122 [Bonus Episode] Softening and bracing: autism, loneliness and how we can find connection

The Squarepeg Podcast

I am thrilled to bring you this conversation with somatic therapist Aisha Edwards, in which we talk about autism and loneliness. This continues a short series of revisits, where I reconnect with some of my guests from previous episodes.

I first met Aisha two years ago, in 2022, when we recorded the bonus episode at the end of Season 6. Aisha is a somatic trauma therapist, podcaster and writer from Vancouver, Washington, USA and was diagnosed autistic in 2021. Since we last spoke, she has been focusing largely on her nonprofit, Radical Rest, providing communal healing spaces for BIPOC folk.

Somatic trauma therapy is a body-centred approach to treating post-traumatic stress disorder that, rather than focusing only on thoughts or emotions associated with a traumatic event, expands to include the natural bodily responses.

This is a bit of a different episode, focused on a single topic. After a quick catchup we jump pretty much straight into it. But if you’d like to learn more about Aisha’s story, or refresh your memory, I’ve re-released her original episode with this one - it’s episode 121.

And in this episode we talk about:

• What loneliness means to us, and the sorts of connections autistic people want and need

• What impacts our ability to connect

• How we can improve our connection to others and feel less lonely

Aisha is such a joy to talk to, and I hope you get as much out of this conversation as I did.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/full_flight_wellness/

https://www.instagram.com/radical.rest

The Other Significant Others - the book Aisha mentions https://www.amazon.co.uk/Other-Significant-Others-Reimagining-Friendship/dp/1250280915

If you'd like to connect with me, get in touch or follow Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Website: https://squarepeg.community/

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

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