Alexithymie?

[scout86]

I'm wondering if anyone has heard of this. I guess I'm also wondering if anyone else on here has been diagnosed with it.

My therapist seems to be a great guy. I THINK he's someone who doesn't like "labels". That's ok with me, because I have some problems with them too. But, I think that explains how he said what he said. Which was basically, "I don't want to tell you that you have this, but I'm kind of telling you I think that you do." After I quit laughing (which I did), he explained, kind of, what it is. It's "difficulty perceiving and describing emotions in yourself and others". It's not that you don't HAVE emotions, it's more that you don't recognize them for what they are.

So, does anyone have any experience with this?

 

[CVC]

Never heard of this, so looked it up... According to wikipedia, 10% of the population has this!

 

[franciemarnie]

Sadness and anger, etc. were not allowed in our house growing up. Well, my parents could feel and express them but I couldn't so it's taken a lifetime for me to understand that when my body feels a certain way, that is associated with a feeling. That's how I started to learn what those feelings felt like and associate them with terms like anger and sadness. Didn't know there was a name for that state of affairs.

 

[Spiderallis]

I'd not heard the term before either, but I know the concept behind it quite well. Thanks! That's a very useful new word.

 

[DMerish]

My ex was diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder as well as alexithymia.

 

[scout86]

Well, at least I don't have narcissistic personality disorder! Actually, my T commented once that he thought I was "a quart low" in the self esteem department.

I've been doing some more reading on the subject. There's not a lot known (which is probably why none of us has heard of it). The thinking seems to be that there are 2 basic types. In general, 1 type involves neurological issues a person is born with. The other is more of a "learned" (or "failure to learn"?) kind of situation. They also say that, in the case of a small child who doesn't get the chance to develop the ability to be in touch with their feelings, the wiring in their brains may not develop like it should and those deficits may be permanent. Or not, since the brain has the ability to modify itself.

They also said that this is considered a "personality trait", not an abnormality, although it's associated with a number of other problems.

franciemarnie, it's interesting that you mentioned feeling in your body being associated with "feelings". I've been reading about that and I honestly don't quite get what they're talking about. Which, I suppose, goes with the rest of the situation.