why can't I feel emotions?

DEALING WITH EMOTIONS YOU CAN’T DEFINE

What is alexithymia? Alexithymia is when an individual has difficulty identifying, describing, and expressing emotions. This term was coined by Peter Sifneos in 1972, and it comes from the roots of Greek words that literally mean, “lack of words for emotion.”

I could never figure out how I was feeling when I tried to explain to my Therapist. I knew I felt some type of emotion, but I could not seem to identify the emotions or feelings that were not sad or angry. I had no clue that I was lacking the ability to describe what was going on inside. When asked “How are you, all I knew was to say “Fine”, even when I was not.

I did not know that there was a name for this condition and it defined my problem to a tee. What is this condition:

Alexithymia? People who have been diagnosed with PTSD are more likely to suffer from this condition. Why? Because if early childhood abuse or trauma occurred, you learned to numb your feelings out to keep safe.

Then as we become adults and have never been able to deal with the trauma, our emotions lay dormant. We fail to learn to feel and recognize what we felt, and do not learn to express it.

RECOGNIZING THE WAYS IT SHOWS UP IN US:

• Unable to define how we feel

• Sometimes we can not interpret other people's facial expressions.

• Unable to do introspective evaluation of oneself, meaning being able to examine why we are feeling a certain way or better yet a form of Mindfulness.

I never could explain why mindfulness was so hard for me. It may have also been from lack of Empathy, or an inability to understand the concept or vice versa. For example, having no empathy for myself but having empathy for others.

Can you relate to this problem? Do you know how to truly express your emotions and feelings? If you suffer from this condition and are stumped about how to deal with it, you may find it beneficial to get professional help.

@ScarletPear1945