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Sunday, November 23, 2025
Understanding AuDHD: When Autism And ADHD Overlap
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| https://www.leonecentre.com/blog/neurodiversity/understanding-audhd-when-autism-and-adhd-overlap/ |
Autism and ADHD have long been seen as two distinct forms of neurodivergence. But what if they overlap? The term AuDHD has emerged to name this experience, offering validation and bringing clarity to patterns of thought and behaviour that might once have felt confusing or contradictory.
At Leone Centre, we often meet people who have spent much of their lives trying to “make sense” of themselves. They may have been told they are too much, not enough, too sensitive, too intense or too distracted.
Yet what if those very traits are not deficits, but expressions of a different kind of perception, one that deserves listening, not managing?
What happens if we look past those labels? What if, instead of fitting ourselves into categories, we approach these experiences with compassion and curiosity? Often, what emerges is a richer story: the layered, nuanced reality of minds that hold both ADHD and autism, and the humanity that lives beyond any one diagnosis.
AuDHD is not an official term. It’s a word that has emerged from lived experience, from people searching for a language that feels closer to the truth of who they are. It points to the meeting place of autism and ADHD, describing two ways of being once thought to be distinctly separate.
Until 2013, it was not possible to be diagnosed with both ADHD and autism. Systems demanded a choice and one explanation over another. Imagine what that meant for the many who lived with both? Their stories trimmed to fit whichever description seemed most pressing at the time.
Clinically, autism and ADHD are diagnosed separately using DSM-5-TR or ICD-11 criteria, and co-diagnosis is now permitted.
Today, AuDHD offers a bridge that emerges from lived experience, not from textbooks, but from people searching for words that feel closer to the truth. It acknowledges that some people don’t fit neatly into one box or another, that their reality is woven from both to varying degrees. With growing awareness, space is opening for a more balanced approach to research and support that hadn’t been pursued before.
Understanding this overlap is not about collecting labels, but about giving a voice to the challenges and triumphs of a different way of perceiving the world. What possibilities open up when we stop reducing people to categories and begin to notice the richness of their lived experience?
With the ambiguity surrounding AuDHD, many may lean towards doubting their experience as an isolated one. But the statistics tell a different story.
You may be surprised to find that:
- Recent research shows that around four in ten autistic individuals also meet criteria for ADHD, while between one and three in ten people with ADHD show significant autistic traits, depending on age and method of assessment.
- A large 2024 school-population study found a 1% co-diagnosis rate, highlighting that overlap is not rare but often under-identified in community samples.
- Prevalence also varies across development: symptoms may appear more differentiated in early childhood and blend in adulthood, which can delay recognition.
Awareness shifts the story. Instead of self-doubt, it can bring a sense of recognition: you are not alone, and you are not an outlier. It also reminds us that no two experiences are identical.
One of the reasons many neurodivergent individuals might question whether they have both autistic and ADHD traits is how we associate attention with either.
In ADHD, the “AD” stands for “attentional deficit”. This can often lead to the assumption that having ADHD translates as an inability to pay attention. In reality, many ADHDers don’t lack attention but experience it differently. They often show interest-driven attention, experiencing periods of hyperfocus, intense and sustained concentration on highly stimulating or rewarding tasks. For many with ADHD, attention is more like sunlight through leaves: scattered and shifting, being pulled in multiple directions. And yet, when something truly resonates or captures interest, they can drop into hyperfocus so completely that time itself seems to bend. Hyperfocus is not unique to ADHD, but it tends to occur more frequently and more disruptively within ADHD populations.
For autistic individuals, focus can be so complete that shifting away feels like loss. Autism is often linked with sustained, deeply focused attention. This can sometimes be so immersive that external circumstances fade into the background. Shifting attention can be difficult, especially when tied to a special interest or when sudden changes in the environment require adaptation.
On the surface, these two portraits may appear distinct. If we look closely, we see the echo: both autistic and ADHD individuals can experience hyper-attention. This crossover can feel confusing, or it can feel like recognition. It tells us something important: the capacity to focus does not cancel out ADHD, just as struggles with focus do not cancel out autism.
AuDHD is not about confinement in a label, but about validation that the overlap itself is real, and that the lives shaped within it are no less whole or worthy of understanding.
When autism and ADHD meet, the result isn’t double the difficulty; it’s a unique choreography of strengths and struggles.
- Executive Functioning: The mind might feel full of ideas but short on sequence. Yet once engaged, focus becomes creative flow.
- Sensory Experience: The world might feel too loud, too bright, or endlessly fascinating and alive with texture and detail. A 2025 meta-analysis confirmed that sensory processing differences are significant in both ADHD and autism and the pattern varies across age and sensory modality.
- Social Connection: There’s often a longing to connect and a simultaneous exhaustion from trying to do it “right.” Underneath it all lies honesty, depth, and an exquisite ability to sense nuance.
- Emotion: Feelings can be tidal, intense, shifting, alive. But this sensitivity also brings empathy, passion, and insight.
No two AuDHD experiences are the same. Each is a distinct rhythm — a personal constellation of perception and energy.
For many people with AuDHD, recognition comes late, if at all. Some are seen as fitting only one category, while others are misunderstood entirely or dismissed as ‘too anxious’ or ‘too sensitive’’ When their experiences don’t seem to align neatly with either autism or ADHD, they may turn the doubt inward: Maybe I’m just not trying hard enough. Maybe I should know how to function by now.
The cost is often invisible. A quiet erosion of self-trust, with real consequences. It may prevent someone from seeking support altogether, leaving them to carry the belief that they either don’t need help, or worse, don’t deserve it. And when support is offered but focused only on ADHD or only on autism, it may not fit. Sometimes, it even amplifies existing struggles, leaving people feeling more unseen.
The impact of this lack of recognition can include:
- Years of self-doubt: questioning one’s own experiences and validity.
- Difficulty accessing appropriate support: resources that don’t fully address the overlap between ADHD and autism.
- A deep sense of isolation: feeling like no one else lives with this combination of challenges and strengths.
- The impact of masking: Camouflaging or masking is widely reported among autistic and AuDHD individuals. On average, it appears more frequently in women and late-diagnosed adults; it is associated with later recognition and emotional exhaustion.
Language matters because it shapes how we see ourselves. Language like AuDHD doesn’t fix everything but can open doors: it allows people to name their experience, reclaim their story and seek the kind of support that honours the whole of who they are.
At Leone Centre our focus is not on fixing, but on understanding. Neurodivergence is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be honoured. For those with AuDHD, therapy can be a space to move beyond labels and into a deeper exploration of what it means to live fully and authentically.
Neurodivergent-affirmative therapy shifts the emphasis from clinical assessment to human connection and practical support. It recognises the complexity of living with both autism and ADHD, and creates space for the ways they converge in everyday life. A psychotherapist’s role is to accompany rather than correct, to listen with curiosity, and to adapt their approach to the unique needs of each individual.
In therapy, this translates to:
- Affirmation, not correction: validating the lived experiences of AuDHD individuals rather than pathologising them.
- Strength-based focus: exploring creativity, resilience, and unique problem-solving.
- Practical strategies: supporting executive functioning, sensory regulation, and emotional wellbeing.
- Relational repair: helping clients navigate friendships, partnerships and family dynamics with more understanding.
- Identity exploration: creating space to integrate autism and ADHD into a coherent sense of self.
Therapy, in this sense, becomes a collaboration: a place where challenges are acknowledged, strengths are celebrated, and a fuller story of self begins to unfold.
When one or both partners have AuDHD, differences in communication, sensory needs, or emotional rhythms can create misunderstandings. Couples therapy provides space to reconnect and better understand each other.
Focus areas include:
- Bridging communication styles
- Navigating sensory and emotional needs
- Rebuilding understanding with empathy
- Honouring neurodiverse perspectives
Whether both partners are AuDHD or one is neurotypical, therapy can help to build balance, compassion, and deeper connection.
Moving from tolerance to celebration begins with how we show up in everyday life. For individuals with AuDHD, the difference is felt in whether they feel managed or truly met, explained away or genuinely understood.
Within supportive spaces, this becomes an invitation to approach one another with compassion and curiosity. In practice, that can look like:
Supporting loved ones in seeking support: Encouraging and walking alongside friends or family members as they access neurodivergent-affirmative support.
Understanding social energy: Masking (the effort to present in ways that feel socially acceptable) requires significant mental energy and can be deeply draining. When that “social battery” runs out, what may appear as withdrawal is often simply the natural recovery needed after prolonged adapting.
Being a safe space: Social energy can be demanding to manage, and for AuDHD individuals it matters deeply to have people who feel like “safe spaces.” These are friends or family who offer unconditional acceptance, where there is no pressure to mask. In these spaces, energy can be conserved, authenticity can breathe, and connection feels restorative rather than draining.
Acknowledging sensory differences: Overstimulation from light, sound, or touch can be overwhelming for autistic individuals, while for those with ADHD the same stimuli may compete for attention. ADHD can also bring sensory-seeking tendencies such as craving movement, novelty, or stimulation rather than avoiding it. For AuDHD individuals, these patterns often overlap, blending sensitivity with seeking. When peers respond with understanding and compassion, it reduces feelings of alienation and makes space for recognising when a change of environment or support might be appreciated.
Letting go of assumptions: Not everyone’s experience will mirror a stereotype. AuDHD opens a window into the many possible ways ADHD and autism can coexist.
Honouring uniqueness: Accepting that the neurodivergent experience is not less valid than the neurotypical one, just different.
When we dismantle “shoulds” and assumptions, AuDHD becomes less about categories and more about embracing the richness of diverse perspectives and experiences.
Living with AuDHD can feel like navigating a world that speaks a different language. But therapy can become a place where your language is honoured and you don’t have to translate or tone yourself down.
When we recognise both autism and ADHD together through neurodivergent affirming support, we move away from the narrative of being “too much” or “not enough.” Instead, we find belonging.
AuDHD sits right in a paradox: a reminder that our minds don’t have to fit neatly into diagnostic shapes to be real, valid, or worthy of care.
Here at Leone Centre, we have many experienced therapists who can offer you that support whether in person in London or online.
Saturday, November 22, 2025
What is AuDHD? Understanding Autism & ADHD Together
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| https://www.londonpsychiatry.clinic/blog/audhd-explained |
Have you ever asked yourself, “Is it ADHD or autism?” Maybe you see traits of both and feel like no single diagnosis fully explains your experience. You're not alone.
Autism and ADHD often occur together, a combination known as AuDHD. While research has long recognised the overlap between these two conditions, the concept of AuDHD is still relatively new in clinical settings. It’s also not yet widely understood or formally recognised in diagnostic manuals.
This lack of recognition can make it harder for people with AuDHD to find answers or receive a diagnosis that captures their experience. Many are left navigating years of confusion, misdiagnosis, and feeling misunderstood.
In this post, we’ll explore what AuDHD means, the key symptoms to look out for, and why getting the right diagnosis can make a big difference. By understanding the connection between autism and ADHD, you can begin to navigate life with more confidence, self-awareness, and compassion.
AuDHD is a term used when someone is diagnosed with both Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). These are both neurodevelopmental conditions. This means autism and ADHD affect how the brain develops and works, especially in areas like communication, attention, and behaviour.
Research suggests a significant overlap: studies estimate that 30% to 80% of autistic children may also meet the criteria for ADHD, and that around 20% to 50% of children with ADHD meet the criteria for autism.
While each condition has its own set of traits, they can overlap in ways that make diagnosis tricky. Understanding how they interact is essential for getting the right support, whether for yourself, a loved one, or someone in your care.
Although autism and ADHD are separate conditions, research shows they share some common ground. Both are linked to differences in brain development and neurotransmitter function, like dopamine. Particularly in brain regions involved in planning, organisation, emotional regulation, and sensory processing.
People with both autism and ADHD might:
- Struggle with impulsivity and emotional outbursts
- Find it hard to filter sensory input like noise or bright lights
- Have trouble with indirect or abstract communication
- Have interest-based attention, meaning they can focus deeply on topics of interest, but struggle with tasks that feel unstimulating
Still, it’s important to note key differences. Autism typically affects how a person communicates and experiences the world. ADHD mainly impacts attention, restlessness, and impulse control.
No, ADHD is not a form of autism, but they do share similarities. They are recognised as distinct conditions with their own diagnostic criteria and neurological profiles.
For example, common symptoms of autism may include:
- Difficulty understanding non-verbal communication (like body language or tone of voice)
- Preference for routine, structure, or predictability (dislike of sudden change)
- Intense interest in specific topics or activities
- Sensory sensitivities ( to lights, sounds, or textures)
- Tendency to take language literally (can have trouble with indirect language, sarcasm or jokes)
- Feelings of overwhelm or shutdown in unfamiliar or high-stimulus environments
In contrast, core ADHD symptoms include:
- Difficulty sustaining focus, especially on tasks they don’t find interesting
- A strong capacity for hyperfocus on topics they find stimulating or meaningful (something that’s often misunderstood)
- Impulsive decision-making or speech (interrupting others or acting without thinking)
- Restlessness or a constant sense of internal activity
- Struggles with planning, organisation, or completing tasks
- Mood swings or difficulty regulating emotions
ADHD often shows up differently in women and girls, which can lead to underdiagnosis or misdiagnosis. While boys may be disruptive or hyperactive, girls often internalise their struggles.
Common signs in women include:
- Anxiety or emotional overwhelm
- Perfectionism and fear of failure
- Overthinking or rumination
- Masking or overcompensating in social situations
This hidden presentation means many women don’t receive a diagnosis until adulthood. (You can read more about ADHD in women in our dedicated blog post.)
In kids, symptoms are usually more visible compared with adults. For example:
- ADHD might show up as excessive talking or constant movement.
- Autism may present as difficulty making friends or needing strict routines.
In adults, the signs are often more subtle. Hyperactivity may look like constant mental restlessness. Adults with autism might appear “socially competent” but only because they’ve learned to mask their traits. This often comes at a cost to their mental health.
When someone has autism and ADHD, these traits can interact in complicated ways. People with both autism and ADHD can experience a wide range of challenges that go beyond either condition alone. For example, someone might hyperfocus on a special interest (autistic trait) but still struggle to complete tasks due to distractibility (ADHD trait).
Here are some common AuDHD experiences:
- Sensory overload + impulsivity: Reacting quickly or strongly to overwhelming sensations
- Hyperfocus vs. distraction: Getting stuck on one task, then struggling to switch to another
- Social challenges: Misreading cues while also interrupting or oversharing
- Emotional volatility: Feeling emotions deeply and struggling to regulate them
- Daily life difficulties: Trouble with planning, prioritising, or remembering tasks
- Heightened sensory responses: Feeling easily overwhelmed by everyday sensory input, such as clothing textures, background noise, or lighting
- Emotional sensitivity and reactivity: Experiencing strong emotions that can feel difficult to regulate, often leading to emotional highs and lows
- Mental fatigue and burnout: Becoming exhausted from masking traits, managing competing demands, or navigating environments not suited to neurodivergent needs.
Women with AuDHD often don’t match the typical (often male-based) diagnostic criteria. Instead of being outwardly hyperactive, they may:
- Appear highly anxious or perfectionistic
- Mask their difficulties in social settings
- Experience chronic exhaustion or burnout
- Struggle silently with routines, organisation, or sensory issues
Because their struggles are less visible, women are often overlooked or misdiagnosed. Sometimes with anxiety, depression, or personality disorders instead of the underlying neurodevelopmental conditions.
Recent research has drawn attention to this gender gap in diagnosis. For decades, neurodivergent women and girls have been left behind. Facing long waits, limited support, and a lack of recognition. As more women begin to identify with both ADHD and autism, it's clear that we need more inclusive assessments and better understanding of how these conditions show up across genders.
Although autism and ADHD can look similar, their core differences matter:
- Autism is mainly about how someone communicates and experiences the world.
- ADHD is about how someone regulates attention and impulses.
The overlap between traits can be confusing. For example, difficulty focusing could be due to ADHD, or it could stem from autistic sensory overload. That’s why professional assessments are key to understanding the full picture.
If you're unsure where to start, our psychiatrists can offer an initial consultation to decide whether to begin with an ADHD or autism assessment. Contact us to find out more.
AuDHD is not formally recognised as a condition in clinical guidelines like the DSM-5 or ICD-11. However, research and recognition of AuDHD is growing. More clinicians are starting to recognise that people diagnosed with both ADHD and autism require unique care. Clinicians may use a combination of evidence-based approaches to assess for autism and ADHD separately while considering how traits interact, such as:
- Clinical interviews
- Standardised questionnaires
- Behavioural observations
- Input from family or school records
- Medical and developmental history
Because symptoms of autism and ADHD can mimic or mask each other, it’s important to work with a clinician who understands both. They’ll look at how traits interact, not just how symptoms show up in isolation. For example, impulsive behaviour could be driven by ADHD, or it might be a sensory-seeking trait linked to autism.
If you suspect you have ADHD with autism, seeking a specialist familiar with both conditions is essential. You can explore more about ADHD assessments and the evaluation process here.
You can also begin with our free ADHD screening test for adults.
Assessment for autism and ADHD (AuDHD) often includes a clinical interview accompanied by questionnaires and information from people who know you well.
The assessment process may involve screening questionnaires such as the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and ADHD rating scales. Additionally, professionals may conduct direct behavioural observations and cognitive testing to assess attention regulation, impulsivity, and social interaction challenges. These tests help determine if an individual fits the profile of AuDHD and rule out other possible explanations for their symptoms.
If you’re considering an assessment, our team can support you through the process. Speak with our friendly medical secretaries today, and they can help match you with a clinician who specialises in both ADHD and autism.
Life with AuDHD can feel like a rollercoaster. Sometimes you might feel hyperfocused and energised, other times you can feel completely overwhelmed or shut down.
But understanding your brain can change everything. Studies show that people with autism are much more likely to also have ADHD, and vice versa people with ADHD are more likely to have autism. Yet many still go undiagnosed for years.
Knowing you have AuDHD helps you get the right support and make choices that actually work for you, instead of constantly trying to fit into a neurotypical mold.
People with ADHD and autism often face a unique set of hurdles in everyday life. Common challenges can include:
- Being easily overwhelmed by everyday tasks and challenges
- Struggling to keep up with routines or schedules
- Burnout from masking or “performing” socially
- Avoidant coping mechanisms like fantasy or escapism
Despite the daily struggles, AuDHD individuals also bring exceptional strengths to the table. Their unique perspective often leads to creative problem-solving and out-of-the-box thinking. Having a deep focus and passion for specific interests often allows them to become experts in their field. Emotional sensitivity (often seen as a challenge) can also lead to a powerful form of empathy.
Understanding the difference between autism and ADHD can clarify how these strengths emerge differently. Recognising your unique abilities is as vital as acknowledging your struggles.
AuDHD burnout can be intense, prolonged, and deeply misunderstood. AuDHD burnout is beyond just feeling tired. It’s a deep physical and emotional crash caused by chronic stress and sensory/emotional overload. This kind of burnout arises from the effort of masking symptoms, managing autism and ADHD symptoms, and navigating a world not built for neurodivergent minds. Signs of burnout can include:
- Fatigue
- Loss of motivation
- Increased anxiety or depression
- Emotional numbness or detachment
Recovery means more than just taking a break. It means making sustainable changes, like reducing demands, setting boundaries, and building a life that works with your brain, not against it.
Managing AuDHD starts with self-awareness. Once you understand how your traits show up, you can build systems that work for you.
Here are a few strategies that can help:
- Mindfulness and grounding: Helps with emotional regulation and sensory overload
- Physical activity: Eases hyperactivity and improves focus, particularly yoga, walking, or strength training
- Sensory tools: Noise-cancelling headphones, weighted blankets, or fidget tools
- Visual supports: Calendars, reminders, and visual schedules for planning
- Tailored routines: Create structures that support your energy and focus levels, including rest!
Most importantly, give yourself permission to do things differently. You’re not broken! Your brain just works differently.
There’s no “one-size-fits-all” approach, but many people with AuDHD benefit from:
- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) tailored to neurodivergent needs
- Coaching or mentoring for executive functioning
- Medication for ADHD, if appropriate (though responses vary if you're also autistic)
- Occupational therapy to help with sensory and practical challenges
At the London Psychiatry Clinic, we offer assessments and support tailored to people navigating both autism and ADHD. You can book an ADHD assessment or take a free adult ADHD test to get started.
Living with AuDHD can be complicated, but it doesn’t have to be confusing. With the right understanding, support, and tools, you can manage your challenges and celebrate your strengths.
- AuDHD refers to the co-occurrence of autism and ADHD in one person.
- These conditions can overlap and interact in unique ways.
- Recognising both challenges and strengths is essential to building meaningful support.
- If you think you might have AuDHD, start with a free ADHD test or speak with our friendly team to find out about getting an assessment.
Traditional ASMR Full Body Medical Exam (Scalp Exam, Stethoscope, Eye Tracking) 🩺 ASMR Roleplay
The Blue Yeti is back, and ready for a traditional ASMR exam (with the added bonus of having a 2nd camera on my laptop typing). We'll start at the scalp (with some fuzzy windscreen sounds) and work down to the lower extremities. Skin inspection, sticky stethoscope, lots of eye testing, whole bunch of palpation; we've got a whole lot going on.
Typing Your Information: 00:00 – 02:14
Taking a Peek at Your Scalp: 02:14 – 04:54
Inspecting Skin with Magnifying Glass: 04:54 – 06:56
Facial Palpation Exam: 06:56 – 08:34
Sinus Check with Face Tapping: 08:34 – 09:35
Lymph Node Check: 09:35 – 11:36
Carotid & Temporal Artery Auscultation: 11:36 – 13:19
Inspecting Your Eyes: 13:19 – 14:59
Pupillary Response & Eye Tracking: 14:59 – 20:08
Typing Notes: 20:08 – 21:54
Nose/Mouth/Throat Exam: 21:54 – 25:24
Ear Exam: 25:24 – 28:48
Listening to Heart & Lungs: 28:48 – 32:43
Abdominal Auscultation: 32:43 – 34:09
Chest & Abdomen Palpation: 34:09 – 37:37
Reflexes & Extremities: 37:37 – 44:35
Typing & Dictating Notes: 44:35 – 46:00
Wrapping up the Exam: 46:00 – 46:18
Outro with Fuzzy Windscreen Stroking: 46:18 - 47:24
Triggers include: typing, soft speaking, whispering, scalp exam, fuzzy windscreen sounds, magnifying glass, skin inspection, face touching, palpation, sticky finger sounds, crinkly cling wrap sounds, narrating actions, dictating notes, guided deep breathing, sticky stethoscope, eye exam, light triggers, eye tracking, accommodation reflex test, ear exam, and reflex testing.
Hope y'all enjoy, have a whale of a day! :)
xx Calliope
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
On Pacific Street in Downtown Vancouver. Summer of 2017.
Pacific Street is a vibrant east-west thoroughfare in the heart of downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, running parallel to the waterfront and serving as a key connector between the West End, Yaletown, and False Creek. It's part of the city's iconic seawall network, blending residential luxury, commercial energy, and recreational access. It's a sought-after address for high-end condos and urban living, with a walk score often exceeding 90 due to its proximity to beaches, transit, and amenities.
Pacific Street stretches approximately 2 km through downtown, from the edge of Stanley Park in the west (near English Bay) eastward to Main Street, skirting the southern boundary of the West End and transitioning into Yaletown. It runs parallel to Beach Avenue and Davie Street, offering easy access to the Vancouver Seawall—a 28 km pedestrian and cycling path. It borders the upscale West End (residential and beachfront) to the north and the bustling downtown core/Yaletown to the south. Key intersections include Pacific & Hornby (luxury towers) and Pacific & Burrard (near Sunset Beach). Served by multiple transit options, including the SkyTrain's Canada Line (Vancouver City Centre station nearby) and bus routes along Davie and Beach. It's a short walk to the Vancouver Convention Centre and ferry terminals.
Named in the late 19th century during Vancouver's early urban planning, Pacific Street emerged as a residential and commercial corridor amid the city's post-1886 Great Fire rebuild. In the 1960s–1970s, it became part of broader downtown revitalization efforts, influenced by the development of Pacific Centre mall (opened 1974), which reshaped nearby Granville and Georgia Streets but indirectly boosted Pacific's accessibility. Just north at Granville & Georgia, Pacific Centre Mall, a 578,000 sq ft shopping hub (built 1971–1973), was Vancouver's largest indoor mall upon opening. It displaced heritage buildings but integrated with SkyTrain via skybridges to Hudson's Bay and Vancouver Centre Mall. Today, it's anchored by Holt Renfrew and features over 100 stores (e.g., Apple, Sephora, Tiffany & Co.), drawing 22 million visitors annually. A 2020s redevelopment added a glass-domed Apple Store at Howe & Georgia. Pacific Central Station (1150 Station St, near Main & Terminal Ave) is a short walk east. This 1919 Beaux-Arts railway terminus (built for $1 million) features granite, brick, and andesite facades with Doric columns and ornate interiors (skylights, mouldings). Originally for Canadian Northern Pacific Railway, it's now VIA Rail/Amtrak's western hub, with bus services added in 1993. It holds historical ties to Black Strathcona porters. The street reflects Vancouver's shift from industrial port to modern condo haven, with 1970s towers giving way to 2020s luxury builds emphasizing seawall views.
The 501 (501 Pacific St) is a 33-story tower with 295 units, completed recently. It steps from False Creek and Sunset Beach. Amenities include gyms and rooftop decks; recent sales show competitive pricing (e.g., units sold $30K–$75K under asking in 2025). The Pacific by Grosvenor (889 Pacific St) is a 39-story, 221-unit development (2021), featuring Italian Snaidero cabinetry, Dornbracht fixtures, and deep balconies mimicking cloud textures. Units range from 1–4 bedrooms; a recent penthouse sold $75K under asking in October 2025. The Californian (1080 Pacific St) is a 7-story, 84-unit concrete building (1982) with rooftop decks, saunas, hot tubs, and recent upgrades (new plumbing, elevators). Walk score: 92; near Sunset Beach. 1215 Pacific St is a 5-story, 50-unit mid-rise (1977) with underground parking and storage, in the West End near Bute St. Lined with cafes, boutiques, and seawall access points, Pacific Street is a hub for cycling/jogging, with proximity to English Bay, Stanley Park, and Granville Island via bridges. The area supports an active lifestyle, with gyms, spas, and markets within blocks. Upscale yet accessible—think sunset strolls, yacht views, and quick hops to downtown shops. Real estate is hot, with 2025 sales reflecting Vancouver's densification trend.
High walkability (92+ score); bike lanes and seawall paths abound. Parking is limited—use underground spots in condos or nearby lots. Buses run frequently; SeaBus is a 10-minute walk. Pacific Street embodies Vancouver's "live-work-play" ethos, evolving from 1970s mall-driven commerce to 2020s luxury residential.
Sunday, November 16, 2025
AuDHD Burnout — Freelife Behavioral Health
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| https://www.freelifebh.com/blog/from-spark-to-shutdown-audhd-burnout |
Living with both autism and ADHD means running two operating systems at once—always switching windows, always patching bugs. It’s exciting, creative, and exhausting. Sooner or later, many of us hit a wall known as AuDHD burnout. Understanding what it is—and how it differs from other kinds of exhaustion—can be the first step toward healing.
What Does AuDHD Burnout Feel Like?
Picture a laptop with too many tabs open. The fan whirs, the screen lags, and then everything freezes. AuDHD burnout feels similar:
- Brain fog so thick you forget what you’re saying mid-sentence.
- Sensory spikes—lights sting, sounds jab, fabrics itch.
- Executive paralysis—dishes pile up, emails go unanswered, even fun hobbies feel heavy.
- Mood swings—irritation, shame, or flat-line numbness.
Because AuDHD blends two neurotypes, the crash can be dramatic. Your ADHD side still craves novelty, while your autistic side begs for quiet. Caught between “do everything” and “do nothing,” it makes sense that you may short-circuit.
What Does Autistic Burnout Feel Like?
Autistic burnout shares some traits with AuDHD burnout, but there are differences:
- Withdrawal—social, emotional, sometimes physical.
- Loss of skills—speech slows, coordination slips, routines collapse.
- Extreme fatigue—sleep can’t fix it, coffee can’t mask it.
Where autistic burnout often follows long stretches of masking or sensory overload, AuDHD burnout layers on ADHD’s executive struggles and impulsive guilt spirals. You’re not just tired—you’re torn.
How Does AuDHD Differ from ADHD?
ADHD alone is mostly about attention regulation, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Autism centers on sensory processing, social communication, and need for predictability. With AuDHD you get both sets of wiring:
- Your mind races (ADHD) yet loves deep focus on niche interests (autism).
- You chase stimulation (ADHD) yet overload quickly (autism).
- You miss details (ADHD) yet notice tiny pattern shifts (autism).
Because these traits clash, everyday life demands extra energy. That constant self-management is why AuDHD burnout can appear sooner and last longer than typical ADHD exhaustion.
What is the Burnout cycle of Autism?
Researchers describe a loop: Accumulation → Breakdown → Recovery → Adaptation.
- Accumulation – weeks or months of masking, sensory stress, and social effort build up.
- Breakdown – energy tank hits empty; shutdowns or meltdowns occur.
- Recovery – reduced demands, quiet environments, special interests, and rest.
- Adaptation – new boundaries, tools, and support are added.
With AuDHD burnout, this cycle speeds up. ADHD impulsivity pushes you to keep saying “yes” even when your autistic battery is blinking red. The breakdown can arrive with little warning, and recovery may require stricter boundaries around tasks, noise, and social commitments.
Why Queerness Matters
Queer people with AuDHD juggle yet another layer: navigating identity in spaces that may not understand them. Living in multiple margins means more masking, more micro-aggressions, more vigilance. Pride festivals can be affirming but also loud, crowded, and schedule-breaking—perfect storm conditions for AuDHD burnout.
Community helps, but only if it’s accessible. Quiet queer meetups, sensory-friendly dance nights, and online support groups can give relief without overload. Therapy that respects neurodivergence and queerness can turn survival into sustainable self-care.
Five Ways to Break the Burnout Loop
- Audit sensory input: Carry earplugs, adjust lighting, choose soft fabrics. Small tweaks can prevent big crashes.
- Use interest-based breaks: Hyperfocus isn’t the enemy—use it. Ten minutes watching a favorite analysis video or arranging a playlist can reset your brain.
- Block off recovery time: Treat rest as a standing appointment, not a reward. Color-code downtime in your calendar the way you would a meeting.
- Externalize tasks: Sticky notes, phone alarms, or body-double work sessions keep ADHD drift in check so it doesn’t pile stress on your autistic need for order.
- Seek affirming therapy: A clinician who gets AuDHD, queer identity, and racial or cultural context can help you design realistic routines instead of prescribing generic “self-discipline.”
Friday, November 14, 2025
The Rise and Fall of Visceral Games
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| https://www.vg247.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-visceral-games |
From MOBA-likes before there were MOBAs to changing survival horror forever, we reflect on Visceral Games' legacy.
Long before Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas (MOBAs) were a thing, the 1998 PlayStation strategy game Future Cop L.A.P.D. from Visceral Games—then known as EA Redwood Shores—existed. It ended up being a cult hit because of its Precinct Assault mode, veering similar to what we see today in MOBAs like DOTA. Eventually a mapmaker even created a custom map for StarCraft that was rumored to have been inspired heavily by Future Cop's own Precinct Assault called Aeon of Strife. And well, the rest is history.
But that's just a small sliver of the legacy Visceral Games has left behind after being shuttered on Tuesday by EA. They were one of EA's oldest studios once; game developers first known for their licensed games, a few Sims-related things here and there, and a couple less-than-stellar Battlefields. Their legacy lies most in a well-regarded, original horror series that sparked a whole subgenre to shift: Dead Space.
Dead Space wasn't just a game about the horrors that secretly lie in deep space, but it was an exploration of what those terrors sound like, how they feel, what surviving true horror should be like in space. Dead Space was scary to play through, not just to watch or weather jump scares from. It inspired leagues of other space-bound horror titles, and yet, none ever quite scared players as much as Dead Space did back in 2008.
Let's hop back in time though, before Dead Space paved the future for Visceral Games being, well, Visceral Games.
EA Redwood Shores, then just a Redwood Shores, California-based label within EA Games, was established in 1998 along with the release of the maybe-eventual MOBA-inspiring Future Cop L.A.P.D.. EA Redwood Shores went on to make other games, from golf experiences starring the now-disgraced Tiger Woods to the licensed hack-and-slash adaptation for The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (a far cry from this month's Middle-earth: Shadow of War). EA Redwood Shores' titles were by and large the types of games most folks wouldn't pay much notice, except maybe the families buying gifts for loved ones for the holidays.
But then those developers were given a chance to venture outside of run-of-the-mill licensed games and create Dead Space, a game that reinvigorated horror games for a short time after its release. The genre had jumped more into full-blown action territory (thanks Resident Evil 4), losing the horror that made survival horror games special in the first place. Dead Space released long before Amnesia: The Dark Descent later did the same thing—that is, injecting life into the horror genre, inciting a wave of defenseless survival horror games. Dead Space, in many ways, helped save horror.
Describing Dead Space to the average person makes it sound like an Alien knock-off. You're exploring a spaceship, you find out the whole crew has been slaughtered, and you fight their reanimated corpses. What the description doesn't pay mind to is how the game feels to play—that is, truly frightening. Something sorely missed in most horror games of the mid-to-late 2000s. There's a reason Dead Space has stood the test of time, and has even net a famous fan in horror filmmaker John Carpenter.
Dead Space wouldn't exist without Resident Evil 4 though. When Resident Evil 4 released in 2005, it was the push Dead Space designers Ben Wanat and Wright Bagwell needed. "It's pretty obvious when you play Dead Space, to look at it and go, 'Yeah, it's almost like they decided to make Resident Evil 4 in space,' which is exactly what we were doing," Wanat told PC Gamer this year. "It was like, 'It's a game changer. Let's embrace it and make this the best, polished survival shooter. Let's try to be the gold standard.'" Lucky for them, Dead Space (and arguably Dead Space 2 as well) did become the gold standard for horror survival shooters.
After the success of Dead Space, EA Redwood Shores rebranded to a not as obviously-EA tethered identity: Visceral Games, a studio dedicated to creating third-person action games that had an edge to them. The developers went on to make other third-person action games that weren't Dead Space-related, including Dante's Inferno and Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel. But recapturing the magic they had with the Dead Space series proved to be a difficult task.
2010's Dante's Inferno was an adaptation of the classical poem of the same name, the first part of the 14th century epic poem Divine Comedy penned by Italian poet Dante Alighieri. The adaptation made a stark change from the intricately mapped hell that inspired it: instead of Dante being motivated by learning the meaning of sin, he was given a love interest to rescue from Satan. He no longer fainted at every disturbing occurrence—he had a six-pack of abs to glisten with sweat now, and a cross stitched across his chest too.
These all, of course, proved to be controversial changes. Some scholars even argued that rendering the poem's heroine Beatrice as a damsel that needed saving (and not as someone who inspired him to be a better person) was a fundamental misunderstanding of Dante's poem Inferno in the first place. In a story for The Atlantic, Classics Professor Arielle Saiber from Bowdoin College told the reporter, "Beatrice saves Dante, not the other way around!"
Yet, tweaking Inferno was how Visceral brought the poem to modern audiences in a twisted way, even if they took more than a few creative liberties for its interactive experience. "[Dante] fundamentally mapped hell with this poem," the game's executive producer Jonathan Knight told NPR in 2010. "He's created a visual topography, and there's a tremendous amount of structure, geography, weather—and monsters." Inadvertently, Dante laid out the perfect setting for a video game. While it was hoped that Dante's Inferno would inspire players to read the 700-year-old poem and more of Dante's work (including Divine Comedy) too, the game got mixed reviews upon release.
Not all of Visceral Games' projects came to life though. Even before Dante's Inferno's release, whispers arose about a mysterious new Visceral title centered around legendary (and never captured) serial killer Jack the Ripper. The would-be downloadable title for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 was rumored to be titled The Ripper, before news of its cancellation hit in 2011 (though it had actually been cancelled years prior). The game, like Dante's Inferno, was set to make creative embellishments of its own. Instead of murdering sex workers, Jack the Ripper would be reimagined as an almost-vigilante, hunting demons in the streets of London.
Eventually, Visceral Games returned to the Dead Space series with Dead Space 2, a game that upped the action more than the original. In a way, watching the Dead Space series shift over its short lifespan reminded me of watching the Resident Evil series change from its roots—even as the first Dead Space was inspired by Resident Evil's action-oriented peak. Maybe it's the fate of all horror games: to embrace action later on, losing what made people like the series in the first place.
Luckily, at least Dead Space 2 proved to retain its horror. The sequel was praised both by fans and critics upon release, garnering an 87 on Metacritic. Dead Space 3 was made two years later, and it marked a major turn for the franchise.
Dead Space 3 brought co-op action to the horror survival formula. Upon release, the game got mixed reviews like most of Visceral's non-Dead Space offerings. Development of the game didn't go as planned according to an interview in Eurogamer with creative director Ben Wanat, as it was weighed down by EA's "business interests." Visceral, it seemed, no longer had a whole lot of breathing room for their original IPs.
Battlefield: Hardline was their next—and sadly final—game. Hardline was a "cops and robbers" themed Battlefield game, different from the series' roots in war settings. The game received mixed reviews, like Dead Space 3, Dante's Inferno, Army of Two, and so many before it.
The tides seemed to change after Battlefield: Hardline. Amy Hennig, writer and director for the first three Uncharted games, had left Naughty Dog to join Visceral Games to help create a new Star Wars game. The project would be a linear Star Wars game—unlike the multiplayer of Star Wars: Battlefront—with an adventure lean. The game would come to be called shorthand over the years "Star Wars-Uncharted," even if Hennig herself insisted it wouldn't be. Jade Raymond, founder of EA's own Motive Studios, was also announced to be working with Hennig on the mysterious Star Wars game. Despite an early announcement of the project way back in 2014, details remained scarce for years.
Hennig wasn't always on board. In an unfortunately prescient profile of Hennig by Glixel from last year, she noted her initial hesitation to join the game's team. "Imagine how heartbreaking it would be," Hennig told Glixel, "To work on something I love so much only to be crushed under the combined wheels of EA, Lucasfilm and Disney."
It's disheartening to see any studio closed. Somehow, what's befallen Visceral Games' feels almost regular by now. At this rate, we can only hope the same fate doesn't follow BioWare or Criterion, other studios that fall under EA without the big "EA" letters hovering next to them. This untitled Star Wars game will live on—with or without Hennig's involvement, it seems—in a wholly different form than it began. It will continue development at EA Vancouver. Visceral's former employees will be scattered, according to EA, to other EA branches.
Visceral Games will be remembered not as a studio that peddled out licensed games, but as a developer that believed in the power of original linear third-person action games—for better or worse. Some were hits, some less so. But in the end, they made some endearingly original games. Dead Space was king among them, but was not alone. Star Wars, even if we saw hardly any of it, had the pedigree to possibly strike magic again. I suppose now though, we'll never really know.
Vagrant Story Review - GameSpot
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| https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/vagrant-story-review/1900-2550071/ |
While a fairly short game, the depth and density of the story and gameplay contained in Vagrant Story give it an intensity missing from most longer games.
Let's just get it out of the way - Vagrant Story is a ground-breaking game. A melange of the action, adventure and RPG genres, Square has truly beaten all odds and produced an engaging, seamless epic unlike any other. Despite a few interface and complexity issues, Vagrant Story is a rare and nearly perfected game.
A brutal battle wages between the Knights of the Crimson Blade and the Mullenkamp Cult in the city of Lea Monde. Caught in the middle is Ashley Riot, an agent for the Valendia Knights of Peace's elite Riskbreaker unit. After a chance encounter with the heartless leader of the Mullenkamp Cult, Sydney Losstarot, Ashley finds himself in a life-or-death game of cat and mouse amidst a deeper plot larger than the two of them. What are Sydney's intentions, and how does Ashley play into his master plan? As with Final Fantasy Tactics, which was developed by the same team, the lines between good and evil are endlessly blurred and the story is complex and twisted.
Many have described Vagrant Story as "Medieval Gear Solid," a comparison that both is correct and not correct. While the Metal Gear feel is there thanks to the perspective, attention to detail, and emphasis on cinematics, one never actually has to skulk through shadows, avoid detection, and the like. An odd blend of action, adventure and RPG gameplay, a lot of Vagrant Story's charm lies in the sheer amount of control the player has in playing what is mostly a linear game. Most of the game takes place underneath Lea Monde, where Ashley runs through room after room, slaying monsters and recovering information and keys to aid Sydney's pursuit. You navigate as you would in Metal Gear Solid, guiding the character with the analog pad and rotating the viewpoint with the L and R buttons. Ashley can switch in and out of battle mode, freeing his hands for tasks such as lifting boxes or grabbing edges. While the latter isn't emphasized too heavily, Vagrant Story does have a surprising compunction for box puzzles. While they start off easy, they eventually become fairly fiendish with the addition of a variety of new and different box-types. While navigating the labyrinthine corridors under Lea Monde is all done in real time, battling is a decidedly different affair.
Even with all of the other gameplay elements thrown in, combat is central to Vagrant Story. Perhaps a tribute to one of the interesting things to come out of Parasite Eve, tapping the attack button pauses the game and causes a large wireframe sphere to erupt from Ashley's body. Representing the range of the current weapon, you can target any item within the sphere for an attack. Detailed hit-percentage and damage stats help you plan your attacks more effectively, but attacking some areas can have other effects. For example, if you attack a monster's legs there's a good chance you'll reduce their movement rate by 50 percent.
After defeating the first boss, Ashley will gain the use of chain abilities. These allow Ashley to perform consecutive hits when attacking enemies, with every additional attack benefitting Ashley in ways other than sheer damage. Ashley can ready up to three of these at a time and with the proper timing, chain them until the target keels over. For example, you can restore magic points or life with a carefully-timed chain attack. Learned at the same time as chains, defense abilities allow you to key different kinds of defense. When attacked, tapping the right button could restore half of the damage you just took or reflect it back at the enemy. After gaining enough experience, you'll be presented with a choice as to which new ability you'd like to learn, letting you customize your time with Ashley and develop his abilities to your own play style. Using chain and defense abilities is useful, but builds Ashley's risk level, preventing them from being abused. Essentially a fancy name for fatigue, a high risk level lowers Ashley's ability to to connect with both weapons and spells. While one could theoretically chain attacks together forever, players will think twice before doing so, maintaining a needed element of strategy and balance.
In addition to chain and defense abilities, Ashley has a few more elite tricks up his sleeve. Break arts, learned after gaining considerable experience, allow Ashley to sacrifice some of his own life meter to inflict massive damage upon an enemy. As Ashley progresses to and through the dark city of Lea Monde, many enemies will drop pages from the legendary spellbook Grimon. Each page contains a single spell that is memorized once read. Magic falls into four categories, such as attack, healing, and status magic. Some spells, such as the explosion and thunder burst spells, let you position a sphere of attack allowing you to attack multiple enemies or multiple body parts on the same enemy. While status spells are extremely useful, most of the attack spells are too MP-intensive to really be worthwhile. Despite all of these options, Vagrant Story's gameplay interface is relatively clean and intuitive - hold down the L2 button and you have fast access to just about everything.
Outside of battle, Vagrant Story continues its control fixation with a maze of menus that lets players customize their experience even more. In addition to the standard RPG equip and inventory screens, Vagrant Story lets you forge your own weapons and armor from items found throughout the game. Ashley can only perform these feats in workshops scattered throughout the game, and each factory can only forge items made from certain materials. As Ashley's weapons gradually become more accustomed to killing each of the six types of monsters, it's worthwhile to build and evolve six weapons through the course of the game. Switching weapons is the one thing not readily accessible through the L2 menu and would make a welcome addition given the frequency they're swapped. In addition to forging new weapons, Ashley can disassemble any weapon and reassemble a new one from its parts, allowing for greater customization. Finally, gems can be inlaid to alter a weapon's stats and allow for more in the way of on-the-go changes, like changing a weapon's elemental attribute.
As witnessed above, Vagrant Story has a lot of complexity, often times too much - even those who understand the weapons system may have trouble handling certain enemies. While Square's other games have become more and more accessible to the masses while maintaining a certain hard-core element to be experimented with, Vagrant Story's combat system virtually requires a comprehensive understanding of the weapon and stat development systems. Not only are the core concepts behind this inconsistent at times, a few interface oversights further confuse the matter. Unfortunately, Vagrant Story's manual isn't much of a help in these situations. This becomes particularly irksome about halfway through the game, but only slightly hinders the game's momentum.
Vagrant Story is one of the most beautifully cinematic games to date, easily toppling Metal Gear Solid. With character designs by the venerable artist behind Final Fantasy Tactics' noseless wonders, Akihiko Yoshida, Vagrant Story looks and feels like a living 3D comic brought to life. Each model is fluidly animated and textured with a sketch-like quality that gives the game a visual feel all its own. Topped off with impressive lighting and spell effects, Vagrant Story is a visual feast. Adding to the game's cinematic charm is yet another impressive score by Hitoshi Sakimoto, one of Final Fantasy Tactics' dual composers. The sound effects are well done and impressive, straying from Square's standard of synthed noise - from an audio standpoint, the only thing conceivably missing is voice - while the jagged comic dialog boxes are charming, one can't help but think this game could be more impressive with voice. However, avoiding Metal Gear Solid's glut of dialog is definitely a plus, especially given the literally perfect translation. Square's localization efforts have been lackluster and purely functional in the past, but Vagrant Story's is delightfully different. We can only hope that Chrono Cross' and other translations receive the same attention as Vagrant Story - you'll be spoiled from here on out.
In the end, Vagrant Story's disparate parts come together in a beautiful, cinematic experience. The game's story is compelling and constantly urges the player to press forward, giving the game the addictive quality of the finest RPGs. While a fairly short game, the depth and density of the story and gameplay contained within give Vagrant Story an intensity missing from most longer games, as well as a higher replay value thanks to the "New Game +" option. While the learning curve is a little high, even for RPG veterans, Vagrant Story offers an experience that's not to be missed.
Thursday, November 13, 2025
On Georgia Street in Downtown Vancouver. Summer of 2018.
Georgia Street is an east–west street in the cities of Vancouver and Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Its section in Downtown Vancouver, designated West Georgia Street, serves as one of the primary streets for the financial and central business districts, and is the major transportation corridor connecting downtown Vancouver with the North Shore (and eventually Whistler) by way of the Lions Gate Bridge. The remainder of the street, known as East Georgia Street between Main Street and Boundary Road and simply Georgia Street within Burnaby, is more residential in character, and is discontinuous at several points.
West of Seymour Street, the thoroughfare is part of Highway 99. The entire section west of Main Street was previously designated part of Highway 1A, and markers for the ‘1A’ designation can still be seen at certain points.
Starting from its western terminus at Chilco Street by the edge of Stanley Park, Georgia Street runs southeast, separating the West End from the Coal Harbour neighbourhood. It then runs through the Financial District; landmarks and major skyscrapers along the way include Living Shangri-La (the city’s tallest building), Trump International Hotel and Tower, Royal Centre, 666 Burrard tower, Hotel Vancouver and upscale shops, the HSBC Canada Building, the Vancouver Art Gallery, Georgia Hotel, Four Seasons Hotel, Pacific Centre, the Granville Entertainment District, Scotia Tower, and the Canada Post headquarters. The eastern portion of West Georgia features the Theatre District (including Queen Elizabeth Theatre and the Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts), Library Square (the central branch of the Vancouver Public Library), Rogers Arena, and BC Place. West Georgia’s centre lane between Pender Street and Stanley Park is used as a counterflow lane.
East of Cambie Street, Georgia Street becomes a one-way street for eastbound traffic, and connects to the Georgia Viaduct for eastbound travellers only; westbound traffic is handled by Dunsmuir Street and the Dunsmuir Viaduct, located one block to the north.
East Georgia Street begins at the intersection with Main Street in Vancouver’s Chinatown, then runs eastwards through Strathcona, Grandview–Woodland and Hastings–Sunrise to Boundary Road. East of the municipal boundary, Georgia Street continues eastwards through Burnaby until its terminus at Grove Avenue in the Lochdale neighbourhood. This portion of Georgia Street is interrupted at several locations, such as Templeton Secondary School, Highway 1 and Kensington Park.
Georgia Street was named in 1886 after the Strait of Georgia, and ran between Chilco and Beatty Streets. After the first Georgia Viaduct opened in 1915, the street’s eastern end was connected to Harris Street, and Harris Street was subsequently renamed East Georgia Street.
The second Georgia Viaduct, opened in 1972, connects to Prior Street at its eastern end instead. As a result, East Georgia Street has been disconnected from West Georgia ever since.
On June 15, 2011 Georgia Street became the focal point of the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Sunday, November 9, 2025
The Demonology of Northern Europe
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| Flood And Waters Subsiding by Paolo Uccello, 1448 |
I finished reading ‘The History of the Devil and the Idea of Evil’ (1900) by Paul Carus a while ago. Therefore, I will continue to quote from it because I've highlighted more than a few pages. "Graeco-Egyptians developed a religious philosophy upon the basis of ancient Egyptian traditions, compiled in a book called the Divine Pymander, which contains many beautiful sayings that remind us of Christian views; but the Divine Pymander (like other philosophical books) is addressed to the few not to the many, and its mysticism rendered it unfit to become the religion of mankind. Apollonius of Tyana is a figure in many respects similar, but by no means superior, to Jesus Christ. For in him the philosophy of the age becomes a religion. His followers, however, were neither better nor wiser than the early Christians; they shared with them the same superstitions, cherishing the same trust in miracles, yet for all we know, they had only few of their redeeming features. Julian, surnamed by Christian authors the Apostate, is in spite of his idealism a reactionary man who set his face against Christianity because he recognised in the latter the most powerful representative of the coming faith. This last pagan emperor, it is true, was a noble-minded and thoughtful man who opposed Christianity mainly on account of its shortcomings, its Jewish affiliations, and the narrowness of its devotees, but he was enamored with the past, and his highest ambition was to revive the barbarism of pagan institutions, which tendency appears most plainly in his retention of bloody sacrifices, his esteem for oracles and a general indulgence in the mysteries of Neo-Platonism. Not only was the figure of Christ conceived after the model of a Teutonic war-king, the son of the emperor, while his disciples became his faithful vassals; not ony did the archangels assume the features of the Asas, the great northern gods, Wodan, Donar, Fro, and others; not only were the old pagan feasts changed into Christian festivals; the Yuletide became Christmas and the Ostara feast in the spring was celebrated in commemoration of Christ's resurrection; but the individual features of the evil powers of the North were also transferred to Satan and his host. Teutonic legends and fairy tales frequently mention the Devil, and there he possesses many features that remind us of Loki. In addition, the ice giants of the Norsemen, the Nifelheim of the Saxons, the Nether-world of the Irish, all contributed their share to the popular notions of the Christian demonology of the Middle Ages. The very name “hell” is a Teutonic word which originally signified a hollow space or a cave underground, and denotes the realm of Hel, Loki’s daughter. The weird and terrible appearances of the gods, too, were retained for the adornment of demoniacal legends; and Odhin as storm-god became “the wild hunter.” Dr. Ernst Krause, who is best known under his nom de plume of Carus Sterne, has undertaken the work of proving the Northern influence upon Southern fairy tales and legends. He finds that all the myths which symbolise the death and resurrection of the sun, giving rise to the idea of immortality, doomsday, and the final restoration of the world, have originated in Northern countries where on Christmas day the sun that seemed lost returns spreading again light and life. Our philologists believe that the Nibelungenlied contains features of Homer’s great epics; but, according to Dr. Krause, it would seem that the original source of the Nibelungenlied is older than Homer, and that the theme of the Voluspa, the first song of the Edda, being a vision that proclaims the final destruction and degeneration of heaven and earth, antedates Christ’s prophecies of the coming judgment. (Matt., 24.) Christianity comes to us from the Orient, but the idea that a God will die and be resurrected is of Northern origin. Dr. Krause proceeds to prove that the conception of hell as depicted in Dante’s Divina Comedia, which may be regarded as the classical conception of Roman Catholic Christianity, is in all its essential elements the product of a Northern imagination. Dante followed closely Teutonic traditions, which in his time had become a common possession in the Christian world through the writings of Saxo Grammaticus, Beda Venerabilis, Alberiens, Caedmon, Caesarius of Heisterbach, and others. It is specially noteworthy that the deepest hell of Dante’s Inferno is not, as Southern people are accustomed to describe the place of torture, a burning sulphur lake, but the wintry desolation of an ice-palace. That this ice hell can be traced back to the days of Gnosticism would only prove that this Northern influence may, in many of its most characteristic features, date back to a prehistoric age. Dante’s portraiture of the evil demon whom he calls “Dis” agrees exactly with the appearance of the principal Northern deity of evil, as he was commonly revered among the Celts, the Teutons, and the Slavs. Dis has three faces: one in front, and the one on each side. The middle face is red, that on the right side whitish-yellow, that on the left side, black. Thus the trinity idea was transferred to Satan on account of the ill-shaped idols of the crude art of Northern civilisation. Dante’s description of Dis reminds us not only of the three-headed hoar-giant of the Edda, Hrim-Grimmir, who lives at the door of death, but also of the trinity of various pagan gods, especially of Triglaf, the triune deity of the Slavs. When Bishop Otto of Bamberg converted the Pomeranians to Christianity, he broke, in 1124, the three-headed Triglaf idol in the temple of Stettin and sent its head to Pope Honorius II at Rome. Dr. Krause suggests that since Dante, who as an ambassador of Florence visited Rome in 1301, must have seen with his own eyes the head of the Pomeranian Triglaf, it is by no means impossible that he used it as a prototype for the description of his trinitarian Satan. Buddhism is a religious revolution against the evils that are dominant in Brahmanism. Gautama Shakyamuni, who claimed to be the Enlightened One, the Buddha, rejected bloody sacrifices, the authority of the Vedas, trust in rituals and the caste system, and taught a religion of moral endeavor which was to be obtained by enlightenment, or the bodhi. He recognised the existence of evil and sought salvation in the radical abolition of all selfishness through the extension of an all-comprehensive love toward all creatures. The many-sidedness of Buddhism is well illustrated in the Buddhistic conception of evil and of a final escape from evil, which is taught to the thinker in the shape of a philosophy, and to the uneducated masses in the garb of a poetical myth, affording the artist a good opportunity for representing deep thoughts in allegorical form. A Latin proverb says: if two do the same thing, it is not the same thing; and this is true not only of individuals, but also of nations and of religions. It is a habit common among all classes of people to condone the faults of their own kind but to be severe with those of others. The oracles of Delphi were divine to a Greek mind, but they were of diabolical origin according to the judgment of Christians. Jesus was a magician in the eyes of the pagans, while the Christians worshipped him as the son of God, and a man who performed miracles. The priests of Pharaoh and Moses perform the same tricks still performed by the snake charmers of Egypt and India, but the deeds of Moses alone are regarded as miracles, and the Israelites claim that he could accomplish more than the Egyptians."
I will also quote something that I found to be interesting from Carroll Quigley’s ‘The Evolution of Civilizations: An Introduction to Historical Analysis’ (1961). In this somewhat thick book, which was his first published work, he wrote not only about civilized society but also about pre-literary history. Although the book isn't an in depth study of every culture that has ever existed, he still wrote about what he considered to be the most important developments in human history, or at least some of the most important developments. I found his chapter about pre-literary history to be interesting too. Therefore, I will quote just a few of the interesting passages from it. By the way, there's a chapter about why Neanderthal man possibly went extinct in ‘Mysteries of the Past’ (1977) by Joseph J. Thorndike Jr. This is one of my favorite books in my collection, and the chapter is titled 'What Caused the Sudden Rise of Modern Man?'. I won't quote from it now, but perhaps I will do so in the future. "Neanderthal man was so different in appearance from most modern men that no observer would be likely to confuse them. His bodily proportions were quite different, since he had shorter legs and almost no neck. There were other, more technical, differences. His rib bones were rounder, rather than flattened as ours are; he had no real chin or forehead; his eyes were protected by bony eye ridges along the brows; and his head was attached to the front rather than to the top of the last vertebra. Because of these differences, Neanderthal man is frequently regarded as a different species from modern man, or Homo sapiens. But he is more correctly regarded as a variety, since the critical mark of species difference, inability to interbreed to produce fertile offspring, was not true of the Neanderthal and Homo sapiens types. It is now generally recognized that these two were able to interbreed and leave descendants on those rare occasions when they encountered each other along the margins of their customary habitats. Such encounters were on the margins of their ranges because Homo sapiens lived under temperate conditions, while Neanderthal man lived under semiglacial conditions. They both lived in Europe but at different times. Homo sapiens retreated to Africa when Europe was glacial, thus abandoning Europe to Neanderthal man, while the latter retreated northeastward toward Asia, where he had originated, as the interglacial period commenced. Just as we associated the movements of Homo sapiens with the movements of a glacial piston that ejected him from Europe or sucked him back from Africa, so we could associate the movements of the same piston with Neanderthal man, who came into Europe with the glacier and retreated with it toward northern Asia when it departed. Because of the conceit of normal egotism, it is customary to regard Homo sapiens as of higher intellectual capacity than Neanderthal man. This is a matter of which real evidence is scanty, but the evidence that is available would clearly indicate that Neanderthal man was at least as intelligent as Homo sapiens. This evidence includes the following: Neanderthal man possessed both fire and clothing, necessities for glacial living, before Homo sapiens did. He seems to have buried his dead, leaving with the body equipment needed in some future life, at an earlier period, thus giving evidence of an earlier recognition of spiritual values. His tools were frequently made in greater variety and with somewhat greater skill, and include the earliest compound tools (in which the blade and handle were separate pieces). But these achievements, which might be interpreted to indicate sufficient mental flexibility to permit Neanderthal man to survive the ending of glacial conditions. By adapting his way of life so successfully to glacial conditions and to the pursuit of the great glacial mammals such as mammoths, Neanderthal man made his way of life too rigid to permit him to exist under postglacial conditions when such mammals became extinct. The climate change, by 2000 B.C., opened the forests of Europe, so that megalithic traders abandoned the seaways of the west in all of the southwestern Europe as far east as the Adriatic and as far north as Britanny and, instead, crossed Europe by boat on the rivers, bringing Irish gold, Cornish tin, and Danish amber across Bohemia and southern Germany to the Danube. Down this river they went to the mouth of the Morava where they split, some continuing down the Danube, while others turned south to the Isthmus of Corinth and the Gulf of Argos beyond. In Argos, the new commercial cities of Mycenae and Tiryns welcomed the northern traders and grew rich from their commerce, which continued on, by sea, to Crete, to Egypt, or to the Syrian Saddle. Those traders who had continued down the Danube crossed Thrace to receive an equally warm welcome in Troy, whence the trade routes continued across Hittite Anatolia and the Assyrian outposts in Cilicia to the Syrian Saddle and Mesopotamia. These European trade routes of the Sub-Boreal period were not disrupted, but were rather developed, by the arrival of the Indo-European warrior peoples in central Europe about 2000 B.C. From the neolithic peasant peoples these conquerors extracted food, and from the megalithic traders they extracted tribute, using the surplus accumulated to exploit the bronze-making resources of Bohemia in forest forges. From this system emerged a prosperous, barbaric (but not civilized) culture known as the Great Central European Bronze Age. This culture reached its peak about 1400 B.C., with northern and western connections to megalithic Ireland, England (Stonehenge), and Denmark, and even more significant connections to Terremare Italy, Mycenaean Greece, and Hittite Anatolia. These southern and eastern connections were with similar Indo-European Bronze Age invaders in other areas. The whole system was destroyed by the onslaught of Indo-European Iron Age invaders about 1200 B.C. These later peoples exploded out of the northern Balkans with devastating force, and established in various areas the Celtic speakers of central and western Europe, the Dorian speakers of Greece, and a variety of Anatolian peoples, such as Phrygians and Carians. In the Aegean and Balkans these Iron Age invaders ended Cretan civilization forever and established a Dark Age that lasted for several centuries. This Dark Age, centering on the period 1000 B.C., marks the transition between Cretan civilization and its descendant Classical Mediterranean civilization, performing a double role as the period of invasion of the former (Stage 7) and as the period of mixture of the other (Stage 1). Farther east the same Indo-European population movements performed different roles in other civilizations. In Anatolia the Bronze Age Hittite invaders who came in over the Caucasus across Armenia acted as Stage 1 of Hittite civilization (1900 B.C.), while the Iron Age invaders from Thrace destroyed and ended this civilization a short eight hundred years later, providing the limits to the briefest and least known of all major civilizations. The Iron Age invaders of the Aegean area, whom we have called by different names in the Balkans and in western Anatolia, drove fleeing before them a mixed group of earlier inhabitants of those shores, including Achaeans, Etruscans (Trojans), Cretans, some Dorians, and various dimly known peoples of the Anatolian shore."
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