Discussion Alexithymia what is worse?

[DoNotLet2]

Hello
Just stumbled upon this
Alexithymia. A disorder that makes people feel nothing at all. Because of it the people suffering from it can't feel anything. It was shown as a disorder. I understand that the part of feeling too much physical pain but not experiencing mental pain is good. The main problem is that the main character in the video couldn't communicate with people well she couldn't even call for help.
So which scenario is better?
1) You experience endless mental pain with little to no relief. It can't be stopped. Nothing works. No happiness at all. But on the other hand you can communicate with people quite well.
2) You can't feel anything. No happiness at all but no pain either. People can't understand you and you can't understand them.
I'm asking this because showing the inability to suffer mental pain showm as a disorder got me confused.

 

[262653]

As one of the YT commenters have pointed out, whoever voiced her has clearly talked with emotions. What a poser.

How that is suffering if she can't feel anything? :think:

Would someone who has no emotions be able to experience empathy? Or would such person be only driven with pain and pleasure, and maybe instincts?

I chose second option because the first one guarantees mental pain (suffering) while being able to communicate with others is no guarantee of pleasure or contentment. (I'd still stick to the second option even if the pleasure/contentment was guaranteed.)

 

[DoNotLet2]

As one of the YT commenters have pointed out, whoever voiced her has clearly talked with emotions. What a poser.

How that is suffering if she can't feel anything? :think:

Would someone who has no emotions be able to experience empathy? Or would such person be only driven with pain and pleasure, and maybe instincts?

I chose second option because the first one guarantees mental pain (suffering) while being able to communicate with others is no guarantee of pleasure or contentment. (I'd still stick to the second option even if the pleasure/contentment was guaranteed.)

Ok so it's a fake story but the disorder is real. That's from a channel that specializes in animating fake stories.

Yes, that's a good question XD But the pains are also mentioned. The girl has chronic pain.

No pleasure, no pain. But yup it surprises me that she does anything to live normally.

 

[TheSoulless]

Option 2. I don't like pain, plain and simple.

I like how the girl looks like Rei, an emotionless character from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Have you seen it? At some point in the story

Spoiler

the main character has to make a decision very similar to what you wrote here.

As one of the YT commenters have pointed out, whoever voiced her has clearly talked with emotions. What a poser.

It's not the person in the story. Someone else read it.

 

[262653]

It's not the person in the story. Someone else read it.

That's how I understood it, what I'm saying is that the voice doesn't fit the character. But whatever.

Ok so it's a fake story but the disorder is real. That's from a channel that specializes in animating fake stories.

Yes, that's a good question XD But the pains are also mentioned. The girl has chronic pain.

No pleasure, no pain. But yup it surprises me that she does anything to live normally.

Oh I haven't watched the whole video. Couldn't cope with one of my fav anime characters being voiced in such a cringeworthy manner.

...ok, I watched some of it, and the low pain tolerance is mentioned. Still don't understand why would that be necessarily related to not being able to experience emotions... ok, emotions are usually accompanying certain... tangible feelings in the body? She doesn't feel emotions but she feels the body reaction... Just like I felt my stomach paining every time I went to school, especially during mondays (start of the working week). I don't remember if I felt emotions, but I felt pain that usually goes with them... So that she had to use her rational brain to figure out more about her body responses so that she can find the way to alleviate her pain...

6:10 "fearing that I would have that strange attack again" (lol gotcha)

So she still has the pain that in most people comes with emotions, or in other words, she still has to react to her "emotional" pains, in order to eliminate/alleviate them. It's not as good as I thought it would be. She has to rely on her rational brain more... and how much she suffers might depend on how intelligent she is.
I know all too well how it's like not to be adequately smart to compensate for the lack of emotions, that could partly be why I value intelligence so much, in myself and others. Maybe such condition could be more of a blessing, in the right circumstances. Funny. One would think that "double-edged sword" idiom would be more applicable to emotional people.

 

[Life sucks]

I have experience of both. Both are extremely bad but I'll always choose 1.
I always prefer my extreme depression with extreme pain period and never the anhedonic period which is one of the ugliest experiences (Actually this one is also painful).

 

[DoNotLet2]

Option 2. I don't like pain, plain and simple.

I like how the girl looks like Rei, an emotionless character from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Have you seen it? At some point in the story

Oh. No I haven't though it's on my to watch list.

That's how I understood it, what I'm saying is that the voice doesn't fit the character. But whatever.


Oh I haven't watched the whole video. Couldn't cope with one of my fav anime characters being voiced in such a cringeworthy manner.

...ok, I watched some of it, and the low pain tolerance is mentioned. Still don't understand why would that be necessarily related to not being able to experience emotions... ok, emotions are usually accompanying certain... tangible feelings in the body? She doesn't feel emotions but she feels the body reaction... Just like I felt my stomach paining every time I went to school, especially during mondays (start of the working week). I don't remember if I felt emotions, but I felt pain that usually goes with them... So that she had to use her rational brain to figure out more about her body responses so that she can find the way to alleviate her pain...

6:10 "fearing that I would have that strange attack again" (lol gotcha)

So she still has the pain that in most people comes with emotions, or in other words, she still has to react to her "emotional" pains, in order to eliminate/alleviate them. It's not as good as I thought it would be. She has to rely on her rational brain more... and how much she suffers might depend on how intelligent she is.
I know all too well how it's like not to be adequately smart to compensate for the lack of emotions, that could partly be why I value intelligence so much, in myself and others. Maybe such condition could be more of a blessing, in the right circumstances. Funny. One would think that "double-edged sword" idiom would be more applicable to emotional people.

In that case I understand! I also dislike when somebody insults my favorite fiction characters.

Why is it correlated? I think it's because she deals with emotions very poorly so what we consider "little pain" she might consider "oh no I'm dying". But I am probably wrong.

I have experience of both. Both are extremely bad but I'll always choose 1.
I always prefer my extreme depression with extreme pain period and never the anhedonic period which is one of the ugliest experiences (Actually this one is also painful).

Good to see a perspective from someone who knows it! Could you elaborate on it more?

 

[Rue89]

I'd rather feel nothing. I don't understand people or communicate well anyway. I figure I'm used to it so it wouldn't be too hard to adjust to not understanding at all. Plus if I can't feel anything I wouldn't care that I can't communicate well.

 

[DoNotLet2]

@rue89 Yeah if someone can't communicate anyway lack of pain would be a better option.

 

[Sk1n1M1n]

I think we will all be sleeping 's someone spoke emotionless I son ow someone like that and I'm sure the robot on sellout 4 has more emotions than her so boring l could sleep is she ever talks to me.

 

[Life sucks]

Sorry for the very late reply. Feelings are a part of the brain and its chemicals. No feelings actually means the brain is damaged and this damage could be very painful and prevents the regular brain functionality. Logic and emotions aren't mutually exclusive and a functional brain should be able to do them both. Without a completely functional state, the brain is stuck and one doesn't feel alive or dead. Its an ugly thing that nobody should experience.

On the other hand, the other option has feelings and pain but the brain is more functional. The pain could be a distraction from a bigger pain sometimes. The brain is more functional which means the pain could be reduced and motivation exists but in the second option, there is no motivation even with pain.

Its way harder to deal with the second option because of the lack or damage of brain functionality and because its still a negative and ugly state. In the first option, however, there are more tools and distractions available.

 

[DoNotLet2]

@Life sucks so you say that pain is actually better because you can deal with it somehow? Do I understand you?
I cannot disagree to be honest. In some cases you can fight the pain. Not in all though.

 

[Life sucks]

@Life sucks so you say that pain is actually better because you can deal with it somehow? Do I understand you?
I cannot disagree to be honest. In some cases you can fight the pain. Not in all though.

Yea, feelings can give motivation to reduce the pain but anhedonia removes that motivation and that makes it ugly and dangerous.

 

[Burned out]

I have Alexithymia. Sometimes the sensation of an emotion is very weak, sometimes it's there but I don't really have words for it. I can feel an emotion but not believe it's a valid emotion, like people with imposter syndrome, I don't believe it's my emotion. It really makes communication difficult, especially when saying that there's something wrong.

Calling this "no feelings" isn't accurate at all.