Is it possible to go "partially" non-verbal?

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I can't speak when I'm really stressed. It's annoying, because my girlfriend is trying to figure out what's wrong and I want to tell her (I even have the answer in my head) but can't say it

I am wondering where the no-talkie problem is for people. Is it that you have the words in your mind, but you cannot speak them with your mouth, or is it that you cannot come up with the words in your mind, so there are no words for you to speak with your mouth, or is it both, like it is for me?

I cannot come up with the words in my mind for conversational speech, and I cannot speak the words with my mouth for reading outloud. The whole pathway seems to shut down, and it seems completely overwhelming to do anything with words at all.

That. What I mean when I say that I can't talk/speak: I know what I want to say but I can't. I can open my mouth but producing sounds feels so difficult that nothing gets out. When I keep trying to talk, I usually focus so much on trying to get talking work that I lose the exact wording at some point (rather quickly actually).


In situations when I don't have words in mind but want and can talk (when the mechanics for talking function fairly normally), I usually just say something I know by heart. Something awesome like "oh, look, a duck" (though there's no duck) or "cool/hot" (as in, cool or hot weather) or even declare my state of mind or opinion in 1-word-"sentences" or exclaim "urgh" or sigh dramatically and in what is hopefully a somewhat sophisticated manner.

I have a lot of conversational speech (= small talk, right?) that others have said at some point memorised (it got stuck in my memory and I only need to recall it) so this doesn't prove to be a problem as mightily universal/as ever-present as it perhaps does for others.

Yeah, this. You have the words in your head, but your mouth will not say them. I think I have had this much more than I was even aware of..
Stress is usually the major factor here..

Sincerely,
Matthew

I've found I have four different types of losing speech .


1. I can't come up with thoughts - this most often is associated with being unable to make decisions and not being able to say anything because of that.

2. The most common generally applied type, I cannot convert thoughts to words.

3. Knowing what you want to say, but not being able to communicate it clearly, though still having ability to force it through if you put enough effort in - this is associated with migraines to me.

4. Knowing what I want to say and not being able to create words with my mouth and vocal cords no matter how hard I try. This sometimes includes not being able to communicate them in other manners either, and sometimes is limited to speech.

Shutdowns tend to be type 4 occurring at the same time as 1 or 2 (which depends on the situation). Each of them occur at times on their own as well though.

When I lose speech it's usually fairly sudden and often either before or after a full shutdown (it might happen during but since I can't really do anything during one I don't know).

I can't produce words verbally. I can usually still write, and I can even sing, but I can't speak. It usually lasts anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days. I also have problems with either being unable to assemble the words I want to say or being unable to say them when I know what I want to say.

It's hard to describe the process of losing speech, and it's actually kind of frustrating to try. I mostly feel like something shuts off and I lose speech (and more rarely, reading and writing).

I don't know if I have a comment on going non verbal. It does not seem true to say I do and it also would not seem true to say it hasn't happened. One day my counselor looked up selective mutism and he thought that sounded similar to what I used to be like. I could still say some words though. (if my routine or predictability changed, I am not sure what would happen.).

I commented here because I have had a couple experiences in the past where the words that came out was what someone was sayjng to me. The first time I can recall right now someone called me a swear word and I repeated it back to him but just came out and the guy slapped me in the face. Another time I repeated sentence or a sentences. This could have happened more times, and it may have, but it is hard to really call that echolalia because it does seem like that might not really be true.

I was at a cell phone store and there was trouble with the account and they required me to talk on the phone. I thought their rules were ridiculous, which I told them and debated it. They had been telling me contradictory things. The person I was with, told me it was obvious I was having trouble talking but I did not realize that, probably because I was so mad.

I have been told I verbally suck but that is not nonverbal. It seems like I often trouble putting my thoughts into words. It feels like I have my thoughts all at once, or sonething like that but not exactly, and then I have to figure out how to put into something else, words out of my mouth or fingers if typing. But I can write better.

Sometimes it is hard to explain my thoughts, even for non-complex things, and I just say what I can use.

Oh, I have often also had to use quotes and find words and sentences I can recall. I will go look at them to remind me how to say some things.