Oh absolutely. Telling me this isn't rational isn't helpful, I know it's not rational. Thats why I'm in therapy, isn't it? It just seems to boil down to "don't think bad thoughts" which like GOD I wish it was that easy.

The Mute by Radical Face is by far my favorite. If I remember correctly it was written for a relative of the singers, so might not be by someone with autism but it's a beautiful song.

My shelter offered holds on animals if you wanted to sleep on it. It was nearly the cost of the adoption but the cats were only $30 so paying an extra $20 to be able to think about it wasn't exactly a bad deal. I know this post is about dogs, but I say fairly often that cats are free*. It's weird to get one from a breeder when the only difference is the color.

*This isn't anti-shelter, the cat from the shelter is also free. The vet care and boarding it received were not free, and you're getting a crazy deal on them for what the adoption costs.

Love that chonky base!

Ficus for sure, they're one of a handful of indoor plants that can be made into bonsai. Skip the cheapo ginsengs at Walmart and order something from a bonsai supplier or nursery though.

For thick trunks the best way is to just let it grow and then cut it back once it reaches the thickness you like.

There's methods with sacrificial branches that work really well provided you happen to have a branch in the right place for one, but those also boil down to just letting it grow. Bonsai get better with age.

I don't really know? I haven't really gotten to try other kinds of therapy. Seems like that's the only one they do. Might try internal family systems if I can find someone who does it.

Thank you! I don't really know what kinds of therapy are out there, I tried EMDR and didn't like it, I can't follow something with my eyes like that. The links are super helpful!

It always just feels like "have you tried not being bothered by that?" Maybe ive gotten bad therapists, but I'm just not vibing with it.