In this episode of Autistic Standpoint Theory, Isha Snow is joined by AuDHD seminary student Willow Shirtz for a deeply personal conversation about autistic cognition, faith, identity and religious trauma.

Content note: This episode contains discussion of religious trauma, mental health, psychiatric treatment and difficult family experiences, as well as strong language.

Raised in a devout Mormon household, Willow reflects on entering missionary service with genuine belief and the experiences that eventually forced them to question both their faith and the expectations placed upon them. They discuss what it means to process belief, morality and contradiction through an autistic lens — particularly when the systems around you demand certainty and conformity.

Their conversation moves through missionary life, mental health, psychiatric treatment, family relationships, sexuality and gender, as Willow describes the difficult process of dismantling an inherited worldview and rebuilding a life beyond it.

Now identifying as an atheist while preparing for Unitarian Universalist ministry, Willow's story raises a bigger question at the heart of the series: when a system you were taught to trust stops making sense, what can your own way of knowing help you build in its place?

Autistic Standpoint Theory is part of the Autistic Culture Podcast Network.

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