[growlithing]

I'm sure I've posted about this before. But sometimes, I will be thinking something or T* will ask a question and I will answer it in my head but struggle to say anything. It's not exactly like I'm at a loss for words. The words run through my head but I can't get my mouth to say any of them. It's almost like a nightmare where you are screaming for help and no one can hear you because your voice just can't enter the real world.

Does anyone else have this problem? How do you even work on it? I can't write all of the time.

*T meaning LCM, school T, pdoc, exTT, all other people I've worked with for the people not wanting to call LCM my "T"

[aquabelle]

I can relate to what you are saying. It happens to me all the time as well. I was at my gp yesterday and he asked me for my opinion on three choices for my medication adjustment. He waited a bit for my response, then said you need to answer. I was sincerely trying to answer and knew what I wanted to say but like you the words just wouldn't come out. So frustrating. I hope someone can provide some suggestions for both of us!

[dalila]

This might sound silly but sometimes I have to say, "I don't know" before I can say what I think or get to where I can share something.

I am like this too, Also like dalila I mostly say "I don't know"

[OneWorld]

Yes. Happens every session. I hate it.

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[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by growlithing

I'm sure I've posted about this before. But sometimes, I will be thinking something or T* will ask a question and I will answer it in my head but struggle to say anything. It's not exactly like I'm at a loss for words. The words run through my head but I can't get my mouth to say any of them. It's almost like a nightmare where you are screaming for help and no one can hear you because your voice just can't enter the real world.

Does anyone else have this problem? How do you even work on it? I can't write all of the time.

*T meaning LCM, school T, pdoc, exTT, all other people I've worked with for the people not wanting to call LCM my "T"

Yes this has happened to me. my treatment providers call it anxiety, bipolar disorder, MS depending upon other accompanying symptoms.. my medications like antidepressants help. my suggestion let your treatment providers know whats going on they can help with this. sometimes even writing it out can help get whats bottled up inside out.

[BlessedRhiannon]

Yup - especially when we are talking about more difficult stuff. I've learned to stop myself for a second and just tell T "my brain/mouth filter is set to high right now...I can't get the words to come out."

Being able to say something, even if it's just an acknowledgement that you're struggling to speak, can be very helpful. At least your T knows that you want to talk about it but just can't get the words out.

If I can at least tell T that I have words, they just don't want to come out, she'll help me work through it to the point that I can start to say something. She'll ask me if I can gesture or make a sound that represents what I'm feeling, or even just blurt out a single word. Sometimes I can, sometimes I can't, but at least T knows that I want to and just feel like my words are stuck.

[clairelisbeth]

There have definitely been times that I've struggled with this! In those moments what usually ends up coming out is "I don't know." There have been a bunch of times where in a moment of total panic and paralysis I've said "I think that I should take a break from therapy," when what I was really trying to say was "this is so painful, and I can't find the words, but I really need your help." So awful! It's something that my T and I are working on together and it hasn't happened in a while, but it's so hard when it does. I'm slowly starting to be able to tell her what is happening in the moment...that I feel frozen, paralyzed, whatever and I can't get the words out.

Do you think you would be able to do that? To tell your T what is happening in the moment? I really empathize, it's an awful feeling!

[OneWorld]

Those are great suggestions. I'd love to hear anything that people use to get the words out. I have a really really hard time with it.

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[coolibrarian]

I used to face this is my earlier years of therapy. Lately if this happens I sort of "talk around" the issue, saying a little bit, but not much, not even so much that T knows or can figure out what I'm talking about, and all the time repeating, "I know I'm just talking about talking about this issue, I am not ready to talk about the issue itself." After I do this for a while (5-10 minutes, or a few weeks), I usually feel comfortable enough to actually say what the issue is. It helps that my T knows me very well and knows when to say, gently, "Why don't you just say it?" If I feel ready, I do. If not, I might get angry, and tell her that, too.

[growlithing]

Originally Posted by clairelisbeth

There have definitely been times that I've struggled with this! In those moments what usually ends up coming out is "I don't know." There have been a bunch of times where in a moment of total panic and paralysis I've said "I think that I should take a break from therapy," when what I was really trying to say was "this is so painful, and I can't find the words, but I really need your help." So awful! It's something that my T and I are working on together and it hasn't happened in a while, but it's so hard when it does. I'm slowly starting to be able to tell her what is happening in the moment...that I feel frozen, paralyzed, whatever and I can't get the words out.

Do you think you would be able to do that? To tell your T what is happening in the moment? I really empathize, it's an awful feeling!

I've told her that I can't get myself to say what I'm thinking. Sometimes I can do that. Sometimes, it's too much and I just fire blanks. It's really frustrating and I don't know what is holding me back when this happens.