The 4 Types Of Autistic Masking (Most People Don’t Know #4) | Dr Carly Jones

Do you want to know what autistic masking actually feels like from the inside? Dr Carly Jones MBE is one of the world’s leading autistic advocates. Diagnosed as autistic in adulthood after both of her daughters were diagnosed, she has spent nearly two decades improving the lives of autistic people through policy, education and lived experience. In this episode, Carly explains what masking actually feels like from the inside, why so many autistic people learn to hide who they are from childhood, and the emotional cost of spending years pretending to be someone else. Together, we explore people pleasing, self-abandonment, loneliness, burnout, and the difficult journey of discovering who you really are after decades of masking. Chapters: 00:00 Trailer 01:56 The Mask You Didn't Know You Were Wearing 09:31 Is Your Brain Protecting You Without You Knowing? 11:42 The Childhood Moment You Learn It's Safer Not To Be Yourself 14:50 What Rejection Does To The Autistic Brain 18:23 Mask #1 22:25 The Day You Stopped Showing What You Loved 27:01 Mask #2 30:19 When People Pleasing Stops Being Kindness And Becomes Survival 34:25 The Moment You Start Abandoning Yourself 37:29 Tiimo advert 38:48 Mask #3 41:39 What If You're So Good At Reading People... You Forget Who You Are?43:34 Mask #4 46:43 How People Can Think You're Fine While You're Falling Apart 48:28 The Loneliness Nobody Talks About In Autism 51:07 The Warning Signs Your Mask Is About To Break 57:49 How To Start Taking The Mask Off (Without Losing Yourself) 01:01:19 Why Letting Go Of The Mask Feels So Terrifying 01:08:37 How To Know What's Really You... And What's Just Survival 01:11:47 The Lie Neurodivergent People Blame Themselves For 01:16:27 "I Don't Know Who I Am Anymore." 01:18:50 A Letter To My Younger Self Visit Carly’s website 👉 https://drcarlyjonesmbe.uk Find Carly on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/drcarlyjonesmbe/ Get 30% off an annual Tiimo subscription 👉 https://www.tiimoapp.com/offers/adhdchatter Buy Alex's Sunday Times Best-selling book entitled 'Now It All Makes Sense' 👉 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-All-Makes-Sense-Diagnosis/dp/1399817817 Buy Alex's No.1 Sunday Times Best-selling book about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria 👉 https://linktr.ee/adhdchatter?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=9ffd8709-06df-444c-9936-c136fbd14d6e Producer: Timon Woodward  Recorded by: Hamlin Studios Trailer editor: Ryan Faber DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices