As someone who has historically been uncomfortable in groups, I didn't even realize how bad it was until I started to recover from pre-identification traumatic stress. Before I knew about autism, I blamed myself for ''being awkward" or "being needy" within groups. Now I see that my discomfort was more serious than mere social hangups. Being in the group context gave me physical and neurobiological pain from overstimulation and overwhelm through sensory, executive function, cognitive, and other differences. I had to start to repair that trauma before I could try to address the social aspects of being in a group. Today, I am still working on understanding what it means to me to be part of a group, and how I can do that safely. What about you? What has your experience with groups been like?

Share questions:

• What is your history with participating in groups? 
• Have you felt more comfortable in some groups than others? Why might that be? Any groups right now that you feel especially comfortable in? Why?
• Are you part of any groups right now that you feel uncomfortable in? How? 
• Have you ever used a "social crutch" to help you participate in groups? (A social crutch makes socializing easier. It could be a friend, a substance, a child, an animal, or other.)
• Have you been able to feel more comfortable in groups after undergoing any periods of healing or certain types of healing? Please describe. 
• Any tools, resources, or strategies that helped you? 
• Anything else to add?