[TheEbonyEwe]

Is it possible to possess some emotions, but have a lack to feel or express others? For instance, a person experiences anger, amusement, embarrassment & dread, but is unable to sympathize, empathize, feel sorry, happiness or love.

What would cause something like that? Brain damage, childhood emotional trauma/neglect, or is that an Autism thing?

[downandlonely]

I believe not feeling certain emotions is possible. I can't speculate on the cause though.

[eskielover]

Having grown up in a family where I am sure my dad was on the spectrum & then married someone who was, I think that what you described is an Autistic thing because it was something I too never experienced until I moved away from that environment. There may also be other causes since there are so many things with similar conditions.

I seriously had to learn what real relationships were like after leaving. Inside I always felt there was more to connecting with people than I ever experienced being around....but couldn't experience it until I was around those who were able to connect & it was a learning process for me

[RoxanneToto]

This could be related to alexythemia (sp?) which is often associated with autism. It’s a difficulty in recognising one’s internal feelings.
Funnily enough I was just thinking this morning that there’s more to connection with others than spending a lot of time with them, but I’m struggling to know what. The people I’ve spent most of my time around (family, so pretty much nearly my whole life) I don’t feel very close to and I don’t know if I can fix that.

[eskielover]

Originally Posted by RoxanneToto

This could be related to alexythemia (sp?) which is often associated with autism. It’s a difficulty in recognising one’s internal feelings.
Funnily enough I was just thinking this morning that there’s more to connection with others than spending a lot of time with them, but I’m struggling to know what. The people I’ve spent most of my time around (family, so pretty much nearly my whole life) I don’t feel very close to and I don’t know if I can fix that.

I don't know if it could be fixed or not either. My dad in his whole life never had a real closeness with anyone. My mom was the one who kept telling me that my dad loved me but there never was an outward sign. He died in 1989, long before high functioning autism was even ever diagnosed in the US (1994). My parents had no real friends they connected with (looking back). I didn't understand it growing up because what you live around becomes your normal & just observing others only gave me a glimpse that there seemed to be more. My mom I am sure was not on the spectrum but she had dysfunctional issues that pretty much created the same types of lack of connection. She died in 2005 & I finally left my husband in 2007 after 33 years of no emotional connection. Basically there was no one left in my life from the past to connect with except my daughter & we have actually improved that connection but I don't know how much improvement since we live over 1000 miles apart....much better than it was & there is much more of a connection. I think my problem was that I didn't fit into the environment I was surrounded by all my life & fought it rather than accept it which kept me at a distance too cause it is hard to connect with people you are constantly fighting against.

Starting a new fresh life at 54 was truly my only way to really start over & it let me find who I really am & what I am really like inside....I doubt I ever could have fixed the past even by fixing me