Experiencing Mute-ism In Therapy?

[Cool Cat]

I would love to know if this is happening to anyone else.

I am finding in therapy, at least once a session the past few weeks I go mute, i actually can't open my mouth to speak. And this can happen for as long as 10-15 minutes.

It's really annoying, thats more than 1/4 of a session lost. Then, weirder still, when I do start to talk, weirder things like me going hoarse happen too.

It usually happens when I'm trying to talk about something difficult. But never happened before, when I was talking about more difficult things.

 

[scout86]

Kind of. I've never had my T let it go on for that long. When it becomes obvious I either can't say anything or can't think of anything to say, he changes the subject, usually to something totally irrelevant and, therefore, safe.

 

[Reds]

It happens to me, the wrist part of it is that when I'm mute for long then I get so angry with myself then I end up walking out during the session. my therapist had to find a way to make me stay for my entire session, so if I'm mute for long then she leaves the room. That way she can come back and we can continue with the session.
I think its a normal thing, I don't know why we do it though.

 

[Cool Cat]

I find once it's there, even if he changes the subject it doesnt work

 

[therisa]

@Cool Cat , my therapist has me, write it out, what I'm struggling to say, or draw it out, which usually works. As I find it, easier to communicate this way, with her, over talking.

 

[Cool Cat]

Thanks guys, what exactly is it? It genuinely drives me insane, it wastes so much valuable therapy time.

 

[therisa]

Everyone handles stress, in a different way, @Cool Cat , especially, when we are talking about abusive or traumatic situations, that has resulted, in PTSD. Wish, I had a better answer, for you, than this.

 

[joeylittle]

I do it too. My therapist will ask me where my head is at, though, after about 3-4 minutes. I can usually get drawn out by that. Or, if it's in the middle of trying to talk about something, he'll tell me to take my time, which usually alleviates it. If I were you, I'd talk openly with therapist about how you can start to negotiate those mute periods more effectively. I do know if it's gone on for longer than 6, 7 minutes for me, I won't get out of it without a great deal of effort, so I need the prompting early.

 

[Cool Cat]

Yeah, once you go a few minutes it's soo hard to get back. Last session was probably the longest I've ever gone. I think it happens when I'm unconciously fighting back tears

 

[ghotiff]

For me it comes with the freeze response.

 

[FindingMyself88]

For me, it happens when we are going into some deep stuff and it requires me to be vulnerable with my thoughts and feelings. Growing up it was not safe for me to express my feelings and that has carried over into adulthood. When I get stuck inside myself, my therapist gently "pokes" and pulls. She will say things like "I don't know where your at if you don't tell." "At least let me know you aren't dissociated." "is it a feeling, thought, memory, vision?" Then I get frustrated sometimes because I can't explain whats in my head and she tells me "no judgement here, its okay." If it goes on too long, she will go back to a slightly easier topic and work our way around it. Normally if this happens, I can eventually find a way to explain it. Sometimes its just I am overwhelmed with feelings and I am fighting myself to let them out. If this is the case, she will let me sit with it as she says I need to learn to let my feelings out and sit with them, they aren't going to hurt me.

 

[shimmerz]

For me it is because the trauma was pre-verbal. I somehow can write though. Eyes are closed and writing is hardly legible, but I know what I am trying to write. I know what I am attempting to say but cannot somehow speak it. The voice inside of me is clear as to what is happening.