Thanks, Howzat for the links.

I thought that that alexithymia is more of a detachment from your emotions by not having the words to describe them (literal translation), as opposed to not having them. I have only just begun my research on this, and especially now, since reading this article and your responses, and the online test, I will be doing much more.

In analyzing myself over the last few years, with the help of my counselor/therapist, I thought dissociation was the answer, though I was sure it could not be the sweeping description of my life, as I am not dissociated from my life, but on top of experiencing as described above, I have dissociative experiences.

I see this ‘condition’ or state possibly as a result of trauma, emotional trauma, and a variety of experiences that cause a protective shutdown. I might argue that those of us with “no feelings” actually are deeply feeling, sensitive people that cannot face it, and sometimes have the ability to have some joy in possibly one area, as Mycroft describes above (I do with my children).

@Nidis I hope that through some counseling and self-examination, you can get to that place you need to be. You already are very self aware, which is more than most people, and that is what it takes. Seems easier to begin the journey of learning about ourselves when we can be detached, but when we can get to that place where we have to go beyond that, there is our choice, do we dive in, or stay on the outside?
jodi.bird

There’s also a new book out about alexithymia called ‘Emotionally Dumb: An Overview of Alexithymia’ which is reviewed and can be purchased here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6392761-emotionally-dumb-an-overview-of-alexithymia

Howzat

Can you imagine roleplaying an Alexithymic…? The mind boggles.

I’m whatever the opposite of Alexithymia is.

Such fun. [/sarcasm]

THE ALEXITHYMIA EXCHANGE at: http://groups.msn.com/ALEXITHYMIAEXCHANGE/_whatsnew.msnw

Both people with alexithymia, or if you know someone who has it, or for people who are researching or ‘just curious’ about it, all welcome to join in the discussion.

The bigger conundrum lies in an alexithymic individual’s demonstrable ability to occasionally use accurate words for feelings, ie. to get their words for emotions right (!) such as when they cry and might intellectually be able to designate what they observe as “sadness,” i.e., there are sometimes words for feelings, although artificially applied. The bigger issue may be the alexithymic individual’s inability to imagine, “to picture” one’s emotions and the emotional situation one is in, which ability would make for a *personal* intuition and a subsequent personal experience of one’s emotions rather than a purely noetic (purely intellectual) inference by way of dispassionate scientistic observation. It is this emotional-picturing mechanism, or more accurately the lack thereof, which lays at the core of alexithymia. As described by the recognised alexithymia construct there is “CONSTRICTED IMAGINAL PROCESSES” involved, suggesting that maybe a Greek term along the lines: no-images-for-emotions may have been more appropriate for this syndrome? Not that it matters.

Here is a little more about the alexithymic deficit in imagining: http://alexithymiadepot.blogspot.com/

Buck