Something else
Multi lingual peeps say that talking is easier in a different language to the one that...
Oh hey, a reminder I exist and that this forum still exists in the form of someone tagging me! :p (I've changed my name here like 3 times and I'm not about to change it again)
And then for the actual topic.. I could probably write a book about speech problems, and create an entire website's worth in memes about being well articulated one moment and saying things like "there's a wall cat ocean salad" the next. I did vote "other", though, because I'd like to add that selective mutism is its own disorder, where mutism in all but certain safe situations and environments is the primary symptom. It's classed as an anxiety disorder, and is most common in children.
That aside, I do go mute. There's a whole spectrum of speech problems for me, on one end I have no problem phrasing my thoughts (this rarely happens anymore), and on the other I'm completely mute. Located somewhere in the middle, is the point where I can talk fine, but struggle to make my sentences express what I'm thinking in a comprehensible way without using very simplified language and filler terms (thingy, that stuff you do to do the thing, the uhm err uhhh weird round sharp thing to cut the.....pizza). I also get word salads (complete jumbles of words that make no sense), repetetive phrases and other kinds of disorganised speech, though it's worth mentioning that I also have fairly consistent psychotic symptoms that play a role in my speech.
And for what
@Anarchy mentioned: The differences between using English and using Norwegian aren't as extreme now as they used to be, probably because the barrier between those two languages seem to be steadily breaking down more and more as my overall language abilities are changing. I still would much rather speak about something uncomfortable in English. English is a language with less direct ties to trauma, it's a safer language, and a more clinical and technical language. The most uncomfortable language I can speak in is a specific Norwegian dialect that is only used in the area I grew up in. My youngest headmate still speaks this dialect, and I'm glad we mostly use nonverbal communication inside the head for this reason. Recent studies showed bidialectualism have similar cognitive effects as bilingualism, so it makes even more sense for a certain dialect to be more triggering the same ways a language can cause higher sensitivity to triggers.
When I can't speak properly, regardless of which language I'm trying to use, it's as if the translation filter between thoughts and words just goes on a strike. I like to think about thought-language and word-language as two completely separate entities. The stress of PTSD or the stress of psychosis can easily just shut down that translation filter for me, and it's such a lonely experience to be unable to express the inner world of my mind in words other humans can actually make sense of. It just adds to the stress of whatever is causing the speech problems/mutism.
I have found some ways to get that translation filter going again, though. If I first visualise the numbers 1, 2 and 3 in order repeatedly until I can clearly see those numbers in my mind and think the words "one, two, three" comfortably without cloudy, disorganised confusion, and then mouth the words without speaking until that works fine before actually saying them out loud a few times while visualising them clearly, that can help get things going again. Looking at something in a colour and repeating the same process for the name of that colour can also help. Writing things by hand before reading them out loud is another technique. If nothing works, I just type instead of speak, and if that doesn't work I just give up and roll with the nonverbality until it passes. Or take a nap. Naps are nice.
