anyone else just not feel anything???

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aerithstrelitzia
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17 Sep 2023, 8:28 am

what the title says, but specifically when you're not feeling any specific emotions? it's not even a "neutral" feeling or a feeling of numbness, I just straight up don't feel anything.
sorry if this doesn't make sense.


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GadgetGuru
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17 Sep 2023, 8:38 am

aerithstrelitzia wrote:
what the title says, but specifically when you're not feeling any specific emotions? it's not even a "neutral" feeling or a feeling of numbness, I just straight up don't feel anything.
sorry if this doesn't make sense.

What you're describing could be Alexithymia:

"Alexithymia, also called emotional blindness, is a neuropsychological phenomenon characterized by significant challenges in recognizing, expressing, and describing one's own emotions.

It is associated with difficulties in attachment and interpersonal relations.

While there is no scientific consensus on its classification as a personality trait, medical symptom, or mental disorder, alexithymia is highly prevalent among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ranging from 50% to 85% of prevalence."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexithymia


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17 Sep 2023, 9:14 am

I was thinking alexithymia to. I have that and most of the time I feel nothing. I can feel angry, amused, and sometimes sad. Those emotions I know. Beyond that? I'm not sure. The best I have is to pay mind to physical things...like a standard headache, changes in my speech, or elevated heartrate. Then I can think about what's happened in the day or in the past week and try to figure out if I'm feeling something based on whatever situation happened and then insert the correct word accordingly. It doesn't help me actually feel that emotion, but it can be helpful in communicating with others. I really don't like feeling feelings. It's uncomfortable to me and feeling nothing is what I prefer.



goatfish57
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18 Sep 2023, 11:34 am

I am not numb but challenged. "FleeOfChill" stated it nicely. I can feel angry, sad, amused, and a few others. The more subtle emotions are difficult for me to understand. Strong emotions scare me and I try to avoid them.

This has caused me untold trouble in the NT world and left me bitter and alone. I am trying to improve, but after 65 years, this old dog does not learn new tricks quickly.

A lack of emotional awareness was the cause of many mistakes I made in my life.


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Last edited by goatfish57 on 18 Sep 2023, 12:18 pm, edited 4 times in total.

blitzkrieg
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18 Sep 2023, 11:40 am

Yes.

I do have emotions, but they live under a surface of sorts and I am unable to identify them by introspection most of the time.

I only really can tell if emotions are turbulent. More subtle ones I can barely describe.



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19 Sep 2023, 7:32 am

I think I'm sort of like that, but the emotional side does come out sometimes, especially when I'm alone. To me it's a treat to feel emotional and I savor the feelings, even sadness is OK. They make me feel alive. Do you ever get alone time and be able to talk, sing, dance or think whatever? It's rather wonderful.


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