What Is Alexithymia (7 Alexithymia and Autism Tips)

What is Alexithymia and how are alexithymia and autism linked? In this video, we look into the idea of this emotional blindness, explaining what is alexithymia and some tips on how to help someone with alexithymia. With these 7 autism and alexithymia tips, I hope to educate others and bring greater awareness.

Alexithymia describes a person who has difficulty in recognising or naming your own emotions. This comes from the greek to mean "no words for emotions" and it's estimated that 10% of the general population experiences alexithymia traits.

It is also estimated that alexithymia is more common in autistic people due to the difficulty in recognising and understanding emotions. But by being understanding to people who experience alexithymia & trying to get in touch with your emotions is important to help maintain friendships and relationships.

Here are my resources used to help me bring this video and help get alexithymia explained.

Ask an Autistic #27 - What is Alexithymia? by Amythest Schaber:

What is Alexithymia? (describing emotion) by Autism Academy:
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My social media:
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🔊Intro & Outro song: Golden (YouTube Music Library)

🔊Other music: Days Like These - Lakey Inspired
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*ABOUT ME*
Videos on autism from the perspective of an autistic adult. Sharing my autism experiences to help other autistic people and autism families to improve understanding of autism.

Hello indie people, I'm Andy and I have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). I make videos on autism from the perspective of an autistic adult. Sharing my autism experiences to help other autistic people and autism families to improve understanding of autism.

This channel is focused on raising autism awareness & acceptance of autism. To try and change attitudes towards autism, to educate people about autism for those who are new to the autism world.

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So if you are on the spectrum, know someone with autism or are working professionally in the autism field and want to learn more about autistic people then consider subscribing and turning on the notification bell to see all future videos.

#autism #alexithymia #indieandy

[IndieAndy]

What are your Alexithymia? Does anything I mentioned feel true to you?

[onee]

I have alexithymia and I was diagnosed with autism level 1. I also struggle to imagine unless I'm doing it very consciously which feels unnatural... But about my alexithymia, I struggle so much when someone asks me "why" questions. I have to think so long about them it isn't fun. Most of the time my initial response is very basic, almost childish even though it's much more than that in reality. Like "Why do you like this smartphone?" My initial response would be, "I don't know, I guess it's cool." Even though I might like the design, the battery life, the size etc. You see even here I'm just listing features, not answering "why" I like those features. So, often I just can't find the words to express my emotions, especially in the moment. I hate it.

[JadeDRail]

Usually, other people can tell how I'm feeling before I can.

[garcia]

It’s so weird to have alexithymia and being depressed bc I cry but I don’t know why 99% of the time. Or i just feel tired

[Adora]

autistic and alexithymic here. It's also a struggle having difficulty with remembering emotions (emotional memory), also connected to not having a good episodic memory (autism). Too often I feel like my (historical) life isn't mine (especially related to social relations with other humans)

[healthfulaspie]

I’ve discussed this with my occupational therapist following my diagnosis and she said it was possibly something to do with interoception. There’s a point where I sometimes cannot pinpointed a feeling until time passes... although I’m quite an emotional person generally. I find it really hard defining what I’m feeling about situations/incidents etc. I guess for autists this might make self-regulating emotions difficult. Really interesting topic 🙂

[JadeDRail]

My advice for this is, and I shit you not: MEMES. Memes are ways we communicate deeper feelings and thoughts by using understood templates and deeper themes. It can really communicate things that are hard to put into words.

[vikkitee]

I’m not sure if this is what I have, I don’t feel anything emotionally. Not that I can’t describe it or identify it, I just don’t have feelings. Don’t cry when others are sad, I think I should but I just don’t feel anything.

[laviniaobejas]

I am now currently studying Alexithymia for a Documentary. Thank you for sharing your experience. Big help!

[youneedhelp]

I have alexithymia i believe, I usually understand more how I feel when I'm with a friend or a teacher but than when I'm with my therapist and family I start to have trouble understanding how I feel, but than again I can understand anger easily, would this be alexithymia? If so I believe it could be caused by my ptsd. I also have the worst time trying to figure out how I feel when someone asks me "how I feel". Your video was a big help but I still need to learn a little more about it.

[DDD-qmdx]

In my intercultural competence paper in uni, my prof gives us scenarios and situations and asks us what our reaction, what we're feeling, why etc etc. Prof gives us an hours to 2 hr max to discuss with other students & write a report summary abt it. I always struggle

[jordanlee]

Idk if I have alexithymia but I do struggle with expressing how I feel. Every time my therapist asks me how I feel I say I don’t know cause I actually don’t know and they say you do know but you don’t want to say it, but I told them I don’t know how to feel.

[AJponyAPschannel]

Well you can feel two emotions at once (I’ve heard/learn)
You can be nervous excited when starting a new job,
Angry sad when someone you loved is killed, ect.

[AA-rrly]

i feel absolutely nothing all the time. is that still alexithymia?

[johnsonfamily]

I live in California and am going to start a new YouTube channel about Autism. Do you have someone that does your editing? I am going to wear cute Autism shirts. What do you think?

[BlueIris]

Never heard about this, but you made a really clear, good video about it!

[blubtasticc]

Finally something that I think matches me, I thought I just had no personality or I didn’t know who I was it’s just that I can’t recognize my emotions so I always used body sensations like if my friend was crying I would know they were sad but I wouldn’t feel empathy or what they were feeling I would imagine if I was in their position and use the sensation I would get to understand but I never actually could

[tevv]

I came here because of my friend. She has it, and I want to understand and help her. Thanx for the explanation❤

[merissamakesstuff]

It doesn't help to have Autism and PTSD. I think this is common in both.

[lovinganaspie]

Id love to see a video on what love feels like to you and if/how you feel when you love a woman. I'm an NT dating an Aspie who has never said he loves me because he says he doesn't know how that feels and can't measure it- yet he easily says he loves his kids- which really hurts... and he said it to his ex wife... really struggling with this