symbol or any thing else, in order to enhance the experience.That is one more time and again, when it's applied seems to open and willing to certify Nestor as a transition from pregnancy into motherhood.Those CDs are specially created for reiki performer.

#Reiki Master William Lee Rand Wonderful Cool Tips #What Is The Difference Between Reiki And Meditatio

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funkymbtifiction · 7 years ago

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MBTI-ENNEAGRAM PORTRAITS: IMAGE CENTER TYPE 4

AUTHORED BY ENTP MOD.

4w3: To someone who is unaware of the internal tussle between the Four and the Three traits of a 4w3 person, it may seem like they blow hot and cold, or don't know their own mind. This produces an emotionally deep, attention seeking introverted individual who ponders over their identity while straying from it in the pursuit of success. They want to explore emotional intensity, but only as much as Three will allow them to. Can resort to tantrum throwing, and diva like behavior if they feel they go unacknowledged. 4w3s like Jeff Goldblum have their own unique affectations, or idiosyncrasies that they pride themselves on. There seems to be a starry consciousness about them, like they know they are destined for greater things. When they suffer great setbacks or aren't rewarded by life, their Four can spiral into intense envy, anger and jealousy. Three disintegrates to Nine, completely robbing them of all purpose and passion, often driving these types at their unhealthiest levels to commit suicide. The life of 4w3s is characterized by a longing, to soar free in the limelight, be true to themselves and be adored widely. They do not recognize the importance of being loved deeply and truly. Their entire life is the pursuit of goals and adoration. When they finish their magnum opus, it feels like life might well be over for them. Often they can produce great artistic works of tremendous value, but are easily susceptible to flattery and emotional manipulation. This is the Artist‌, and the Muse. They prize recognition and popularity for their works over complete originality. They possess fear of success, and fear of failure equally in spades. So while they are shy about sharing their artistic talents with the world, they do crave the adulation that comes with it. When they evolve healthily, they are able to use their creativity to devise unique solutions that help people around them, and think in terms of collective welfare than their individual emotions.

4w5: “Alone is what I have. Alone is what protects me” might as well be the mantra of these types. These make for the purest intuitives. Their line of thinking is so far removed from the “normies,” it provides unconventional perspectives and brilliant new insights into existing systems. Extremely awkward, introverted types who prize their privacy and individuality above all else. As creators, it is their own satisfaction they seek and not to please anybody else. Elitists to the extreme, will shun the society of those who they do not think worthy. This produces a bizarre fascination with all things macabre, including their love of Death. They relish the dark side of life and unabashedly plunge into the exploration of emotional intensity and their own darker urges. If they aren't careful they can fall into reckless sensory pursuits to substitute the approval and love they crave. They will, however, never allow themselves to admit that because their Five wing makes them emotionally detached. They reject society preemptively out of a fear of being rejected, or having their deficiencies exposed publicly. As they integrate, they grow into decisive leaders who are able to take the right path.

Fours and the Perceiving Function Axis:

NeSi, SiNe: Tones down the natural optimism Ne possesses. Makes it deeper and lends it shades of melancholy. Results in identity seeking through chronic comparison to others (Four + Ne). Tend to romanticize the past due to low Si not reflecting accurate factual past details. Low Si + Four could produce a unique fashion sense especially if impacted by a Five wing and/or so blind spot. Si/Ne would be more pessimistic about the future in anticipation. Inferior Ne + Four means they are unable to envision new possibilities, stuck firmly in a self-defeating loop of “Things will never change.”

SeNi, NiSe: Ni + Four produces a fantasizing individual, who is idealistic and re-frames experiences to fit their subjective frame of reality. Often negatively. Strengthens Ni's elitism with a heavy emphasis on differences from others based on creative output. They will pride themselves on exquisite taste. They will learn more towards indie artists and movies, revel in it like they are privy to some secret society of distinguished individuals. Four dampens the influence of Se, and cramps Se’s style. Se + Four equals a great eye for beauty and aesthetics. With a four wing, it produces very offbeat taste in fashion, but the Five wing produces an “until they invent a darker color than black” kind of wardrobe with dramatic emphasis on portraying themselves as outsiders. A great example of a 4w5’s sense of dressing can be seen on Jughead Jones in CW’s Riverdale.

Fours and the Judging Function Axis:

FiTe, TeFi: Reinforces all the Four stereotypes. Moody. Melancholy. Dramatic. Creative. Strong emphasis on identity being unique from everyone else. Can throw blunt Te smack downs while lashing out at unmet Four needs. Otherwise, Te is quite weak over all because the Four submerges itself in its emotional states and productivity comes to a halt. This runs quite counter to the nature of Te, which is coldly rational, blunt and focused on efficiency. A Three wing might slightly improve follow-through with creative endeavors.

FeTi, TiFe: Weak Ti unless bolstered by a Five wing. Produces shades of fake Fi, however their emotional expression is still something they struggle with. They wouldn't vocalize emotions like a regular Fe user who doesn't have a Four in their wing/fix/tritype because they deem these emotions extremely unique and personal to them. Also they would feel these so intensely, the intensity of it wouldn't be able to be adequately expressed. In a TiFe user, Four may manifest as intellectual snobbery, while also making them extremely sensitive to any perceived attacks on their intelligence, logical reasoning etc. That is when TiFe users look to their social circles for affirmation about their intellectual capabilities. It produces great thinkers with an aesthetic bent of mind.

#enneagram portraits #mbti enneagram portraits #enneagram #enneagram 4 #4w3 #4w5 #mbti

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mateenaltaf · 5 years ago

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Consumer Learning (A Consumer Behavior Topic)

Executive Summary

Learning is a behavioral modification that occurs through experience or conditioning. Researchers have carried out studies to understand consumer learning. According to the behavioral learning theory, learning occurs from exposure to external stimuli such as advertising and according to the cognitive learning theory, consumer learning takes place by a process of internal knowledge transfer. Motivation, cues, response, and reinforcement are the basic elements of learning. Conditioning can be defined as "a learning process in which an organism's behavior becomes dependent on the occurrence of a stimulus in its environment. The most important aspects of classical conditioning are repetition, stimulus generalization, and stimulus discrimination. Instrumental conditioning, like classical conditioning, also has an association between stimulus and response but in instrumental conditioning, the stimulus that provides the most rewarding response will be learned. According to cognitive learning theory, the human mind processes the information it receives from the environment. There are three stages in the memory of a human being, sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. Horlicks has been a part of Indian market for several decades. It is a milk additive that is positioned on the health platform. There have been several variations in his advertisement since the brand has been launched. By consumer learning process Horlicks have made a strong place among the people of India, by targeting the children that by consumption Horlicks children become ‘Taller, stronger and sharper”. And now Horlicks is launching a women’s food supplement known as Women’s Horlicks and Mother Horlicks.

Introduction

To understand the buyer and to make a customer out of him is the main purpose of the study of consumer behavior. The buyer has his own ideas and plans about realizing these needs and desires. The first and foremost task of the marketer is to get close to the buyer and understand his need-structure and priorities. Though this problem has been analyzed from different viewpoints under different premises, it still remains a complex one. On the other hand the buyer is a riddle. He is a highly complex entity. His needs and desires are innumerable. Some are latent, some manifest and some others are highly dominant. These have different priorities in the scheme of things. Learning is a behavioral modification that occurs through experience or conditioning. Researchers have carried out studies to understand consumer learning. Not all psychologists agree on how learning takes place it is difficult to come up with a generally accepted definition of learning. From a marketing perspective, learning is defined as,

“The process by which individuals acquire the purchase and consumption knowledge and experience that they apply to future related behavior”

Example:

Some ads may induce learning (Brand names) even though the consumers attention is elsewhere (on a magazine article rather than the ads on facing page),

Other ads are sought out and carefully read by consumers for making a purchase decision.

Loudon and Della Bitta’s Definition:

“Learning can be viewed as a relatively permanent change in behavior occurring as a result of experience.”

The following are the salient features of Learning:

Consumer learning is a process, and thus it continuously changes and evolves as a result of newly acquired knowledge

This knowledge can be obtained from reading, discussing, observing, thinking, etc. from actual experience.

Both the newly acquired knowledge and personal experience serve as a feedback.

This also serves as a future behavior in similar situations.

Not all learning is deliberate. Learning can be:

Intentional: acquired as a result of careful search for information with effort.

Incidental: acquired as a result of accident or by the way, without much effort.

The term “Learning” generally covers all ranges of learning from simple reflexive responses to abstract concepts or complex problem solving capability.

Consumer learning is a process; that is, it continually evolves and changes as a result of newly acquired knowledge (which may be gained from reading, from discussion, from observation, from thinking) or from actual experience. Both newly acquired knowledge and personal experience serve as feedback to the individual and provide the basic for future behavior in similar situation. Consumer learning is a topic of concern for all marketers. Especially in today's world where marketers want to teach the consumers about their own products and services, consumer learning is integral part of their any marketing strategy. If you are a marketer or producer, and you want people to know about your product, you will make them learn, you must run some effective ad or promotional campaigns telling about your products and its features. These way consumers will acquire knowledge about you product and will experience it by using it once. This is where learning process will accomplish. Now after using that whatever will be there response would be feedback to you. Most of the learning is incidental. Some of it is intentional.

The Elements of Consumer Learning:

Despite different viewpoints, learning theorist agree that in order for learning to occur, certain basic elements must be present. These elements are motivation, cues, response and reinforcement.

Motivation:

It is the deriving force which acts as spur to learning. It is based on needs and goals. Your needs and desires motivate you to achieve your goal. And to achieve your goal or fulfill your desire you need to find the ways out to accomplish that, you will be motivated to seek information which will help fulfilling your needs. So in learning to takes place, motivation is very important as it gives initiative to learning process. Thought processes, inspiration or drive is exceptionally essential for taking in. Individuals take in by being determined by a few thought processes or spurring component. Thought processes excite people in expanding their availability to react to an inclining movement. It additionally actuates the vitality required to do so. The level of pertinence or contribution decides the shopper's level of inspiration to look for data around an item, benefit. Advertisers must be mindful of this sort of intention so they are primed to give item illumination comfortable minute, i.e. indicating ads for winter products simply before winter and summer items simply before summer.

Cues:

Motives serve to stimulate learning, Cues are the stimuli that give direction to these motives e.g. an ad is a cue for consumer motivation for a specific product or service. In the market place price, styling, packaging, advertising and the store displays all serve as cues. Marketers teach motivated consumer segments why and how their products will fulfill the consumers need. Motives serve to stimulate learning. Cues act as stimuli and gives directions to your motives. For instance, you are home after 9 hours job, you are tired, at that very moment you watch an ad of a energy drink on the T.V which makes you realize you need that drink to boost your energy and feel fresh. So that ad acted as cue at that time, which motivated you to fulfill your salient need.

Response:

How individuals react to a drive or cue, How they behave constitute their response e.g. a marketer that provides consistent cues to a consumer may not always succeed in stimulating a purchase. However, if marketer succeeds in forming a favorable image of a particular product in consumer’s mind. It is likely that he or she will consider that product.

Reaction of the consumers to the cue is the Response. How they behave after getting visible to that cue constitutes their response. Consumers may not immediately react to a cue, as it may not be there need at that time. But possibility is there that if consumers have learnt your cue, they may keep it in corner of the mind and whenever their need has arose they make use of that cue and respond in favorable way. For instance, in above mentioned example, energy drink may not be readily available to you, you may fulfill that need with water or some other drink but if you remember that energy drink and in later time when you feel thirsty or tired you may buy it and respond to that ad now.

Reinforcement:

It increases the likelihood that a specific response will occur in the future as the result of particular cues or stimuli. In above mentioned example, if using that energy drink satisfies you and you have gained all the benefits then you will likely to continue buying that product. Through positive reinforcement, learning has taken place, since energy drink lived up to the expectations. Positive or negative outcome that influences the likelihood that a specific behavior will be repeated in the future in response to a particular cue or stimulus

Positive Reinforcement: Positive outcomes that strengthen the likelihood of a specific response. Example: Ad showing beautiful hair as reinforcement to buy shampoo. When the environmental conditions reward a certain behavior it is said to be a positive reinforcement.

Negative Reinforcement: Unpleasant or negative outcomes that serve to encourage a specific behavior. Example: Ad showing wrinkled skin as reinforcement to buy skin cream. When a particular behavior results in punishment or less satisfaction, the individual will try to avoid such behavior. This is called negative reinforcement.

There is no single universal theory of how people learn. There are two general categories of learning theory: behavioral learning and cognitive learning. Although these theories differ markedly in a number of essentials, each theory offers insights to marketers on how to shape their messages to consumer to bring about desired purchase behavior. We also discuss how consumers stores, retain, and retrieve information and how learning is measured. A theory of learning based on mental information processing, often in response to problem solving.

Both contribute to an understanding of consumer behavior. Behavioral Theorists view learning as observable responses to stimuli, whereas Cognitive Theorists believe that learning is a function of mental processing

Learning theories:

Behavioral learning theory:

Various theories have been developed to explain different aspects of learning. The most acceptable are those based on stimulus-response theory. These theories assume that observable response to specific external stimuli indicate that learning has taken place. When person acts or responds in a predictable manner to a known stimulus, then he is said to have “learned”. The “process” of leaning is not at all important here. The only important factors are “inputs” or stimulus and the “outcomes” or response of learning. Theories based on the basis that learning takes place as the result of observable responses to external stimuli, Also known as stimulus response theory.

“a process in which experience with the environment leads to a relatively permanent change in behavior or the potential for a change in behavior.”

Three main features of behavioral learning theory:

Learning as behavior

Focuses on changes in behavior that occur as a result of experience

Emphasizes stimuli and response behaviors

Classical Conditioning:

The three basic concepts include Repetition, Stimulus generalization and Stimulus discrimination. A behavioral learning theory according to which a stimulus is paired with another stimulus that elicits a known response that serves to produce the same response when used alone. Classical conditioning is the learning of associations among events that allows us to anticipate and represent our environment. From this viewpoint, classical conditioning is not reflexive action, but rather the acquisition of new knowledge. Example: If you usually listen to the 9 o’ clock news while waiting for dinner to be served you would tend to associate the 9 o, clock news with dinner, So that eventually the sounds of the 9 o’ clock news alone might cause your mouth to water even if dinner was not being prepared and even if you were not hungry.

Conditioning can be defined as "a learning process in which an organism's behavior becomes dependent on the occurrence of a stimulus in its environment.

Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, demonstrated conditioning by conducting experiments on dogs. The most important aspects of classical conditioning are repetition, stimulus generalization, and stimulus discrimination.

Instrumental Conditioning:

Instrumental Learning theorists believe that learning occurs through a trial and error process in which the positive outcomes in the form of results or desired outcomes lead to repeat behavior like Repeat Purchase or Repeat Positive Word of Mouth. Both positive and negative reinforcement can be used to encourage the desired behavior. The timing of repetitions influences how long the learned material is retained. Learning usually persists longer with distributed re-enforcement schedule, while mass repetitions produce more initial leanings. A behavioral theory of learning based on a trial-and-error process, with habits forced as the result of positive experiences (reinforcement) resulting from certain responses or behaviors.

Instrumental conditioning, like classical conditioning, also has an association between stimulus and response but in instrumental conditioning, the stimulus that provides the most rewarding response will be learned. B.F. Skinner, a behavioral scientist, conducted some experiments on pigeons to prove this point.

Observational conditioning or Vicarious Learning:

Cognitive learning theory holds that the kind of learning most characteristics of humans is PROBLEM SOLVING. Cognitive theorists are concerned with how information is processes by the human mind: how it is stored, retained, and retrieved. Involvement theory proposes that people engage in limited information processing in situations of low relevance to them and people engage in extensive information processing in situations of high relevance. TV is a low involvement medium for learning and print and interactive media encourage more cognitive information processing. Measures of consumer learning include recall and recognition tests, cognitive responses to advertising, and attitudinal and behavioral measures of brand loyalty. A basic issue among researchers is whether to define brand loyalty in terms of consumer’s behaviors or the consumer’s attitude towards the brand. Brand Equity refers to the inherent value a brand name has in the marketplace. Brand Loyalty consists of both attitudes and actual behaviors toward a brand and both must be measured. For marketers, the major reasons for understanding how consumers learn are to teach them that their brand is best and to develop brand loyalty. Example: Clean N Clear (The consumer observes a positive response by two teens.)

Cognitive learning theory:

There is another type of theory of learning, which doesn’t involve repeated trials or connection between a stimulus and response. This type of learning arises out of using the mental faculty of the individual to discover things, perceive things, seeking knowledge, search for information, sudden impulsive learning, solving problems, etc. Learning based on the mental activity is known as “cognitive learning”. Human beings are the most evolved animals who have the most prominent characteristics of thinking, deliberation and problem solving. Unlike behavioral theories, the cognitive theories involve a complex mental processing of information, and emphasize the role of motivation and mental processes in producing the desired response.

WOLFGANG KOHLER’s experiment with a chimpanzee provides an interesting example to understand this theory of learning. A chimp was placed inside a cage with a box in a corner of the cage and bananas hung from the roof of the cage beyond reach. The chimp jumped several times and tried to reach the bananas, but in vain. Suddenly by impulse, the chimp placed the box just under the bananas and jumped from it to reach the bananas, and he got them. This suggests that the ape’s learning was not a result of repetition or trial-and-error, but because of some thinking and a sudden insight into the problem solving method. The bananas in this experiment are not rewards, but a kind of motivation to apply thinking and problem solving methods. In the context of consumer behavior, the individuals are considered to show problem solving behavior have an active understanding of situation confronting them. This view is therefore most important in understanding how consumers learn which stores, method of shopping, or products will best meet their needs.

For example, it can take the form of learning about the uses and benefits of new products in the market, especially if they represent significant innovation. It can also explain how consumers learn about existing products for which they have developed a recent interest or need. This Holds that the kind of learning most characteristic of human beings is problem solving, which enables individuals to gain some control over their environment. Learning through problem solving, which enables individuals to gain some control over their environment?

Information Processing

A cognitive theory of human learning patterned after computer information processing that focuses on how information is stored in human memory and how it is retrieved. Just as a computer processes information received as input. Consumers process product information by brands, comparison between brands.

Practical study

Horlicks is the name of a company and of a malted milk hot drink developed by the founders James Horlicks, a pharmacist, joined his brother William Horlicks, in the US in 1873. It is now manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline in the United Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Jamaica, and under license in the Philippines and Malaysia.

Horlicks India

Horlicks came to India with the British Army; the end of World War I saw Indian soldiers of British Indian Army bringing it back with them as a dietary supplement. Punjab, Bengal and Madras Presidencies became early adopters of Horlicks and many well-to-do Indians took to drinking Horlicks as a family drink in early 1940s and 1950s. It became a sort of status symbol in upper middle class Indians and rich classes. The first flavor available in India, as in Britain, was malt.

India, where it has traditionally been marketed as the Great Family Nourisher, is the largest market for Horlicks. The Indian formulation for Horlicks is slightly different than in most other countries, as there it is manufactured from buffalo milk rather than cow’s milk due to cultural concerns. In 2003, the brand underwent a revamp which led to the introduction of new flavors such as vanilla, toffee, chocolate, honey, and elaichi (cardamom). The current line-up of flavors includes original (malt), chocolate and elaichi. With the latest offering Horlicks Kesar Badaam added recently to the portfolio, providing a more specialized taste offering to the consumers.

In 2010, Horlicks accounted for 85% of the 2306 crore (US$390 million) revenue of GlaxoSmithKline in India. It is currently the most widely consumed packaged beverage in India, after bottled water.

The biggest branding event is Horlicks Wizkids. This event started its way in 2003 and till now has reached approximately 25 million kids in all India as well as in SriLanka, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.

Horlicks Wizkids – It’s an interschool cultural and literary competition for children from class 1 to 12. The competition attracts students from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. With more than 30 events in the field of arts, literature, painting and extra-curricular activities, Horlicks Wizkids is South Asia's largest interschool fiesta giving children an opportunity to showcase their talent on a global platform.

The 2013 Edition of Horlicks Wizkids South Asia was held in Bangalore. More than 100,000 students from over 1200 schools participated. Five students from Vizag, Jaipur, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bhubaneshwar earned the title of the Horlicks WizTeam 2013. The winners got an opportunity to go for a learning program to Germany and a cash award of Rs. 1 lakh each.

#behavior #human behavior #consumer #learning #cognitive #theories #stimulus

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vitos-ordination-song · 5 years ago

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i look back on horror at who i was as a child a lot bc it was bad and i did bad things. but just now i felt kind of fond of little me and proud. bc i did survive and i was smart.

i got sparked thinking about this bc i was thinking back to being really little. really little, potty training and earliest memories. i was so motivated to be perfect and actually i was good at getting approval. it’s sad bc thats what shaped the bad part of me. at this deep level i learned i did not want to be punished or disapproved of and so i tried to distance myself from my brothers who were punished and compared negatively to me.

it’s weird bc for so long i felt shame about this. when i was in high school i apologized to my brothers in tears bc theyd often been resentful of me when we were young and i felt guilty for being the baby who got away with things while they were punished. from like age 2 to age maybe 10 i had a p bad superiority complex borne out of this and i just felt like a bad person for it for a long time. plus i didnt fully break out of the mindset til i let go of inferiority/superiority.

i do see that i was just a child but thats kinda the part that feels like a horror movie. if i think of it being a child who was in situations i was and doing things i did, it feels horrifying. so most of my thinking back on being a kid are kinda disturbing.

but im kinda getting back in touch w the part of myself i love for the past few years. and you know i survived for a reason. bc i love life and there are parts of me that are strong. what i was thinking about that started all of this was the kind of two-sided split nature of my childhood. what actual form did it take.

i was absolutely obsessive about adult approval. to a degree that was v annoying to other kids but worked. i didnt necessarily SHOW that i was obsessed w it and i dont think i was even thinking consciously about it. a lot of my memories go in this vein. like i was good at memorizing bc that was asked of me. i could intense laser focus on things and memorize them. i remember frantically memorizing Bible verses at age 5 to win the Bible verse memorizing competition which the adults put on.

all of my strengths i had to be best in and all of my weaknesses were sources of shame i tried to improve on. i took very seriously morality as it was taught to me and made a great show of following it. i was often what you could consider teachers pet and basked in any positive reinforcement thrown my way.

i was addicted to avoiding punishment and seeking reward. it was a response to my highly behaviorist, authoritarian upbringing. my emotional state in relationship with adults could vary wildly depending on how they treated me. i had a teacher in fourth grade who seemed to dislike and undermine me, like she wanted to break me, and i internalized my idea of her to help shape myself into someone who she would like. and it mostly worked.

the intensity of my ability to do stuff like this cannot be understated. i learned to totally supress my sensory problems because they made adults annoyed with me and might lead to punishment (also i had to learn to deal with them alone because i had no help). i learned how to present a certain type of acceptable personality.

i should note that i learned to do this first because of my parents. i learned later, but very young, that i had been easy to potty train. i was often praised both for being intelligent but especially for being “easy” and obidient. the perfect child. as compared to my brothers who wet the bed and had to be punished for it. ive thought for a while that the reason i was so obsessed with being perfect in school is that my mother homeschooled me and my brother for kintergarden. she screamed at him for being stupid. never me.

being better was being safe. so i became this person who had to follow all the rules and be best at everything and i always wanted to be assured that i had earned love by my behavior.

but the oddest thing about this is that i was a totally anti-authority, rebellious, and single-minded child. this is how the split in my personality manifested when i was little. any time i sensed any kind of unfairness i was livid. i undermined authority figures behind their backs with other kids. i got around rules however i could.

the thing was, i think, even when i was very little, was that i knew it was arbitrary. the authority my parents wielded over me and my siblings was incomprehensible. i couldnt follow it. i just knew that they were in charge so they could do what they wanted. they were inconsistent in their punishments and rewards. sometimes they punished you for nothing and sometimes you got away with doing something actually bad. they weren’t fair. they just made it up as they went along.

i wanted to do what i wanted to do and really i felt no attachment to their judgment on it--at least this side of me didnt. and it goes back just as far, maybe farther, than the feeling of superiority or desire for approval. i think that came more as i became afraid of punishment.

i have very young memories of defying my parents authority. i just wanted to get away with it. and i almost always did.

it’s funny because my entire family has always judged me for that but now i look back with some admiration. i mean i was obsessing with how to get away with things in my youngest memories, like age 3. all throughout my childhood i broke the rules to do what i wanted.

when i was thinking earlier, what came to me was that i always acted to get approval so that i could get away with things and do what i really wanted to do. my main occupation as a child was reading. i was approved of for it. i read so much! i was such a smart little girl! and i could get away with spending all my time away from people in another world, the world of my books. i was quiet and out of the way so i was a good child. and that was one of the main sources of happiness in my childhood, reading, escaping, learning, being somewhere else.

i waged a warfare against authority quietly. i learned to give them what they want and then do whatever i wanted when they looked away. i did it all the time. the side of me that wanted approval and the one that wanted freedom were somewhat dissociated so i didnt even fully realize i was doing it.

i think what caused a lot of the change was falling from grace. in my own eyes, in my projected, perceived vision of God, and in the eyes of adults. it happened around age 10 and 11. i went from a very high to very low opinion of myself quickly. i think some of it was having a teacher who simply did not and would not like me, who wanted me to be smaller. she didnt like that i was disorganized and said i had terrible handwriting. she wasnt cruel but she wanted to destroy me for my own good. she constantly put me down and made me a subject of ridicule in class.

i was also thinking more about Christian morality. the more i learned about God and heard about sin the more i felt i was a sinner. i felt bare and stripped naked, disgusting before God.

i had humbling experience after humbling experience--internally as i reflected on my behavior and externally though rejection by peers, failure in school, and adult disapproval. it wasnt possible for me to feel approved of, perfect anymore. i could only be bad.

i kept going further and further with this until i was reborn and rejected all of it. i stopped being Christian and rejected God’s authority. Christianity was the only worldview i had ever been allowed to imagine. once i stopped believing in it i was separate from every person around me. i could not, as a human being, have anyone’s approval.

i wasnt the golden child at school or at home any more. i started getting in trouble in ways i never would have before because i was more defiant openly. a teacher took my kindle from me in 8th grade and i was punished for stealing it back. i had used to never talk back to my parents but i started to. i was angry. the dynamics in my family shifted and sometimes i was the scapegoat, sometimes i was the one being screamed at, punished, hit the most. me and my siblings played hot potato for it. golden child shifted around too. but i would never be the favorite again. by the time my parents went back to fawning on me, when i was a successful college student, i had no taste for it.

starting around age 13. i had to become my own internal source of approval, authority, and being. i started to parent myself. i developed an internal parent who nurtured me and i sought out a lot of media about good and loving parents. i cried alone all the time but when i was calming down, i would stroke my own hair and talk to myself. i thought for myself and made up my mind about things. i had my own internal sense of morality that wasnt based on punishment and rewards. that made me a better person. before i had broken any rule with no guilt. i did not consider right and wrong of the action, only likelihood of punishment or reward. when i was giving myself approval, /i/ had to approve of my actions.

idk ive just rambled a lot but i guess ive been thinking tonight about how ive reacted to environments and how ive changed myself as a person. i have these moments, shorter periods in my life, where something totally shifts in me. but that doesnt make long term effects just go away. i still worry about approval and punishment. i still punish and reward myself. these things are ground into me. inferiority/superiority too. but i saw through them and i have changed.

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ahlis-xiv · 7 years ago

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The Headcanon Master Post: Ahlis Ildilayan (ARR + HW)

Alright everybody! This has been put off for far too long, but that’s what happens when you wrap up the MSQ twice in two months in a mad dash before Stormblood (never again). A few things I want to mention before getting this underway though...

This post will cover many of the personal head canons I have for my main character Ahlis Ildilayan. These will all most likely be for the Warrior of Light (WoL) verse but if there are any discrepancies I’ll note ‘em. If I update this in the future I’ll probably reblog this same post but Stormblood is going to get it’s own post most likely, so I’m looking forward to drafting that in the future!

Now without further ado...let’s get to it!

The Little Things

Ahlis does not favor the cold very much and this takes form in a number of ways. She dislikes the snow and cold rainstorms as well as disapproving of cold confectionery food items like ice cream or iced drinks. What can I say, she’s prone to brain freezes lol.

She loves particular bathing rituals such as using fragrant bath salts and body oils. It’s a luxury she came to know in her years living in Ul’dah and when she can afford to indulge herself she visits the Sapphire Exchange and visits her favorite vendor in the city to browse for the latest scents to arrive.

Her favorite color is purple, the darker the better. Common dyes used in her armor are currant, grape and gloom purple. She also likes red, white, gray and gold.

Ahlis almost always wears her hair long and free with little styling beyond a good comb through every day to look presentable. At night she braids it loosely to prevent tangles which also enhance her hair’s natural wavy look.

Her headband is almost never out of sight. It belonged to her mother and was originally tied to her mother’s spear.

Ahlis knows how to play the harp, having learned it from her mother in her youth.

Habits

Ahlis is first to turn to her books when she is bored, agitated or is in need of a distraction. She spends much of her time reading theory on arcanima and the practice of writing with the special metal dyes used to illustrate geometries.

Her hands are always doing some sort of movement, be it tapping an armrest while sitting or twirling her hair. It’s almost always while she’s thinking or preoccupied with something.

Ahlis always makes sure to smell her tea before taking her first sip. She finds it very therapeutic, especially if the brew is particularly fragrant or soothing. She adds nothing to her tea either; no sugar or milk or cream and certainly no birch syrup!, preferring it to taste it as-is.

She prefers her baths to be very hot, an experience she finally managed to indulge in fairly regularly when living in Ul’dah. Cold bathing to her is terrible.

Ahlis is still prone to episodes of hoarding personal possessions, a past behavior she developed due to her years as a refugee. Clutter is something she struggles with to this day.

Money management is another issue she has to contend with due to never having to handle it very much as a youth. She’s gotten better over the years and knows how to make a budget and how to save, so...improvement!

Character Background & History

Ahlis’s family originally hailed from the city of Ala Mhigo of Gyr Abania. She was a young child of 6 to 7 years old when both her and her mother escaped the city during the Garlean invasion twenty years ago. Her father, who remained behind, perished with many other Ala Mhigans in the aftermath.

In the years following Ala Mhigo’s fall Ahlis traveled all across Eorzea in the search of succor and safety from those who sympathized with the Ala Mhigans plight. They were not very lucky and were often on the move for weeks or months at a time; from Gridania to Coerthas they traveled with other refugees like themselves. Ahlis’s mother, who still retained her pride despite their hardships, did not beg for handouts or steal like some of the other refugees. Instead, she used her skills as a songstress & musician to stir the sensibilities and appreciation from any passerby when they stayed in towns and hamlets on their travels. This is how Ahlis learned of her nation’s history, culture and stories, as well as her skill with the harp.

Ahlis’s mother died five or so years after the fall of Ala Mhigo when they were attempting to settle in the region of Central Coerthas with other refugees. Much of the details concerning her death are conjecture: the only remnants of where her mother had gone involved a broken spear, for which she used to hunt with, and blood. Ahlis had reached out for aid from the local Ishgardian knights but they refused, deeming the task too menial and unworthy of their efforts. Needless to say this fostered a deep grudge for many years following her mother’s death.

In the interim from losing her mother to the very long journey south to Ul’dah, Ahlis had to rely on her fellow countrymen for survival as she traveled in a small caravan-of-sorts for better opportunities beyond the Coerthan highlands. It wasn’t a very pleasant time in her life, as some of the men were prone to doing whatever they saw fit to putting food in their bellies as well as departing from their group to take up banditry. The experience inevitably soured some of her opinions regarding other refugees.

Upon reaching Ul’dah Ahlis almost immediately got into trouble with some local thugs and caught the attention of the local authorities. Fortunately for her however one member of the Brass Blades, a roegadyn woman by the name of Precious Spinel, recognized her family name due to a friendship she held with her father during his youth as a traveling swordsman. This family friend was a literal godssend: by helping Ahlis get on her feet in Ul’dah it prevented her from falling into poverty that many outsiders, especially refugees, ended up in.

Ahlis became fully literate in her years staying in Ul’dah, as well as acquiring her first real employment as a guard & informant between the Brass Blades and Immortal Flames. When she wasn’t working she was practicing her writing, numbers and reading with encouragement from hired tutors, all of which was funded by Precious. She also expanded her repertoire with swordplay while working in the Brass Blades and from lessons taught by Precious. Her exposure to thaumaturgy also began here (this will be expanded upon later).

The events leading up to the Battle of Carteneau Flats and the actual battle itself are memories that Ahlis either does not remember clearly, or she doubts their veracity as to what, or how much, she truly accomplished. All that she knows for certainty is that her aether was inadvertently affecting in some manner, and that her abilities with the Echo were enhanced/manifested in its aftermath.

In the time following the Calamity and as she healed Ahlis found herself bewildered and bereft on what to do; her aether had become more unstable and volatile which made for uneasy spell casting as well as a heightened sensory perception of aether as a whole. Her memories were messy as well, the Echo adding further confusion as to what, or whose, visions she was recalling

Roughly a year as being on the mend and faced with her own abilities, Ahlis decided to leave Ul’dah to go on a sort of sabbatical/personal journey on her own. Eventually her path took her to Limsa Lominsa, her mind and management of her aether (as well as the emotional turmoil it had dealt) in a deteriorating state. As a last ditch effort she went to the Arcanist’s Guild for aid, which they were able to help provide.

Studying and understanding arcanima, as well as learning how to discipline oneself and to effectively manage her unstable aether, allowed for Ahlis to center herself and find a new purpose as a teacher and researcher of the guild once she proved herself capable and felt comfortable enough to do so.

Personal player note: Ahlis never speaks about this to anybody, as it is a source of personal contention and confusion for her. This was also the event that triggered new abilities in the Echo to further manifest and grow in intensity. Being scouted and recruited into the Scions was risky in her eyes but worth seeking more answers concerning the Echo.

Class/Job & The Mantle of the Black

Ahlis did not receive any sort of formal schooling or tutelage until she was a young teenager of about 12 to 13 years of age. She spent her early years in Ul’dah playing a vigorous game of “catch-up” to become more literate as well as learning mathematics. Ahlis spent much of her time learning, encouraged by her friend who assisted her studies as well as by her tutors who saw in her a capability to become a scholar.

Curiosity eventually led Ahlis to the thaumaturgist guild within the Arrzaneth Ossuary in Ul’dah as their collection of various texts covered numerous topics of study, many of which she had never touched upon. Aether manipulation in combat was something Ahlis took a keen interest in and spent much of her time listening to the guildmaster Cocobuki and his brother on the subjects of battle strategy.

Player’s note: Ahlis does not consider herself a devout follower of Nald’thal or to the Order. While she may feel partial guilt due to feeling deceptive towards the Ossuary’s keepers she is also unapologetic to acquiring the knowledge and resources in doing so.

The soul crystal Ahlis has in her possession is one she ended up taking when a rogue black mage of the amal’jaa assaulted her in southern Thanalan on what was supposed to be a routine exploration of some of the ruins near the Sunken Temple of Qarn. Finding the magics they had used to be unlike any seen before, she examined the amal’jaa’s corpse and found the soul crystal.

This soul stone is unique in that upon its surface there are inscriptions using symbols and characters which are undecipherable to Ahlis, having no understanding of the script. Over time, as she had slowly learned to read the old inscriptions, she learned each black magic spell.

Although this discovery has afforded Ahlis new, and quite powerful spells, it has also deeply affected her understanding of magic as a whole. Feeling responsible for taking the soul crystal for herself and learning of its secrets has become a burden that she knows she must protect and guard lest she allow it to fall into dangerous hands.

Personal player note: I do not foresee myself RPing as a black mage in game, however on Tumblr or in other places such as Discord it’s certainly possible depending on the plot. For all other intents and purposes Ahlis is an arcanist and researcher of Limsa Lominsa where her focus of study is aether manipulation in defensive and offensive battle tactics.

Another personal player note: red mage is certainly a strong possibility in the future for Ahlis but that will be added under the Stormblood head canons in the future!

Places

Gridania: Ahlis loves the Black Shroud and finds its beauty to be very soothing despite the hardship she found as a refugee. Finding aid from the peoples in the Shroud and from Gridania was nonexistent as the forest was the first stopping point in her journey from Ala Mhigo with her mother, so they did not remain there very long. Years later however, if Ahlis has an opportunity to see the Shroud, she accepts it.

Ul’dah: Ul’dah was her home for the better part of a decade and was the city where she began to come into her own. Ahlis was finally able to become more educated and her knack for learning blossomed under the various tutelage the city had to offer, namely from the thaurmaturgist’s guild. Her tenure with the Brass Blades however exposed her to the everyday struggle and disenfranchisement of the poor, many of whom her fellow refugees.

Limsa Lominsa: Ahlis fell in love with this city almost from the get-go. Being near the sea again enlivened her spirits greatly, and the atmosphere and bustling energy of the people certainly played a part as well. While not entirely a fan of piracy and the typical ne’er-do-wells that frequent everywhere from the piers to the Drowning Wench, Ahlis finds something infectious about Limsa. Maybe it’s all the fresh air and delicious fish soup she can eat...

Mor Dhona & the Rising Stones: Ahlis does not care very much for the area of Mor Dhona, considering how contorted it had become due to the Calamity (although she is sure the region has very interesting aether readings and fluctuation, as well as being a great area to practice channelling aether for spellwork), but Revenant’s Toll is a good place to call home away from practically everything else. For the short time she was there prior to fleeing towards Ishgard Ahlis took up a room at the Rising Stones and oftentimes retreated there when she could to sleep or to read.

Sharlayan: The curiosity Ahlis holds for this place is unending. She strongly wishes she had been able to see such a city before it fell into ruin and disrepair, and certainly before the goblins took over! She hopes, once all her other adventures and obligations are finally finished, she can go back to the great library within and do some sleuthing of her own.

The Coerthas Highlands & Ishgard: a frozen, hellish wasteland in her eyes. Very bleak and uninviting; the only glimmer of anything worthwhile are the allies she has there and that’s about it (e.g. Camp Dragonhead). Ahlis did see the highlands before the ice and snow covered everything all year round and found the climate much more agreeable then...the locals however, not too much. As for the city itself she finds the aesthetic of cold stone and towering holy edifices to their faith unappealing and self-serving. There is a small recognition on her part on the sheer architectural magnitude of the city that is impressive, though.

The Scions of the Seventh Dawn

Ahlis was recruited in Limsa Lominsa by Y’shtola for the Scions’ cause. It was also around this time that her connection with her abilities with the Echo intensified, making itself known for the first time in her life. It was an unpleasant, but fascinating, time for her.

Minfilia: Ahlis found herself impressed with Minfilia almost from the get-go with her ambition for the Scions and their mission. Although there wasn’t enough time for Ahlis to develop a deep enough friendship with the woman their connection via the Echo was there to foster a level of camaraderie and as kindred spirits. What she misses most of her is her levelheadedness and confidence.

Thancred: Thancred did not impress Ahlis whatsoever once she learned of his ‘ways’ with women. To her he was certainly playing with too much fire and no amount of poetry would sway her otherwise. It wasn’t until after the events in Ul’dah when he went missing and after they crossed paths again did Ahlis reconsider her feelings and she now finds him a reliable ally.

Y’shtola: The amount of knowledge Y’shtola possesses on conjury, as well as with other topics such as the primals and aetheric behavior, makes Ahlis nigh enviable of her. Upon learning of her old mentor Master Matoya it only got even worse. Ahlis wishes greatly she had such opportunities as Y’shtola did when it came to exploring magic and aether manipulation, but it doesn’t get in the way of their working relationship, In fact, Ahlis has considered approaching her for instructions or, at the very least, assistance with such research.

Yda & Papalymo: A dynamic duo if there ever was one, Ahlis was never truly close to either of them, and it wasn’t until Yda’s great reveal after the former’s death that she took a stronger interest in her. Their relationship is sure to deepen once the liberation of Ala Mhigo and Gyr Abania begins in full force.

Urianger: An aloof and strange man, Ahlis never approached Urianger much and left him to his work. He’s a great resource of information and reliable in his assistance...however after the incident with the Warriors of Darkness she is certain she won’t develop anything deeper than a working correspondence.

Tataru: A very helpful lalafell! Ahlis appreciates all the administrative work Tataru goes through for the sake of the Scions. Her strength of heart during their time in Ishgard left a strong impression on Ahlis as well, further cementing her positive opinion for her. Her taste in fashion sense leaves a lot to be desired though, as Ahlis cannot bring herself to wear the outfit she crafted by hand despite the detail and effort that went into it. Alas!

Alphinaud: Ah, everyone’s punk little brother. Ahlis would be lying if she didn’t find the boy insufferable early on, but in that annoying little sibling sort of way...which inevitably led to her feelings of endearment (Ahlis never had any siblings of course). Alphinaud was a staunch comrade during their time in Ishgard and, like Tataru, deepened her respect for him and his ability to persevere. His growing maturity is something Ahlis is proud of.

Alisaie: Ahlis wishes she had gotten to know Alphinaud’s sister much earlier! She has a fighting spirit and a no-nonsense attitude, things that Ahlis can certainly appreciate. If Alisaie was a bit older the two of them would probably be great friends. Ahlis looks forward to future endeavors with her.

NPCs

Admiral Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn: Ahlis admires the Merlwyb despite her notorious history as a pirate. Her demeanor and staunch position on how to lead the nation of Limsa Lominsa has left quite the impression on Ahlis...however after the events at the banquet in Ul’dah she was unable to stop feelings of bitterness as she watched the Admiral walk away with the other Alliance leader Kan-E-Senna without any offered support.

General Raubahn Aldynn: A fellow Ala Mhigan, Ahlis relates to the Flame General in a number of ways. Like him she managed to make a life for herself that didn’t involve the fall of Ala Mhigo hanging over her head...or so she likes to believe. She also spent years working with the Brass Blades and knew a number of others in the grand company as well; she understands life in Ul’dah is not easy whatsoever and she does not find his position as general enviable.

Elder Seedseer Kan-E-Senna: A respected Alliance leader, Ahlis knows little of the Padjal leader of Gridania aside from observing first-hand her gentle eloquence and wisdom. The same bitterness following the banquet was felt towards the Elder Seedseer but to a much lesser extent compared to that of the Admiral.

Ilberd Feare: Ahlis’s disgust towards this man knows no bounds. He is, and was, an affront to all Ala Mhigans everywhere and his actions are righteously despised. Ahlis still feels a bit of a fool for falling for his ruse in with the entire debacle with the Crystal Braves (although perhaps not as much as Alphinaud surely did).

Haurchefant Greystone: An unexpected friend and ally. Ahlis did not think she would find any companions during her ventures back into central Coerthas but Haurchefant was a welcomed exception. He (almost!) single-handedly encouraged Ahlis to reconsider her past discretions against Ishgardians and Coerthas, so positive was his influence upon her. When he was killed by Ser Zephirin during their mission into the Vault to stop the archbishop Ahlis swore vengeance and would not stop until his murderer was brought to justice.

Personal player note: it’s a damn crime we didn’t get a faceoff with Ser Zephirin in 3.0. It’s all I wanted!

Count Edmont, Ser Artoirel & Emmanellain: House Fortemps is an interesting household to say the least. She still feels slightly indebted to them for their willingness to have herself as well as Alphinaud and Tataru as wards, however their days in Ishgard have fostered a sense of kindred between them...something that was just as unexpected and surprising as her friendship with Haurchefant.

Estinien Wyrmblood: Ahlis would be lying to herself if she didn’t feel some level of intimidation upon seeing the Azure Dragoon for the first time. And while she did not expect to have him come along during her journey with Alphinaud to speak with the heretics in hopes of delaying the assault on Ishgard, she certainly didn’t expect to end up admiring the warrior despite his cold and sometimes callous behavior.

Personal player note: Ruthlessness is a helluva drug!

Ysayle/Lady Iceheart: Every since they saw each other face-to-face, Ahlis knew ‘Lady Iceheart’ was not like any other foe she had faced before. To battle against another person with the Echo somehow felt wrong; she also has her to thank in planting the seeds in seeing many truths concerning the Dragonsong War. Ahlis knows their time together was very short, but she finds herself thinking about Ysayle from time to time, wondering if more could have been done before her untimely demise.

Personal player note: Ysayle deserved better.

Aymeric de Borel: The first impressions Ahlis felt upon meeting Ser Aymeric were not favorable. At the time the sour bitterness from the events in Ul’dah--losing the majority of the Scions, discarded by the Eorzean Alliance leaders, and fleeing death on top of it all--were still quite sharp and Aymeric was just another authority figure of a city-state she cared nothing for. Ahlis followed suit with Alphinaud in all their diplomatic proceedings, trusting in him to do what was best politically for the Scions in their time in Ishgard despite her internal reluctance. There was no real desire to become anything more than acquaintances with the lord commander during the Scions’ stay in Ishgard, although she ultimately came to respect him as both a leader and as a warrior during the events following the fall of the archbishop & the Heavens’ Ward knights.

Personal player note: I could literally write a whole post about how I feel and how Ahlis feels about Ser Aymeric because I love the character a ton. But for the sake of brevity I’m keeping it as short as I can here. TL;DR if there ever was a slow burn for a friendship this is it.

Whew! I think that is everything, or close to it for the time being for head canons that include Heavensward. Thanks for reading and hopefully that gives a little more insight for my WoL character Ahlis!

Time for STORMBLOOD!

#; chosen of hydaelyn #; headcanons #long post #ahlis ildilayan #; final fantasy xiv #well this took forever #for those who do read this...you're all gems #and for those who don't no big!#you can probably discover this stuff through rp or asking lol #i thought about adding more npcs but then this would never get done orz #i should make the stormblood head canons entry -now-

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creacherkeeper · 8 years ago

Note

I have an idea for a fic and I think you could do it better justice than I could, so here goes: Fitz realizes he's autistic after his child is diagnosed autistic. Partly inspired by your post thinking up an autistic fitz childhood fic and my own fitz as a dad feels after writing my little ficlet. Of course, if you don't want to write it, that's perfectly fine.

Processing Systems

sorry this took a while to write! femslash feb happened so you know how that is. but here it is! in all its very educational glory! (with some fluff, it’s not all boring)

3210 words

read on AO3

“Dr. and Dr. Fitz-Simmons, thank you for joining us,” the diagnostician,Dr. Booth, says, a professional smile on her face. Fitz and Jemma take a seatacross from her at her desk, while Caroline, as calm as the four-year-old canmanage, bounds into the diagnostician’s window seat and presses her faceagainst the glass, watching the cars go by outside, her hands twisting togetherin her lap.

“Thank you for seeing us on such short notice,” Jemma says.“Our schedules can be a bit … hectic, as you know, but you’ve been very accommodatingwith your time.”

“Of course.” Dr. Booth readjusts her glasses, peering at apile of papers on her desk. “Now, you said you were advised to come here byyour daughter’s school, correct? This wasn’t an unprompted decision.”

“She’s our first,” Fitz explains, glancing over to Caroline,who hasn’t moved, is just staring wide-eyed out the window. “And neither of ushave a lot of experience with kids. We didn’t think there was anything …different, about her.” He scratches at his face, then looks down at his lap,adding somewhat defensively, “We didn’t think there was anything to beconcerned about.”

“No one said anything about concern,” says Dr. Booth. “Youdon’t have to see this in a negative light. But if there is something to know,it’s good to know when your child is still young. There are steps you can taketo make sure your child is accommodated for, both at home and at school.”

“So there is something to know,” Jemma says, half aquestion.

“Before we get into the results, I just want the both of youto know the kind of strides that the field of psychology has taken in the lastdecade or so. We’re understanding different conditions more and more each year,diagnosis is becoming more accurate, treatment plans and accommodations aremore highly developed. There’s more to help families now than there ever hasbeen.”

“What are the results?” Fitz asks gruffly.

“Well,” Dr. Booth looks at her paper, a light smile on herface. “According to the tests we had Caroline do, as well as observation, and interviewswith the both of you, I’ve determined that Caroline does qualify for adiagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.”

Jemma lets out a breath, looks towards Caroline, who doesn’tseem to be paying attention, and then towards Fitz, who’s eyebrows are drawntogether.

“There’s nothing wrong with my kid,” he bites out.

“I never said there was,” Dr. Booth assures him.

“You just said she has a disorder,” Fitz argues, facepinched in upset.

“Well, yes, that’s the official title. But not everyone seesit that way. Autism is classified as a disorder, but according to some schoolsof thought, it’s just one of the many kinds of neurodivergencies.”

“I guess—” Jemma starts, grabbing Fitz’s hand to rub herthumb along the side of his thumb, “we just don’t know much about it, is all. Imean, you hear things, but we aren’t really educated in the area. It’s inneither of our areas of expertise.”

“I can answer any questions you have, but let me explain alittle of the basics. Autism, or ASD, is classified as a developmentaldisability. It means that those with it—autistic people—hit developmentalcheckpoints at a different rate and sometimes in a different order than thegeneral population. It impacts aspects of communication such as spoken languageand body language, social skills, and will impact how autistic people processtheir environment and the world around them.”

“So it’s like …” Jemma risks a glance at Fitz, who’s notlooking at either of them. “It’s like having a different processing system inher brain.”

“Exactly,” Dr. Booth says. “Some autistic people compare itto being an Android phone in a world of iPhones. There’s nothing inherentlylesser about either system, they’re just different. They have different coding,run different apps, have different strengths and weaknesses. There are inherentchallenges in living in a world that wasn’t built for you, which is why it’s adisability, but every autistic person will have different ways of coping with andadapting to that. Some people can adapt in such a way that you wouldn’t be ableto tell the difference, and some people don’t.”

“So … you’re saying when she grows up, she might be—” Jemmawinces, thinking. “’Normal’, for lack of a better word.”

“No,” Dr. Booth says. “She’ll always be autistic, it’s notsomething you grow out of. Some people are just better at blending in. Forexample, most people wouldn’t guess I was autistic just from talking to me, butI am. And to be honest with you, I think it makes me even better at this jobthan most people are.”

“Because you can relate?” Jemma asks.

“That’s one reason. Autistic people are also highly attunedto the details of things, which is necessary when you’re a diagnostician. We’revery good at picking out patterns. There are certain advantages to having anautistic brain. Different strengths and weaknesses, like I said.”

Jemma squeezes Fitz’s hand, watching the side of his face.She can see he’s still obviously upset about something. “Doesn’t sound soscary,” Jemma says, trying to comfort them both.

“You know—” Fitz cuts himself off, glancing at the ceiling,then to Dr. Booth, then back up. “You know, where- where are you even gettingthis? She just- She seems like a normal kid. You- You say she’s different, butwhere are you getting that? How come you say my kid is so different? That she-she’s got different processing, or something.”

Dr. Booth watches him steadily, and finally he looks at her,then looks away. “You know, no one is saying this is a bad thing, Dr.Fitz-Simmons. There’s no need to be defensive about it. Having terms like thisto describe your child’s experiences can be a very helpful thing, in the longrun.”

“I think we would just be more comfortable if we understoodexactly where the diagnosis came from,” Jemma says, squeezing Fitz’s handagain.

“Of course,” Dr. Booth says, “I can explain how I came tothis conclusion. Well, I mentioned that autistic people process the worlddifferently. These differences in perception can affect our senses—manifestingin what we call sensory defensiveness and sensory seeking behaviors, of whichCaroline shows both.”

“Can you explain what that means?” Jemma asks, when Fitzdoesn’t say anything.

“We’ll start with sensory defensiveness. It means avoidanceof unpleasant sensory experiences, showing a level of sensitivity outside ofthe normal range. Caroline, for example, didn’t like when I turned the mainlight on in the testing room because it hurt her eyes, so we turned on a dimmerlamp instead. You both said that she startles easily and will cover her ears atloud noises, refuses to eat foods if she doesn’t like the texture, and is onlycomfortable in mild weather.”

“All that she gets from her dad, really,” Jemma says,smiling at him. “He’s always been sensitive to that kind of stuff.”

“Hey.”

“What? You have. You hate the cold, the heat, loud noises,certain foods—”

“Everyone has preferences,” Fitz defends. “Don’t seeanything wrong with that.”

“Let’s move on to the sensory seeking behaviors. Shedisplays what we call ‘stimming’—it’s short for self-stimulation. Autisticpeople do it to help themselves process their environment, both external andinternal. Stimming behaviors that Caroline displayed included hand flapping,hand twirling, bouncing, chewing on her lips and fingers—”

“Well, she gets that from me, too,” Fitz cuts her off. “I’vealways felt better when I’m in motion. She’s just twitchy, like me.”

“Okay,” Dr. Booth says, leveling him with a careful smile.“Her language skills are also a point of interest. She shows the capacity for avery advanced vocabulary, but rarely spoke when prompted. When she did, it wasjust to tell me about her favorite fish.”

“Oh yes,” Jemma says, beaming. “She does love fish. Allaquatic life, actually. She knows so much about it. It’s all she talks about,really.”

“And she showed an understanding of words far beyond her agelevel when she did, but for the most part she was silent. She obviouslyunderstood all my instructions, but didn’t respond to them.”

“I mean, she’s already above where I was,” Fitz says. “Ididn’t even speak ‘till I was six. But when I did, it was all about monkeys.She loves animals, just like me. She’s just focused.”

“We would call something like that a ‘special interest’,”Dr. Booth informs them. “It’s common for autistic people to want to focus on theirinterests when they’re by themselves, as well as a way of interacting withothers.”

“Was that all?” Jemma asks.

“Well, she also displayed what we refer to as ‘asymmetricalmotor skills’. Her fine motor skills, small movements, like her handwriting, werereally quite good. At or above the normal range. But gross motor skills, thingslike walking, controlling broad movement of her limbs when we played games,were much poorer.”

“Clumsiness runs in the family,” Fitz says. “I’m kind of aklutz. Good with my hands, though.”

“You know,” Dr. Booth starts cautiously, lacing her fingerson the table, turning to Fitz. “You seem to relate to an awful lot of thetraits your daughter displays, Dr. Fitz-Simmons.”

“W-Well—” Fitz scratches the back of his head, glancing atJemma. “I mean, she’s my kid. There’s going to be similarities.”

“Have you ever considered getting evaluated?”

Fitz just stares, Jemma glancing between them.

“What would that entail?” she asks.

“A similar process to what your daughter went through. A fewtests, an interview, some paperwork. It takes a few hours, when all is said anddone, over a day or two.”

“Sh-Should I?” Fitz asks, aimed at Jemma, mouth bobbing intoan open gape.

Jemma watches him carefully, then turns back to Dr. Booth.“What are the benefits?”

“Well, for adults especially, having an official word foryour experiences can be very relieving. It helps you to make sense of somethings that may have been in the dark in your life before. It can also help youfeel connected to other people like yourself—the autistic community is growingand thriving nowadays, and you can always reach out to other people who havesimilar experiences. And it opens avenues for accommodations in the workplaceas well, should you need them.”

She turns back to Fitz, giving a little shrug. “Is thatsomething you’re interested in?”

He looks away. “Maybe.”

“Well, I only evaluate children, but I can refer you to somevery good diagnosticians who evaluate adults as well. You don’t have to take meup on it if you don’t want to, but from my personal experience, I think it’ssomething worth looking in to.”

Fitz picks at the fabric of his pants. “Yeah, alright.I-I’ll think about it.”

“Our time is about up here, but before you go let me giveyou this—” She hands over a stapled stack of papers. “It’s Caroline’s officialdiagnosis results. You’ll find a full explanation of the results of each test,as well as her scores on the IQ portion of the test. That’s another thing tonote—her test scores vary highly over the different tests. Most people havemore concentrated scores, whereas Caroline scored within a range of 30thpercentile to the 99th. Also included in there is the next steps youcan follow: places to do more research, as well as the possible benefits ofthings like occupational therapy.”

“If we have any questions—” Jemma starts.

“Feel free to email me, and I’ll get back to you as soon asI can.”

Fitz takes the papers as he stands, bending and curling themwithin his grasp.

Jemma shakes Dr. Booth’s hand. “Thank you for your time, Dr.Booth, this has been very helpful.”

“I’m happy to do it. And can I just say, even though she wasa little scared when we started out, it’s obvious that Caroline is a very happykid. I think the two of you have done an excellent job of raising her so far,even without these resources.”

“Thank you,” Jemma says, “that means a lot.” She turns toCaroline, who’s still pressed against the window, looking like she hasn’t beenpaying attention at all. “Caroline, darling, we’re going now.”

Caroline jumps down from the seat, bounding up to Jemma inbouncing steps. She reaches up, and Jemma picks her up with a grunt and settlesher on her hip.

“Can fish be autistic?” Caroline asks, eyes wide, lookingaround the room.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were listening.” She glances atDr. Booth, smiling. “No, I don’t think they can be. I think it’s special tohumans.”

“Humans are fish,” Caroline says. “Everything’s fish.”

“Well, I don’t think that fish that live in the ocean can beautistic. Just people-fish.”

“What about dolphins? They’re mammals.”

“No,” Jemma laughs. “But they might have their own version.”

Caroline gives a noncommittalhum, then starts playing with Jemma’s hair.

Dr. Booth smiles at them. “Sosmart, that one. I think she takes after her parents.”

“Thank you again,” Jemma says,and then the three of them make their way out of the room.

As they’re walking out to thecar, Jemma watches Fitz, who hasn’t said anything.

“You’ll think about it?” sheasks.

“Yeah,” he replies. “I’ll thinkabout it.”

A month later, Jemma is sittingin their living room looking over some files, as Caroline lays on the floorlooking at a marine biology textbook. She doesn’t know how to read most of thewords (though she recognizes the shape of most of the species names), but shelikes looking at the pictures and diagrams.

The front door opens and closes,and Jemma looks up nervously.

“Fitz?” she calls.

“Just me,” is the response.

Her body relaxes, and she goes backto looking at the file as he takes off his shoes and hangs up his coat, thoughshe’s not really reading it. After a minute he joins them in the living room,plopping heavily onto the couch. There’s a set of papers clutched in one of hishands.

He’s quiet, and Jemma tries towait for him to speak, but after only a few seconds she can’t help herself.

“Well?” she asks. “What’d theysay?”

He uncurls the papers, and handsthem over. Jemma takes them, reading quickly.

Diagnosis: Autism SpectrumDisorder

She reads it again, then scanslower down on the page. There’s a lot about test results, results of theinterview, a lot of numbers that Jemma hasn’t started to unpack yet. But, thereit is. Plain as day.

“So,” she says.

“Yeah.”

“How are you feeling about it?”

He scoots down on the couch,tilting his head to rest against the back. He blows out a breath, fingerstwisting together on his stomach. “Relieved, I think.”

“Well … that’s good, isn’t it?This is a good thing.”

“It- It explains a lot of things.Things I’ve been confused about. Things that I didn’t necessarily have wordsfor, before. I just … I wish I’d known sooner.”

“Do you think it would’vehelped?”

“Yeah,” he admits softly. “I-SHIELD knew. I called Coulson and asked, it’s been on my file since theAcademy.”

Jemma’s brows furrow. “They knewand never told you?”

He shakes his head, eyes on theceiling. “Wasn’t in the policy to tell, I guess. And Coulson just assumed Iknew already.”

“Well, in any case,” Jemma says, “youknow now, and that’s what’s important. And, can I just say, I’m really proud ofyou for doing this. I know it was scary, but you went through with it anyway,and I think that was really brave. And I think this is going to be a goodthing, getting to learn more about yourself.”

“Yeah.” Fitz finally turns tolook at her. “Yeah, I think this is going to be a good thing, too.”

“And,” Jemma adds, “it’s justanother way that you can relate to our daughter.”

“That’s true,” Fitz says,smiling, and then scoots off the couch to settle on the floor in front ofCaroline. “Did you hear, monkey? Daddy’s autistic, too. We have the same kindof brain.”

“Shovelhead sharks clonethemselves,” Caroline replies, still looking at her book. “So they’d have thesame kind of brain, too.”

“That’s true.” Fitz nods. “Theywould. I didn’t clone myself, though. You can tell because you’re much cuterthan me.”

“She does have the curls,” Jemma points out.

“That she does.” He grins. “Oneof the many wonderful things she gets from me.”

“She gets some things from me,” Jemma quips, as he moves to sit back on thecouch next to her, grabbing up her hand. “Like her love of biology.”

“Ah- Love of animals,” Fitz shootsback, a teasing grin on his face. “Still from me.”

“I like animals.”

“You like dissecting them, Jem,that’s different.”

“Fine. What about her love oftidiness? That definitely comes from me.”

“Well … I do keep my lab verytidy. But she also keeps her room clean, which I do not, so sure, I’ll give youthat one.”

Jemma beams. “Hah. I knew therewas something.”

Fitz smiles, but eventually itdrops. “Do you … Do you think this is gonna change anything?”

Jemma tilts her head, peering athim. “Like what?”

“Dunno,” Fitz mumbles.

“I don’t think it’ll changeanything unless you want them to change.”

“If I do … d’you think that’sbad?”

“No,” Jemma assures him. “How youthink of yourself is going through a change, I don’t think it’s bad if you wantother things to change along with it. If anything, it might change how open youare with certain things about yourself. And how you think those things deserveto be treated.”

“Caroline … She’ll have names forall these things. She’ll understand it. Understand herself, better than I did.”

“Yes, she will.”

“And- And I’m glad we know, now.So we can give her the best life she can have.”

Jemma raises their conjoinedhands to press a kiss to the back of his. “You’re already a great dad, Fitz. You’realready giving her an amazing life. But yes, this will make things easier, nowthat we know.”

Fitz ducks his head, smiling, andthen turns to Caroline. “Hey, monkey, do you want to watch Finding Nemo? Youcan tell us all the species names when they come on screen.”

Caroline immediately jumps up,her hands flapping at her sides. “Yes, yes, yes!”

Fitz gets up to put in the DVD,and on his way back scoops Caroline off the floor and plops her onto his lap ashe settles back onto the couch. She presses back against him, picking up hishand so she can play with his fingers as she watches. Jemma leans against hisside, resting one hand on his leg.

“Amphiprion ocellaris,”Caroline says as the movie starts.

Fitz presses a kiss againsther hair. “Good job, monkey. Good job.”

#aosficnet #buskidsnet #lmao this is .... educational like i said #i hope it's not too boring #just wanted to really be able to explain some key things so that fitz has a base to go off of #also!! the kid is named after caroline herschel btw #because you know they would #and her special interest is ocean life because i'm mean and like irony :) :)#anyway enjoy!#leo fitz #jemma simmons #aos #fitzsimmons #unlessimwrongwhichyouknowimnot

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