Aspergers is a diagnosis or condition which involves difficulty understanding social signals which usually tell us things like how the other person feels or what they might be thinking. Also, people with Aspergers tend to take things literally and focus on right vs incorrect in discussions and in their own thinking, whereas other people might consider other things too, such as whether the discussion is causing an upset or not. Having a great ability to focus on one thing and exclude everything else is both a blessing and a curse with Aspergers. It means you can carry out difficult, detailed tasks effectively and often accumulate vast amounts of information about stuff you’re interested in. But it also means you don’t have the flexibility to interrupt what you’re doing and attend to other things which might be more important, like what you’re loved one is saying to you.

People with Aspergers can be very sensitive…to light, sounds, noise for example, and also to their own feelings, which are often intense.

Because of the difficulties above, you may often live your life in a state of high anxiety and stress. Without the usual social cues and signals, you may have to rely on your intelligence to know how to conduct a conversation or respond to what another person says. This, of course, gets harder as there are more people around, so groups and parties can be very stressful indeed and you may find you avoid them if you can. Or you may find yourself ‘monologuing’ on a subject that interests you but no-one else. With the best of intentions towards your loved ones, wanting to look after them, you may find they tell you they feel lonely and uncared for at times. Aspergers has a genetic link so you may find members of your family with similar traits.

CBT helps people with Aspergers understand how their thoughts, feelings physical sensations and behaviours work, including advantages and disadvantages. CBT can help you learn more effective communication skills and come to a better understanding of the emotional states of people around you. Through reflection and practice you can learn to manage anxiety effectively and succeed at work and in relationships.

Our book will show you how to help yourself to Get Your Life Back.  It takes you step by step, starting with identifying the problem. Then it helps you understand why you have the problem. You will learn mindfulness skills to begin training your brain. Then get clear about your values: what you really want in your life. Another chapter helps you understand how your problem works for you. Once you’ve done this there is a chapter showing you how to break the links in the chain of your problem behaviour. You can also contact us to work with a therapist skilled in this area by Skype, FaceTime etc., on the phone or face to face.