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Autistic Inertia: The Physics Problem Psychiatry Forgot

Why can't I start? Why can't I stop? If you've ever been frozen at your desk for hours despite desperately wanting to work, or hyperfocused until 3 AM unable to disengage: you're not lazy. You're experiencing autistic inertia.

In this episode, Anita examines the groundbreaking research that finally gave a name to what autistic people have been experiencing for generations: the neurological inability to start or stop actions despite clear intention. We explore the lived reality of operating according to different physics.

But here's the twist: the same neurology that leaves us frozen on Tuesday enables extraordinary flow states on Thursday, deep focus so profound it produces work neurotypical cognition can't access. This isn't about fixing yourself. It's about understanding your actual cognitive architecture.

You'll learn: → The four documented dimensions of autistic inertia → Why the DSM-5 completely ignores this phenomenon → How monotropic attention creates both barriers and brilliance → The difference between rest inertia (can't start) and motion inertia (can't stop) → Evidence-based strategies: body doubling, environmental scaffolding, protecting flow states → How to educate clinicians who've never heard of this → Why inconsistency doesn't mean you're faking

This episode is for: Late-diagnosed autistic adults finally understanding decades of "laziness." Parents seeking language to support their children without shame. Clinicians ready to decolonize their practice. Anyone interested in neurodivergence.

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Thank you for listening to Neuro Rebel — the bilingual podcast where we flip the script on what it means to think differently. I’m your host, Anita: autistic, gifted, and a retired law professor on a mission to bring rigor, empathy, and a dash of rebellion to conversations about neurodiversity.

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Opinions expressed here are mine alone and do not constitute professional...