Venting Does anyone else struggle to talk or move when in crisis?

[littlemushroom]

I summoned what's left of my willpower and strength to walk to the GP. They told me there's not much they can help me with. I think they think I'm faking it. Would it be alright if I just lay down and stopped moving? I'm very tired. The noise in my head is unbearable, I am in absolute agony and yet I no longer have the strength to keep moving even to end it all. I feel frozen to the spot. I just want to lie down and fade away. Does anyone else feel like that? What do you do?

 

[Ash]

I do this and was told it's a form of disassociation. There are many different types but with me, it's a trauma response (freeze) and when things get too much psychologically, I go back to it. Sometimes my mind stays alert but I don't speak and can't move of my own accord. Sometimes my brain and body both shut down and I can lose hours and am completely unresponsive at a cognitive level though the core functions carry on.

It's extremely complicated so don't take this as a diagnosis, just something to look at with a psychologist or psychiatrist.

ETA For me, coming out of it involves grounding techniques. They're different for everyone. I'm suddenly exhausted but remind me later and I'll talk you through some of mine. But first it's time. Can't do anything until brain and body are both responsive and starting to listen to each other.

 

[Dot]

Jst an FYI t/ follw on frm @Ash thre r sme groundng tchnques on anxty crsis thred

'Crisis' Resources for anxiety attacks and emotional overwhelm

Written by @Dot, I am just being the voice so more people can understand it. Okay, so you are having an anxiety episode. We have compiled a list of different coping mechanisms and ways to calm down through mind and body - from cognitive strategies to physical methods to different things that...

sanctioned-suicide.net

 

[Ash]

I remembered I described them for someone else a while back in this thread.

Using your senses to connect you back to the real world. They vary from quite ethereal to practical, depending on your tastes. Personally, I to do things like

• 3 things I can see, 2 I can feel, 1 I can hear
• run my hands under cold water
• things I can see that are blue (a common colour; might need to do grey if outdoors in a town or green if in nature)
• identify the different objects around me (sometimes very basic like wall, chair, carpet etc!)

There are LOADS of techniques out there. You can adapt each one to you tastes. My 3, 2, 1 is taken from a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 as it's also meant to include taste and smell but my taste and smell are rubbish so no good in this situation. They're meant to be quick and easy and very a little bit more difficult as you "come to". If you can't answer, skip it and move on. If you overwhelm your brain, it'll retreat back into disassociation. If you keep it too easy for too long, it'll stay in in the comfort zone.

Some people respond better to touching things, some do better from looking and describing, some from listening. We're all different and there is no right way, so long as you're slowly inching forwards along that precarious rope bridge.

Disassociation, incidentally, is your brain's way of protecting you. Coming back to reality is a bit like tempting a frightened cat down from the top of a tree.

 

[TheLastBoyOnEarth]

Yeah, I've been through considerable trauma and passivity is now my usual response to stress or danger. I just freeze as a defense mechanism. I tried to change it, but my brain reacts to problems like quicksand: the more i move, the worse it'll get. even when it does not make any sense.