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Poll Does PTSD Influence Your Verbal Communication?

Does PTSD Influence Your Verbal Communication?

  • Yes - Only when symptomatic

    Votes: 250 89.6%
  • Yes - But not enough to effect me

    Votes: 21 7.5%
  • No

    Votes: 1 0.4%
  • Never really noticed

    Votes: 7 2.5%

  • Total voters
    279
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This is an interesting thread. I have found that PTSD affects my speech in a few different ways. Sometimes I find myself saying words out of order, or suddenly losing track of a thought that I was about to express, often mid sentence. The thought completely disappears from my mind, as if it was never there. My brain malfunctions like that quite frequently and has for the majority of my life. Sometimes I can't even verbalize my thoughts at all. I'll fully comprehend the associated emotions, but am unable to find the words to express them. Especially if it is in regards to my feelings..then I just shut down and get defensive.
 
Been missing words for days now, but then I'm in the grip of insomnia at the moment and have been for months. Even simple words are eluding me and I'm sure that most people think I'm on drugs or something.

I'm even struggling to remember by own name.
 
I find that when I feel stressed or anxious when talking to people, my mouth goes really dry, then I start to stammer/stutter, and even worse, sometimes I totally forget what I was going to say?

I must look a total Wally to other folk, that's why intend to keep away from people altogether, if I can?

All this makes it harder for me to look "normal" as I do try my best to look and behave like I'm OK, and never tell anyone that I have PTSD, as I've found you get weird reactions from some folk, if you do have to tell them?
 
Oh my god, I was just watching a documentary on a woman who survived a stroke and was wondering if maybe I had one after my psychotic break. It's like having to learn how to think again. Everything seems so labored, things that used to be automatic now take tremendous energy. I'm never quite confident that I am making sense when I have a conversation and am easily overwhelmed with stimuli to the point of feeling agoraphobic. Now it makes sense!
 
If something triggers me back into shock I will hear them as though they are very far away and I can answer them in my mind, but cannot make my voice or mouth respond to them. My T says it's shock. Shock can cause that type of response and so can fight, flight, or freeze and can be a freeze symptom. It might also pay to mention that I have Autism and though my speech and most language skills are normal to above normal, they rapidly decrease if triggered. I will stutter, think one word and say another, use the wrong word for the wrong feeling or wrong description for the wrong situation, I cannot text as fast as I usually do, sometimes (especially if someone is speaking loud or fast) it might as well be in a foreign language because it isn't registering at all. These are different symptoms that don't all happen at the same time.
 
Everything you state is exactly the way I would phrase my diminished communication skills. It's really tough, especially when I get"the look" when I start talking and they realize I have a "disability".
 
PTSD definitely affects my speech. I notice it is mainly when I am hyperaroused. I start to stutter and stumble over my words. At times this gets so bad I can't even form a proper sentence. It is very embarrassing and tends to happen more around men. I normally blurt out a frustration, normally the phrase - "f*ck it or nevermind" gets said. Then I just stop talking for the rest of the day or a few hours. It mainly happens at work. Most people think I'm weird or dumb.
 
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