Forgetting how to talk when very emotional?

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GamerPrincess
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

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Joined: 26 Jan 2015
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Posts: 27

27 Jan 2015, 10:54 am

I tend to go non-verbal when I feel intense emotions.
There is two reasons for that:
First, I have Narcolepsy with Cataplexy, cataplexy is a condition (unique to narcolepsy) that makes you lose muscle control and muscle tone. It is linked to emotions (especially strong ones). It is very variable and depends on people. Usually it also depends on the suddenty on the emotion.
When I get scared+surprise, I collapse on the floor entirely for a few seconds/maximum a minute. When finding something funny (it has to be really funny!), my arms weakens and my knee buckles. When I am sad, my jaw get slack and my words come out as sluggish and it is difficult to articulate.
Now even when the cataplexy is over, I still take a lot of time to process emotions, and I am completely unable to form sentences during that period (I can blurt out some words sometimes). I find it impossible to process emotions AND talk at the same time.

I was regularly punished by my mom because I couldn't talk when sad/upset and she thought I was ignoring her (and never believed me anyway). I was also mocked a lot and called stupid. Because of that, I absolutely AVOID feeling anything in front of people, and if I start feeling anything, I remove myself out of the situation, take the time to process everything, and come back with words to explain things.
If I can't escape... well I end up panicking and crying. Usually makes things worst.

It's quite a relief to see that other people also experience this!