I have a strange problem, and I'm not sure if it's just me being a bit mad, or what.

Does anyone find they are unable to talk and find it extremely difficult moving when they space out? I know I'm spacing out, but it is like it is impossible to form sentences in my head, let alone speak. It's really quite scary, today I thought I would never speak again, I thought I'd actually forgotton how to permanently. Then when everything 'cleared' I felt I could think, see, hear, feel, move clearer and easier. It's like something in my brain is jamming, then when it lifts everything feels less muffled or blocked? It's like everything simply stops working, body and mind.

I don't know if it's spacing out or some type of extreme depression at times, or if I'm plain crazy.

Just want to know if anyone else gets this or not ?

Thanks

L.

Lisa I also experience this sort of freezing. A while ago I asked about it in the private section so you might want to look at the responses I received back in January. It seems to be a kind of panic, but one where you lose the ability to move, etc. and are overcome with negative thoughts. Initially I thought it was something else entirely but as panic it is related to this problem more than others.

Lisa,

I know when my stress levels get high, usually that night or the next day I pay for it. Sometimes I literally have to force myself to speak when spoken to when all I want to do is remain silent and just withdrawn into myself. A lot of times I'll just go to bed to be left alone.

I've wondered if I do a minor 'shut down' because my brain has been over worked (for lack of a better phrase) and extra external stimulus is just too much to deal with at that time.

Blocked is a very good description of how I feel during these times. And once it lifts, it's quickly gone.

Hope this helps.
Lisa

Hi Andre and Lisa

Thank you for your posts, it's good to read others have similar experiences. I think you are both right - panic and shut down is what it feels like. Though the fear isn't felt until it clears, then I was shaking and tearful for hours. It was like if I could walk and I wanted to go out of the room I'd have to look for the door! Worse than usual 'spacing out' for me.

I am also under a lot of stress at the moment. I sit exams next week, and even though university have released some pressure by saying I can sit half now and half in August, I still cannot concentrate for the life of me. I feel on the verge of a breakdown.

But anyway, thank you guys for your comments, at least I don't feel like I'm going totally crazy!

Lisa.

I think it is a form of dissociation, a protection mechanism when you become overloaded. I just go into a trance and I can't move, like everything around me is still going on but I am in slow motion. I just have to switch gears, when I feel it coming on, get up and do something else, focus on a task and it doesn't hit as hard. It it does hit hard, i usually end up in bed sleeping it off. What a pain in the ass huh?

Yes I know what your going threw. I am so spaced out in stressful situation that I cant function and something in my brain shuts down. I get spaced out in non stressful sitiation. I have ask my Doctor about this. He told me that it was my coping skill that a part of my brain is shutting down. I worked in sugery but no longer. I cant stand not to work so I have transferred to another position. A much lesser position in my hospital. It sucks. This is my number one symtom of PTSD that I must overcome. Dont know if that possible. New to threapy and any TX for this. Just hadnt got that far. But you cannot freeze in surgery. I miss my job.

MY doctor suffers as a vet himself. The only way we could find out what I was trying to say. He gave an example of himself being in a foxhole and guns firing everywhere. He could see and responsed but he couldnt hear anything. As if that sence that he didnt need at the moment went away due to brain overload.

So I truly believe that it is a coping skill to just shut down some parts of your brain and yours is speech.

I am new to all of this and do not like replying to much but I was happy to hear someone else had a similar symptom.