Funny Speech, Can't Talk Properly.

[ThinkFeelBe]

Hey,
I was just wondering if anyone experienced this?...
It was during the worst part of being sick, but still puts a little fear into me. Id be talking and in mid sentence lose the ability to say what i wanted to, even though i knew the next word i wanted to say.

It was really frustrating, but also embarrassing. IT was like i had a really bad stutter. It only happens very very very rarely now, but it makes me worried about talking to strangers because i don't know when its going to happen, and i get embarassed.
xo

 

[Sterre]

Hi ThinkFeelBe,

Yes, this happens to me when I am tired and stressed out. To me it is a warning sign that my stress level is much to high, and that I have to slow things down a bit.

It can be quitte funny though to hear what comes out of my mouth at those times.

 

[lil_fighter]

Im sorry to hear about that, I can imagine it would be frustrating and it's interesting how speech is affected by PTSD. I find I slur my words and sound either drunk or..well, yeah drunk I guess and it's only when other people point it out that I really notice how bad it is. Stopping mid sentence and totally zoning out, forgetting what I was going to say..that's embarrassing too, especially when the other person is staring at me waiting for me to finish and I stand there saying..'erm..what was I saying..erm'.. that's embarrassing too and happens daily. :oops:

How do you cope with talking on the phone? If it's a call I have to make, I just get on with it and pretend that it's probably not that bad, hoping they wont realise (I mean like phoning a company or something important to do with a bill or something) but otherwise, friends, family.. I'd rather not if im in my 'drunk mode'

It can be quitte funny though to hear what comes out of my mouth at those times

^ yep, seeing the funny side of it can help us to get through it :)

 

[BloomInWinter]

Id be talking and in mid sentence lose the ability to say what i wanted to, even though i knew the next word i wanted to say.

It was really frustrating, but also embarrassing. IT was like i had a really bad stutter. It only happens very very very rarely now....

This was very familiar to me. Almost two years later, it is MUCH better. It gets better the more I force myself to be around people and try to speak.

It is frustrating and a process that didn't show improvement overnight but it was worth it.

 

[kimba]

I also have a hard time getting thoughts out. Sometimes I can't get the right word, but more often I lose my thought. Sometimes it is for a second and sometimes I have totally lost where I was going with the thought. The phone is no problem because noone can see me.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

This is not uncommon when triggered. In the trauma program I attended last month (ITT in Morgantown, wv) I was told that the verbal part of our brains literally shut down when we get triggered. I was SO relieved to hear this! I had previously gone to a so-called top trauma program at Sheppard-Pratt in Baltimore, Maryland and was actually PUNISHED for being unable to speak! I was unable to attend groups and my discharge date was pushed back further and further. Frustrating to say the least!!

 

[Anna]

Happens to me as well when stressed and anxious.

 

[Queen Boudica]

This is not uncommon when triggered. In the trauma program I attended last month (ITT in Morgantown, wv) I was told that the verbal part of our brains literally shut down when we get triggered.

This explains so much to me about the problems with speech I have had and still do have. Thanks for sharing that.

 

[Chook]

Hello ThinkFeelBe

Understand what you are experiencing.

It is a bit like a speech impediment or a stutter for me. I can normally talk freely.

Worst when I'm in therapy and trying to describe feelings of an intense situation, my mind starts to race, my speech starts to stutter, I need to close my eyes and try slowing my thoughts.

Feel a real goose!

 

[Barberian]

The more stressed I am, the more likely this is to happen. My mind will race a million miles a second, then all of a sudden derail or freeze. I have no idea what I was talking about, or I know what I was talking about, but have no idea what I was going to say, I am unable to continue with the thought.

When talking to others I often close my eyes to cut down on the sensory input my mind is recieving because it is often getting overloaded with what I want to say, what I dont want to say, figuring out the most expressive, consice words to use, etc.

 

[Nicolette]

Just also check there are no medicines being taken which can cause this as that is what happened to me and I ended up with a snow ball of triggered allergic reactions to medications I have taken without issues over the years.

 

[Wanting a life]

This has been a major symptom for me when I am having my hardest times and am feeling vulnerable. Slow, monotone speech; getting choked up so my words won't come out when I'm most emotional or when surrounding noises send me into auditory overload. As far as I can figure out, part of it has to do with the Sensory Processing component of my PTSD. As Barberian said,

When talking to others I often close my eyes to cut down on the sensory input my mind is recieving because it is often getting overloaded

.
I do this at these times, or look at a blank wall instead of looking someone in the eyes when listening to them, because trying to process auditory is challenging enough without having visual input as well.

What I find to be even more relevant, though, is that my speech takes on a very specific infantile form when I am feeling vulnerable or overloaded. Very weird. I would love to have name and more understanding of this. It's hard to try to remember how it sounds when I can be eloquent, like now, but I know I don't use articles like "a," "an," or "the." And I don't use the future tense, specifically the word, "will." So instead of saying "I will go for a walk now," it would just come out "I go for walk now."

But, that said, I was in that state for several weeks until last Friday (three days ago). Had a bad bad bad breaking of promises to me which resulted in not feeling safe or valued and feeling judged. Came to the conclusion that it's not safe to trust anyone, not safe to feel any emotions. So much HUGE rage and pain that it was only a choice of freezing all feelings or killing myself to make them stop. Toss up. Could have gone either way. Decided to put all feelings and vulnerability in the deep freeze. The little child that was trying to heal got killed and put in the deep freeze too. Hope I can revive her and help her later in a safer place, but this place is not safe enough for her; she was suffering too much.

So by killing off/freezing feelings and vulnerability and the child part of me, back comes my ability to use words like everybody else. Staff think I'm "stabalizing." The opposite is true, but sure, it looks like I'm more functional.

I'm not how much this is similar to others' challenges with language at times of stress. Would like to think I'm not alone on this....