Anyone have selective mutism?

@MeNitta33

I do not have it. although....if i feel extremely uncomfortable I have the tendacy to not talk. If i sense something wrong I may just randomly burst into tears without context.

@MeNitta33

hi there,

yes I have it... it comes up when I either have to deal with a person that I want to / need to show respect to but they are very confrontational. It also comes up when dealing with trauma or being in a situation that evokes a trauma / ptsd response - so being in the hospital, or being in a counsellor's office and trying to speak about deep wounds of trauma.

For me, if I went to my counsellor's office to talk about something that deeply hurt me, I would end up unable to speak and almost pass out, I would not be able to hold my body upright. So we changed to me doing sessions with them online, I could not speak at all but I could type. It allowed me to get things out without feeling as threatened by their presence. Sometimes I would type everything out in advance and then they would read it during our sessions and we would discuss it. Little by little things started to get better. After 3 years, I went in and could talk about those topics in person. New topics might have to start online / typing again.

IMO it routes from deep trauma and a protective response. I found art therapy also helpful - that is specifically geared towards children who can't speak after so much trauma in their lives.

You are not alone, I totally understand what it is like and how it makes you feel about yourself and others