Transitioning in and out of Autistic Flow: A Qualitative Study Presenting a Non‐Pathologising Approach to Autistic Well‐Being and Conceptualising Autistic Ways of Being in Clinical and Therapeutic Settings

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. three authors of this publication are identified as autistic in the project.

About the autistic author marker

Metadata sources used for this reference

OpenAlex Crossref
Learn more about the sources used

Wain, D., Williams, G., Charura, D., Hamilton, L. G., Milton, D., Wortman, D., & Heasman, B. (2026). Transitioning in and out of Autistic Flow: A Qualitative Study Presenting a Non‐Pathologising Approach to Autistic Well‐Being and Conceptualising Autistic Ways of Being in Clinical and Therapeutic Settings. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 26(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.70073

Publication date: 27 Jan 2026 Added to AutiHub: 6 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) Full text OpenAlex source

This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:

Authors

Publication authors
7
Publication authors identified as autistic
3 / 7 (42.9%)
  1. Daniella Wain
  2. Gemma Williams *
  3. Divine Charura
  4. Lorna G. Hamilton
  1. Damian Milton *
  2. Deborah Wortman
  3. Brett Heasman *

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction Autistic flow is a term that has been used to describe the autistic experience of being deeply immersed in an activity. Autistic flow theory proposes that autistic people may be uniquely positioned to access and manage flow states. However, more research is needed to understand the facilitative conditions that support autistic people transitioning into and out of flow states, particularly given the complex interplay of sensory needs, monotropic focus and environmental factors. Aims and Methods Semi‐structured interviews were used alongside Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore the qualitative experiences of ten autistic people transitioning in and out of flow. Results The analysis highlighted three themes: (1) Flow is enjoyable and essential for autistic well‐being, playing a regulatory role in everyday experiences across sensory, emotional and cognitive facets; (2) autistic ways of being (i.e., monotropic attention, sensory sensitivity and repetitive behaviours) can amplify experiences in and out of flow; and (3) predictability is important for feeling safe to enter flow. Discussion We discuss the wealth of expertise autistic people possess about their own flow experiences and how this can be harnessed to build enabling environments for well‐being. The findings contribute to a non‐pathologising reconceptualisation of autistic ways of being through the approach of autistic flow theory.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 14:02.

Cited references
61
With a DOI
55
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
6
23 / 61 (37.7%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
2 / 61 (3.3%)
References with detected author names
59 / 61 (96.7%)
Without detected author names
2
Without a structured title
1
Without a stable identifier
6
References with raw author names still to review
0
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
182
From DOI or external metadata
182
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
0
107 / 182 (58.8%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 75 / 182 (41.2%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
36 / 182 (19.8%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 36 / 107 (33.6%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 17 / 151 (11.3%).
  1. Ashley Robertson , David R Simmons (2015). The Sensory Experiences of Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Analysis . Perception, 44(5), 569-586. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1068/p7833 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1857670991
    Crossref OpenAlex
  2. González Moreno, Andrés Santiago (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . American Psychiatric Association.
    Type: Book DOI: 10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4247665917
    Crossref OpenAlex
  3. Katherine Runswick-Cole (2014). ‘Us’ and ‘them’: the limits and possibilities of a ‘politics of neurodiversity’ in neoliberal times . Disability & Society, 29(7), 1117-1129. Informa UK Limited.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2014.910107 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1994467306
    Crossref OpenAlex
  4. Brandon K. Ashinoff , Ahmad Abu-Akel (2021). Hyperfocus: the forgotten frontier of attention . Psychological Research, 85(1), 1-19. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s00426-019-01245-8 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2974079557
    Crossref
  6. Emma L. Barratt , Nick J. Davis (2015). Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR): a flow-like mental state . PeerJ, 3, e851. PeerJ.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.7717/peerj.851 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2036916183
    Crossref OpenAlex
  8. Nicola Baumann , Christoph Lürig , Stefan Engeser (2016). Flow and enjoyment beyond skill-demand balance: The role of game pacing curves and personality . Motivation and Emotion, 40(4), 507-519. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s11031-016-9549-7 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2345694504
    Crossref
  9. Sergi Rufi , Anna Wlodarczyk , Darío Páez , Federico Javaloy (2016). Flow and Emotional Experience in Spirituality . Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 56(4), 373-393. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/0022167815571597 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2031195968
    Crossref OpenAlex
  10. Karen Stansberry Beard (2015). Theoretically Speaking: An Interview with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on Flow Theory Development and Its Usefulness in Addressing Contemporary Challenges in Education . Educational Psychology Review, 27(2), 353-364. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10648-014-9291-1 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2012437376
    Crossref
  12. Johnny L. Matson , Robert D. Rieske , Lindsey W. Williams (2013). The relationship between autism spectrum disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: An overview . Research in Developmental Disabilities, 34(9), 2475-2484. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2013.05.021 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2091764402
    Crossref OpenAlex
  13. Linda Birt , Suzanne Scott , Debbie Cavers , Christine Campbell , Fiona Walter (2016). Member Checking . Qualitative Health Research, 26(13), 1802-1811. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1049732316654870 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2460117687
    Crossref OpenAlex
  14. Rebecca P. Lawson , Geraint Rees , Karl J. Friston (2014). An aberrant precision account of autism . Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8, 302-302. Frontiers Media SA.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00302 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2120536867
    Crossref OpenAlex
  15. British Psychological Society (2021). BPS Code of Human Research Ethics . BPS Code of Human Research Ethics.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  19. Elizabeth Pellicano , David Burr (2012). When the world becomes ‘too real’: a Bayesian explanation of autistic perception . Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16(10), 504-510. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2012.08.009 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2125191661
    Crossref OpenAlex
  20. Laura Crane , Lorna Goddard , Linda Pring (2009). Sensory processing in adults with autism spectrum disorders . Autism, 13(3), 215-228. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1362361309103794 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2133335974
    Crossref OpenAlex
  21. (1975). Play and Intrinsic Rewards . Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 15(3), 41-63. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/002216787501500306 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4250676557
    Crossref OpenAlex
  22. Lorcan Kenny , Caroline Hattersley , Bonnie Molins , Carole Buckley , Carol Povey , Elizabeth Pellicano (2016). Which terms should be used to describe autism? Perspectives from the UK autism community . Autism, 20(4), 442-462. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1362361315588200 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2227393071
    Crossref OpenAlex
  23. Csikszentmihalyi M. (1990). The Psychology of Optimal Experience . The Psychology of Optimal Experience.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  24. Jane Lidstone , Mirko Uljarevic , Jillian Sullivan , Jacqui Rodgers , Helen McConachie , Mark Freeston et al. (2014). Relations among restricted and repetitive behaviors, anxiety and sensory features in children with autism spectrum disorders . Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 8(2), 82-92. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2013.10.001 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2337734148
    Crossref OpenAlex
  25. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (2014). Flow and the Foundations of Positive Psychology . Springer Netherlands.
    Type: Book DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-9088-8 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2478911292
    Crossref OpenAlex
  29. Eleonora Riva , Teresa Freire , Marta Bassi (2016). The Flow Experience in Clinical Settings: Applications in Psychotherapy and Mental Health Rehabilitation . In Flow Experience (pp. 309-326). Springer International Publishing.
    Type: Book chapter DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-28634-1_19 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2472401550
    Crossref OpenAlex
  30. Uta Frith , Francesca Happé (1994). Autism: beyond “theory of mind” . Cognition, 50(1-3), 115-132. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/0010-0277(94)90024-8 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2037759571
    Crossref
  31. Morton Ann Gernsbacher , Jennifer L. Stevenson , Suraiya Khandakar , H. Hill Goldsmith (2008). Why Does Joint Attention Look Atypical in Autism? Child Development Perspectives, 2(1), 38-45. Oxford University Press (OUP).
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-8606.2008.00039.x OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2075808451
    Crossref
  33. Brett Heasman * , Alex Gillespie (2018). Perspective-taking is two-sided: Misunderstandings between people with Asperger’s syndrome and their family members . Autism, 22(6), 740-750. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1362361317708287 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2727105378
    Crossref OpenAlex
  34. Jonathan Green , Nicola Shaughnessy (2023). Autistic phenomenology: past, present, and potential future . Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1287209-1287209. Frontiers Media SA.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1287209 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4390268303
    Crossref OpenAlex
  36. (n.d.). Heasman B. 2018.“Enabling Autistic Sociality: Unrealised Potentials in Two‐Sided Social Interaction [Doctoral Dissertation London School of Economics and Political Science].”
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  37. Patricia C. Jackman , Gerry Fitzpatrick , Aoife Lane , Christian Swann (2019). Exploring bodily sensations experienced during flow states in professional national hunt jockeys: a connecting analysis . Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(1), 92-105. Informa UK Limited.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/2159676x.2017.1380693 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2759015166
    Crossref OpenAlex
  42. Camille Hours , Christophe Recasens , Jean-Marc Baleyte (2022). ASD and ADHD comorbidity: What are we talking about? Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 837424-837424. Frontiers Media SA.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.837424 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4214479707
    Crossref OpenAlex
  44. Laura Hull , K.V. Petrides , Carrie T. Allison , P. Smith , Simon Baron-Cohen , Meng-Chuan Lai et al. (2017). “Putting on My Best Normal”: Social Camouflaging in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(8), 2519-2534. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3166-5 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2616560149
    Crossref
  45. Ying Rong , Chang-Jiang Yang , Ye Jin , Yue Wang (2021). Prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analysis . Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 83, 101759. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2021.101759 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3135679521
    Crossref OpenAlex
  46. Piper Hutson , James Hutson (2024). Enhancing flow states in neurodivergent individuals through cognitive network integration . Global Health Economics and Sustainability, 3(2), 1. AccScience Publishing.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.36922/ghes.4345 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4403255381
    Crossref OpenAlex
  48. Sam Keen , Martha Lomeli-Rodriguez , Helene Joffe (2022). From Challenge to Opportunity: Virtual Qualitative Research During COVID-19 and Beyond . International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 21, 16094069221105075-16094069221105075. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/16094069221105075 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4282917573
    Crossref OpenAlex
  49. Lynn Kern Koegel , Katherine M. Bryan , Pumpki L. Su , Mohini Vaidya , Stephen Camarata (2020). Definitions of Nonverbal and Minimally Verbal in Research for Autism: A Systematic Review of the Literature . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(8), 2957-2972. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04402-w OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3006196873
    Crossref
  51. Leong D.‐J. (2016). Scheherazade's Sea—Autism, Parallel Embodiment and Elemental Empathy [Doctoral Dissertation] . Scheherazade's Sea—Autism, Parallel Embodiment and Elemental Empathy [Doctoral Dissertation].
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  54. Luciana Lisboa White , Emma C. Tecwyn , Stephanie Petty (2024). Experiences of Loneliness and Connection for Autistic Young People: A Systematic Review . Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s40489-024-00487-6 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4403737658
    Crossref
  55. Darius Parvizi-Wayne , Lars Sandved-Smith , Riddhi J. Pitliya , Jakub Limanowski , Miles R. A. Tufft , Karl J. Friston (2024). Forgetting ourselves in flow: an active inference account of flow states and how we experience ourselves within them . Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1354719-1354719. Frontiers Media SA.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1354719 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4399286731
    Crossref OpenAlex
  56. Lynne McCormack , Sze Wing Wong , Linda E. Campbell (2023). ‘If I don’t Do It, I’m Out of Rhythm and I Can’t Focus As Well’: Positive and Negative Adult Interpretations of Therapies Aimed at ‘Fixing’ Their Restricted and Repetitive Behaviours in Childhood . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53(9), 3435-3448. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05644-6 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4283816207
    Crossref
  57. McDonnell A. (2014). Good Autism Practice: Autism, Happiness and Wellbeing . Good Autism Practice: Autism, Happiness and Wellbeing, 38.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  58. Dinah Murray * (2018). Monotropism – An Interest Based Account of Autism . In Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders (pp. 1-3). Springer New York.
    Type: Book chapter DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102269-1 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4237894990
    Crossref
  59. Nakamura J. (2009). Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology . Oxford handbook of positive psychology, 195.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  61. Jonathan Smith , Isabella E. Nizza (2022). Essentials of interpretative phenomenological analysis. American Psychological Association.
    Type: Book DOI: 10.1037/0000259-000 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3176876566
    Crossref