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Breathing funny & couldn’t speak for 5-10 minutes in therapy. Dissociation?

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Yes.
For me it depends on the intensity of the situation. Sometimes I have it playing in my head and I can talk about it. Other times, the feelings of it just overwhelm me and it feels like it is drowning me, and I can't talk then. I'm learning to talk during that and how to bring me back into the real world.
Sometimes it might be a very quick nano second and it takes me time to digest what has just happened.
Other times it can be prolonged.

You're not alone.
You're not unusual or odd.
You're in good company here!
 
Depends on the type of flashback &/or disassociation.

If I’m walking around smelling smoke? Cha. Aside from that, which is no different than someone BBQ’ing next door / except that’s real, I’m living my life 99% normally. I don’t even know I’m having a flashback in those instances, more often than not. It’s only later that it occurs to me that my neighbors don’t USUALLY bbq sewage ;) Oh. Right. Craptastic.

Ditto, disassociation. On the lower end of the spectrum, I’m living & interacting with others no worries.

If I’m doing the nightmare whilst awake, thing? Or lights are on, no one is home, 1,000 yard stare thing? Nah. Talking & interacting with others is completely off the table.
 
Last session, I jumped and therapist asked me if I was OK as I looked startled. I then started breathing really funny and couldn't speak for 5 to 10mins. I was fully with it, just couldn't speak. I think I was having flashback or dissociating.

Therapist was absolutely amazing, said if it happens again not to worry and she'll still be with me etc!

I miss her - not seeing her for 20 days!

When any of you dissociate or have flashbacks, does it prevent you from talking too? Or am i strange?
 
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Last session, I jumped and therapist asked me if I was OK as I looked startled. I then started breathing really funny and couldn't speak for 5 to 10mins. I was fully with it, just couldn't speak. I think I was having flashback or dissociating.

Therapist was absolutely amazing, said if it happens again not to worry and she'll still be with me etc!

I miss her - not seeing her for 20 days!

When any of you dissociate or have flashbacks, does it prevent you from talking too? Or am i strange?

I don’t think you are strange! So don’t think that my guess is that what was happening during the trauma “you couldn’t talk” so that is what you were experiencing!!
 
Not being able to talk is one of the things that happen to me when I dissociate. Talking is regulated by an area of the brain called Broca's area which shuts down very often if we are experiencing flashbacks or heavy dissociation.

At that time, most parts of your brain have shut off, especially during severe dissociation and other cognitive functions (thought processing, reasoning, memory, talking) and also bodily functions (movement, temperature regulation, etc) are affected.

Little by little ?. I am right there with you all.
 
Broca's Area in the brain is maybe worth researching. That is what I always understood was the cause of the muteness. I think I was flashing or dissociating back to a pre-verbal event. Nothing scientific to back that up; just a pattern I think I noticed when it was happening to me. Oh, and BTW, used to happen for me for days at a time.
 
I also find it very hard to speak at times. I can be quite a frequent occurrence for me in therapy. My last session every single sentence I managed to get out was very hard work. Sometimes it's worse than others. You're definitely not alone on that one. :)
 
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