HOW IS ALEXITHYMIA DEFINED IN GOOGLE?

[Affects4Me1]

I just asked myself, "how is alexithymia defined in google?" answer:

alexithymia

Dictionary result for alexithymia

/ ƏleksəTHimeə /

noun

Psychiatry

noun: alexithymia

the inability to recognize or describe one's own emotions.

  YES! so what would make it so you can not recognize your emotions as feelings?

 this would be if you had totally REPRESSED your emotions, or if you read my older posts, I referred to another form of this, which I called 'THE ALEX MORPH,' which is when the primal limbic brain blocks all emotions being detected within perceptual awareness. This happens from trauma, usually childhood trauma, but also war vets can often have this happen, in PTSD, which is another form of it, when this happens in adults.

 So the question I have always had, is, what can one do about this? and I have come to believe, that hypnosis is the best way to try and reach to change this, as hypnosis works directly into the 'ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX,' which is the center of the limbic function within the brain. There must be hypnotic suggestions which seek to allow emotions feelings to yet again be experienced directly into perceptual consciousness. The other thing Id think will be a big help, is when Pot becomes legal, it can be used in therapy, to help persons be much more able to open up their feelings, and start to heal what they need to, within the limbic region. This is what I believe is the real best ways to seek to heal this stuff. ;)

[Nick Glover]

Hi all

I have many issues with the above piece, and stating that hypnosis is a useful therapy for Alexithymia.  Also that Pot might help .  its a no to both. 

Its annoying somewhat to see this as there is absolutely no evidence that hypnosis helps Alexithymia.  I have never seen it recommended in the great many accounts of possibly helpful therapies. Same goes for Grass (pot). Not one of the more or less experts re Alexithymia, recommend either. 

What clinical experience has the author of this email have ? with diagnosed Alexithymia. Where did you practice hypnosis with Alexithymia ?  Who supervised the work ?.

Could you attach a credible published research article (2000 plus to date) that shows real improvement with Alexithmia  when employing hypnosis -  post for this Group please. 

The idea that pot for those with Alexithymia has many flaws.

1, its illegal (not main issue)

2, it would not / does not effectively last but few hours. You would have to be 'high' for life !

3, Pot has different affects on people, some might get more randomly in touch with emotions, others

would feel more anxious and that is Not the best way to be in touch with emotions ! (that is just dysregulation).

4, You need clear thinking to understand one's emotions, not fuzzy thinking  

5, Used regularly would cost a bomb. 

referring to Alexithymia as 'this stuff'  what ?

Nick Glover  BSW, MA. Dip.Psych 

Psychotherapist. Clinical social Worker. 

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[Mimosa UK]

Hi , not sure about pot or hypnosis but the limbic / emotional brain can be worked on through talking therapy. In my opinion it is definitely more empowering to know you can develop more long term control over that emotional part of your brain. Trauma takes away your feelings of safety and particularly childhood trauma may have never given you enough safety to know your own feelings, let alone know how to express them. I think feeling safe is key to start finding feelings. We may not even know that we don’t feel safe as we are so used to living in survival mode ( those of us with childhood trauma or ptsd). So what I am saying is I think safety is the first step but you may not know it until you’ve got it.

[Nick Glover]

Hi, yes agree with safety (re-established) first. But that first step may be a very big one for some traumatized clients - stating the obvious. Then the development of trust,  good reliable alliance. Supportive framework. Tolerating uncertain outcomes.  

This is all before exploring stage of therapy be that in groups or individually. But its Not untreatable. 

Also one has to include the newer TAS-20 score as part of assessment -  As its the only validated measure of / for Alexithymia. 

Yes of course the brain takes a hit in all this, as does emotional health, interpersonal functioning. quality of life outcomes. 

 I am always willing to give some advice on treatment and consult to any professional ..

Cheers.

Nick Glover. Psychotherapist 

(Tasmania, Australia)

Hypnosis and or pot - definite no, very brief therapy no (too rushed).  Clearly there is a dire problem with sound (and accessible) psychotherapeutic resources for felt Alexithymia.  Also picking it up in first place, lack of treatment guidelines, nil benefit from medication, etc.  

Virus-free. www.avg.com

On Fri, Feb 8, 2019 at 10:10 AM Mimosa UK <lou6...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi , not sure about pot or hypnosis but the limbic / emotional brain can be worked on through talking therapy.  In my opinion it is definitely more empowering to know you can develop more long term control over that emotional part of your brain.  Trauma takes away your feelings of safety and particularly childhood trauma may have never given you enough safety to know your own feelings, let alone know how to express them.  I think feeling safe is key to start finding feelings.  We may not even know that we don’t feel safe as we are so used to living in survival mode ( those of us with childhood trauma or ptsd).  So what I am saying is I think safety is the first step but you may not know it until you’ve got it. 

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[Nick Glover]

Just to remind people involved in this useful  Alexithymia focused group.

I think Google might not be supporting such groups quite soon.

Whoever 'organizes' group may wish to claify and let members know optionsNick Glover

Virus-free. www.avg.com

On Fri, Feb 8, 2019 at 10:10 AM Mimosa UK <lou6...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi , not sure about pot or hypnosis but the limbic / emotional brain can be worked on through talking therapy.  In my opinion it is definitely more empowering to know you can develop more long term control over that emotional part of your brain.  Trauma takes away your feelings of safety and particularly childhood trauma may have never given you enough safety to know your own feelings, let alone know how to express them.  I think feeling safe is key to start finding feelings.  We may not even know that we don’t feel safe as we are so used to living in survival mode ( those of us with childhood trauma or ptsd).  So what I am saying is I think safety is the first step but you may not know it until you’ve got it. 

[kurokawa8]

Good to hear from you A4M. Great idea. I'd be very interested in your or another Alex's experience with hypnosis.

I asked my brainwave biofeedback therapist about hypnotherapy for alexithymia. He said well that depends on your susceptibility to hypnosis. I told him I was hypnotized twice and both times I went out like a light with no memory of the session. He said, well that's dissociation. He said he wants to guide me to a conscious daydreaming state. He said the open focus practice (previous thread), autogenic practice (progressive relaxation, body temperature biofeedback, heart rate variability biofeedback), along with the theta/beta biofeedback training (previous thread) will get me there...eventually. He also had an ethical objection to practicing hypnotherapy with regards to conscious consent of the patient. Still you have a great idea there but for a strong PTSD/dissociator like me I think I'd have a hard time getting the benefit of hypnosis.

[kurokawa8]

Whaaaat? Do you have a link?

[Nick Glover]

All interesting. But I would caution about talking about Alexithymia in terms of very unproven treatments. Promoting 'fully' unproven treatments for Alexithymia is simply unethical, quackery.

To talk about such a serious emotional 'disorder' this way is frightening, un-reflective, and rather detached. Approaching a Alexithymic client in this manner shows a Therapist just as 'detached' from his / her emotional world as might be a client. That is just a road to really poor outcomes. or as in Dire Straights song 'money for nothing'. 

Hypnosis has very little credibility, or rather any long term effectiveness, with serious mental health disorders. Really ethical hypnotherapy practitioners know this. What a way to approach genuine trauma in a person, totally by-passing the central issues of emotional disturbance and interpersonal despair.

I hate seeing potential clients 'offered' magical solutions (unproven treatments, easy fix or easy painless way out) - which is just offensive.  One has to be tentative and show some humility even with more proven or more promising treatment models.  There is a lot of scope for more reflective and more serious intelligent ides for understanding Alexithymia.  

Hypnosis or bio-feedback cannot really help become braver with confronting their hurt emotional world, let alone advance better understanding or of accepting oneself.  

Any too easy treatments which in effect skirt around, deny, or try to bypass the suffering and complexity (of say serious Alexithmia) re an affront to how trauma really comes about / affects people. 

Nick Glover  

 

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[Mimosa UK]

Hi. I am a firm believer in Judith Herman who states that interpersonal trauma can only be healed by a personal relationship. My emotional childhood was taken from me and I am getting that back now. I have been in therapy for some years but I am being parented all over again, this time in a loving, nurturing way. It’s not without pain but to feel the good side ( yes I can start to feel and name feelings now) is a process in itself and at this point in time I don’t want it to end. The focus is not on Alex at all , although there is some attention bought to it at times, it’s more about the relationship to my therapist.....so obviously my caregiver relationship with me as a child, infant and baby. I firmly believe that this is, and will change my outlook in life and stop the internal suffering.

[kurokawa8]

I haven't tried medicinal marijuana, only recreational, haha. I always get super paranoid and anxious. I smoked a super teeny tiny amount of hash once and that seemed to have the effect people talk about. I felt sleepier. I felt gauze over my head. Perhaps more comfortable in myself. I haven't tried it in conjunction with opening up my feelings. Hmm. I'll ask my counselor about that.

On Thursday, January 31, 2019 at 7:11:16 PM UTC-8, Affects4Me1 wrote:

[Mimosa UK]

And just to add on to that....for me it is all about fear of revealing my feelings in front of another , fear of my feelings and how I will react and fearing others reaction. Although with my cognitive brain I am so desperate to recover, find and express feeling, my limbic brain still tries to override this with fear. So it’s about intimacy. So i still fear the relationship between myself and therapist somewhat and of course that interferes with trust....so it has to be built up and built up as time goes on....time being the essence in my case

[Nick Glover]

excellent, good to hear

Nick 

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On Fri, Feb 8, 2019 at 7:31 PM Mimosa UK <lou6...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi. I am a firm believer in Judith Herman who states that interpersonal trauma can only be healed by a personal relationship. My emotional childhood was taken from me and I am getting that back now. I have been in therapy for some years but I am being parented all over again, this time in a loving, nurturing way. It’s not without pain but to feel the good side ( yes I can start to feel and name feelings now) is a process in itself and at this point in time I don’t want it to end. The focus is not on Alex at all , although there is some attention bought to it at times, it’s more about the relationship to my therapist.....so obviously my caregiver relationship with me as a child, infant and baby.  I firmly believe that this is, and will change my outlook in life and stop the internal suffering.

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