Aim: To illuminate the meaning of being a carer for a person having a severe autistic disorder. Background: Carers working with people with severe autim are occasionally exposed to residents’ self-injurious behaviours and violent actions and at time residents appear resistant to all forms of treatment. Design/Method: A qualitative case study was conducted. Six Swedish carers (ENs), working at a special ward on a nursing home were interviewed about their lived experiences when caring for an individual having a severe autistic disorder. Narrative interviews were conducted and interpreted using a phenomenological-hermeneutic method inspired by Paul Ricoeur. Findings: Two themes were formulated which describe the carers’ reality and their dream of an ideal, which described carers’ experiences of being trapped in a segmented and isolated care reality and thier longing to achieve a sense of wholeness. The findings were interpreted and reflected on in the light of a framework inspired by the German philosopher Karl Jaspers in order to achieve a deeper understanding of the text. Concusions: In their desperation the carers used their empirical knowledge based on scientific knowledge, which could be understood as a substitute for their vision of a consolating wholeness. This paper shows that searching for a substitute to consolation seems to be an important aspect of the meaning of being a carer for a person with severe autistic disorder.