I am Sumita, an autistic arts-expresser / performer / writer. I have a creative-imaginative processing style; exploring inner- worlds, and sharing them using creative outlets, is how I understand and connect with the outer-world. This process of ‘outering inners’ and ‘innering outers’ is something that I continuously engage in, and I observe it as being a psychoeducational process.
I rely on ‘metaphorical’ inner realities – to make connections, to communicate with myself, to figure out how I feel and what I think. I will share about some of my personal processes of ‘outering inners’ for self-awareness and expressions. I’ll also include reflections from my MSc Creative Arts & Mental Health dissertation (Queen Mary University London), which explored the creative processes behind the TV show ‘Pablo’ as a psychoeducational tool for self-awareness, social understanding and mental wellness. By doing so, I hope to highlight the importance of encouraging engagement in inner worlds through creative outlets, through people’s own inner languages – not just as dissociation, but also as Association: a way of exploring inner worlds as a way to Be in outer worlds.