It’s pretty wild that this series of pieces is ongoing.
Some of my favourite video games take huge inspiration from Jungian psychology, with the Tarot acting as the map of the soul.
How metaphor fits into the mix, I’ve always likened myself to a Persona called the Hierophant, typified as a champion of conservative values, but runs the risk of appearing as rigid or resistant to change.
My inner world reflected that to a T. A hollowed out Auditorium not uncommon with larger churches with rooms neatly compartmentalising the various faucets that make me who I am.
Metaphors I would use to describe my inner world would be orderly enough to allow for some controlled chaos.
Walled off just enough for structure and a revolving door to explore ideas and concepts that may not have occured to me before.
That would explain my comfort with overarching routine, but that penchant for spontaneity to keep things interesting. It’s pretty cool to have language around this, and I can only dream on what possibilities this could lead to, especially in the area of healing one’s inner child that never felt quite safe growing up, and how that spills over into our adult quirks and habits.
Hey Sam, I was really moved when I read your comment! Have been mulling over it for quite a while—what you described is exactly what I set out to do when I started writing this series :')
Yes, I totally relate to what you mentioned about video games! Some of my favourite video games/stories/movies also use metaphors and symbols to articulate inner worlds. (re: video games, I really liked The Stanley Parable's exploration of identity, agency and free will.)
I haven't gotten around to playing Persona even though that's been on my "Games To Play" list for ages!! You've now reminded me heh. Your inner world sounds fascinating! So your rooms are neatly organised and structured to allow controlled chaos—any locked doors? What types of furniture do you have in there?
Love that connection you made between the metaphorical depiction of your inner world and your character/personality. I think what you described (comfort and spontaneity) is so relatable to many neurodivergent folks, especially auDHDers! Thanks so much for affirming that having language around this could help to heal one's inner child. A way of healing and reintegrating the fragmented aspects of our current selves, too, by having more clarity on what exists inside us.
(lol you don’t need to apologise for info dumping with me remember? XD )
Since we’re focusing on the inner world, I would highly recommend jumping straight to Persona 5R since it captures the essence of a “distorted” inner world. No spoilers, but the general premise is that we infiltrate a person of interest’s inner world, steal their treasure (the core of their desires) and that sparks a change of heart. I personally love how it’s handled and I’m sure you’ll get a huge kick out of it. Plus, the Royal version has all the DLC bundled in, along side some juiced nostalgia Personas (that sort of function similar to Pokémon) that will make the earlier parts of gameplay a breeze if you’re zeroing in on the narrative elements. 😉)
The locked doors in my pocket Star Audi are mostly repressed memories, preconceived notions, and areas I’m slowly learning to accept, and integrate into my whole self.
I’ll only know what they are when they resurface. Furniture is what you see at Star for the most part. XD
I totally get it when you brought up the “what it’s like” aspect of representation. In Spider-Man Miles Morales, you have one section you take control of a deaf girl and the sensation of any and all diabetic sounds being muffled into resonances we “hear” because our body picks up the vibrations is honestly brilliant. It doesn’t paint the whole picture, but it’s a ln accurate description none of the less. Capturing thought patterns like yours or mine is a tad bit tricker since it’s less of what we see and feel and more of how our brain patterns and decision making is wired. XD
I love that with metaphor, and intelligent articles, media, and game design, bridges can be built to inform neurotypical what a glimpse of our lives may be like. :D
Hey Sam, finally got around to replying your comment!
Heh, glad we can be ourselves here~ Thanks so much for the rec—your summary has whetted my appetite sufficiently! Sounds like a game I'll love :)
Also, thanks for sharing about your locked doors. I pray that you shall be able to enter those locked rooms at some point, and receive healing as you bring them to light.
Yes, the "what it's like" aspect is so hard to capture and get right! But based on what you shared about Spider-Man Mile Morales, it sounds like the experiential and sensory aspects of being deaf were translated pretty well. I love innovative game design and any form of media that helps us bridge gaps of understanding between people! And yeah, definitely trickier to capture thought patterns as they are so fundamental to how we interface with the world.
Thanks again for your support—super appreciate it!
Okay I'm infodumping to whoever's here bc too excited:
I hope to demystify the inner experience of ND individuals. I noticed that many simulations of the ND experience (whether in VR or stories) focus on depicting reactions to sensory stimuli or thought processes. This is great, but I feel it still doesn't capture qualia well enough, which is the subjective "what it's like" feelings and sensations of experiencing something.
Metaphor helps us use our sensory experiences (embodiment) to think about concepts (abstraction). So I think deconstructing metaphors might help us see how they correlate to our sensory, embodied experiences. E.g. if my self is a house that is surrounded by a moat, what embodied experiences led me to internalise this metaphor? Could I have experienced physical (and emotional) distance from others that led to a sense of isolation—be it forced or voluntary? Could non-ND folks understand ND folks' subjective experiences better with such metaphors?
It’s pretty wild that this series of pieces is ongoing.
Some of my favourite video games take huge inspiration from Jungian psychology, with the Tarot acting as the map of the soul.
How metaphor fits into the mix, I’ve always likened myself to a Persona called the Hierophant, typified as a champion of conservative values, but runs the risk of appearing as rigid or resistant to change.
My inner world reflected that to a T. A hollowed out Auditorium not uncommon with larger churches with rooms neatly compartmentalising the various faucets that make me who I am.
Metaphors I would use to describe my inner world would be orderly enough to allow for some controlled chaos.
Walled off just enough for structure and a revolving door to explore ideas and concepts that may not have occured to me before.
That would explain my comfort with overarching routine, but that penchant for spontaneity to keep things interesting. It’s pretty cool to have language around this, and I can only dream on what possibilities this could lead to, especially in the area of healing one’s inner child that never felt quite safe growing up, and how that spills over into our adult quirks and habits.
Keep em coming Rach! :D
Hey Sam, I was really moved when I read your comment! Have been mulling over it for quite a while—what you described is exactly what I set out to do when I started writing this series :')
Yes, I totally relate to what you mentioned about video games! Some of my favourite video games/stories/movies also use metaphors and symbols to articulate inner worlds. (re: video games, I really liked The Stanley Parable's exploration of identity, agency and free will.)
I haven't gotten around to playing Persona even though that's been on my "Games To Play" list for ages!! You've now reminded me heh. Your inner world sounds fascinating! So your rooms are neatly organised and structured to allow controlled chaos—any locked doors? What types of furniture do you have in there?
Love that connection you made between the metaphorical depiction of your inner world and your character/personality. I think what you described (comfort and spontaneity) is so relatable to many neurodivergent folks, especially auDHDers! Thanks so much for affirming that having language around this could help to heal one's inner child. A way of healing and reintegrating the fragmented aspects of our current selves, too, by having more clarity on what exists inside us.
Excited to continue these discussions!
Hiiiiiiii
It’s great to hear from yoooooou! :D
(lol you don’t need to apologise for info dumping with me remember? XD )
Since we’re focusing on the inner world, I would highly recommend jumping straight to Persona 5R since it captures the essence of a “distorted” inner world. No spoilers, but the general premise is that we infiltrate a person of interest’s inner world, steal their treasure (the core of their desires) and that sparks a change of heart. I personally love how it’s handled and I’m sure you’ll get a huge kick out of it. Plus, the Royal version has all the DLC bundled in, along side some juiced nostalgia Personas (that sort of function similar to Pokémon) that will make the earlier parts of gameplay a breeze if you’re zeroing in on the narrative elements. 😉)
The locked doors in my pocket Star Audi are mostly repressed memories, preconceived notions, and areas I’m slowly learning to accept, and integrate into my whole self.
I’ll only know what they are when they resurface. Furniture is what you see at Star for the most part. XD
I totally get it when you brought up the “what it’s like” aspect of representation. In Spider-Man Miles Morales, you have one section you take control of a deaf girl and the sensation of any and all diabetic sounds being muffled into resonances we “hear” because our body picks up the vibrations is honestly brilliant. It doesn’t paint the whole picture, but it’s a ln accurate description none of the less. Capturing thought patterns like yours or mine is a tad bit tricker since it’s less of what we see and feel and more of how our brain patterns and decision making is wired. XD
I love that with metaphor, and intelligent articles, media, and game design, bridges can be built to inform neurotypical what a glimpse of our lives may be like. :D
Looking forward to the next one. :D
Hey Sam, finally got around to replying your comment!
Heh, glad we can be ourselves here~ Thanks so much for the rec—your summary has whetted my appetite sufficiently! Sounds like a game I'll love :)
Also, thanks for sharing about your locked doors. I pray that you shall be able to enter those locked rooms at some point, and receive healing as you bring them to light.
Yes, the "what it's like" aspect is so hard to capture and get right! But based on what you shared about Spider-Man Mile Morales, it sounds like the experiential and sensory aspects of being deaf were translated pretty well. I love innovative game design and any form of media that helps us bridge gaps of understanding between people! And yeah, definitely trickier to capture thought patterns as they are so fundamental to how we interface with the world.
Thanks again for your support—super appreciate it!
Okay I'm infodumping to whoever's here bc too excited:
I hope to demystify the inner experience of ND individuals. I noticed that many simulations of the ND experience (whether in VR or stories) focus on depicting reactions to sensory stimuli or thought processes. This is great, but I feel it still doesn't capture qualia well enough, which is the subjective "what it's like" feelings and sensations of experiencing something.
Metaphor helps us use our sensory experiences (embodiment) to think about concepts (abstraction). So I think deconstructing metaphors might help us see how they correlate to our sensory, embodied experiences. E.g. if my self is a house that is surrounded by a moat, what embodied experiences led me to internalise this metaphor? Could I have experienced physical (and emotional) distance from others that led to a sense of isolation—be it forced or voluntary? Could non-ND folks understand ND folks' subjective experiences better with such metaphors?