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Unmasking Strategies for Authenticity

Aug 27, 2024

Workshop on Unmasking Strategies for Safety

Date: June 18, 2023
Presented by: Heather Cook from Autism Chrysalis

Introduction

  • Participants can choose to have cameras on or off, move around, fidget, stim, take notes, and interact in ways that work for them.
  • Adjust Zoom settings:
    • Chat: On/Off
    • Closed Captions: On/Off
    • Hide self-view if desired
  • Microphones should remain muted to reduce background noise.
  • Workshop agenda:
    • Intro (5 minutes)
    • Discuss masking
    • Reasons for masking/unmasking
    • Strategies for unmasking (6 steps)
    • Closing

What is Masking?

What Masking Is Not:

  • Simply faking a smile or laughing at jokes
  • Compromising to avoid conflict
  • Following social rules/expectations

What Masking Is:

  • Conflict between essential self and social self
  • Essential self: Authentic identity without external influences
  • Social self: Adjusted to ease interactions based on cultural expectations
  • Masking is the extreme form of hiding differences to protect oneself.

Why Unmask?

  • Masking is draining and can lead to burnout, physical illnesses, and mental health issues.
  • Unmasking promotes authenticity, improves self-knowledge, and strengthens relationships.
  • Encourages societal change towards inclusivity.

Steps for Unmasking Safely

Step 1: Get Context

  • Understand the origins of your masking behavior.
  • Recognize that masking was a protective response to an unreasonable environment.

Self-Reflective Prompts:

  • Who in your life was uncomfortable when you were yourself?
  • What cultural messages told you it wasn’t okay to be you?
  • How does masking protect you now?

Step 2: Create Zones of Safety

  • Identify stable aspects of your life where you can start unmasking.
  • Examples: Safe people, hobbies, pets, comfort objects, routines.

Self-Reflective Prompts:

  • In what areas can you unmask with low risk?
  • What things in your life are stable?

Step 3: Evaluate Risk and Strategize

  • Differentiate between genuine risk and learned association.
  • Recognize that past traumas can influence current fears.

Self-Reflective Prompts:

  • What is a present-day risk?
  • How do people typically react when you unmask?

Step 4: Expect Pushback

  • Acknowledge that relationships may change as you unmask.
  • Understand that some people may react poorly to changes in dynamics.

Self-Reflective Prompts:

  • Who has reacted negatively to your growth in the past?
  • What relationships are worth investing in?

Step 5: Reinforce Successes

  • Celebrate small successes and reinforce positive experiences.
  • Understand that anxiety after unmasking is a normal reaction.

Self-Reflective Prompts:

  • What counts as success for you?
  • How can you remind yourself of positive experiences?

Step 6: Choose Your Path

  • You decide how much to unmask and with whom.
  • It is not an all-or-nothing process.

Self-Reflective Prompts:

  • Which relationships are you willing to invest time in?
  • What do you hope to achieve as you unmask more?

Closing Thoughts

  • Unmasking is about expressing your authentic self and can lead to a better world for everyone.
  • Remember, you have the right to be yourself.
  • Contact information for follow-up and feedback shared in the chat.
  • Next workshop topics discussed; energy management is a potential focus.

Full transcript