Topic: Imagination and Alexithymia

Greetings. I am relatively new to this site, also: it is my first time posting to the forum. Emotions have always been one of life's greatest puzzles for me, but I, too, have played in the arts for as long as I can remember. In addition to fiction and poetry, I have played and written music for as long as I can remember, and have received formal training in all of these areas.

As a person who is obsessed with logic, I have spent a great deal of time wondering why I or someone like me would spend any time in art or music. After all, these pursuits are commonly thought to be expressions of passion and emotion, and do not seem to serve any logical purpose. At some point, however, I came to realize that I was using the artistic medium to reach some understanding about an emotion (mine or another's). Sometimes, I find that it takes some kind of a metaphor to reach a deeper level of truth about something that doesn't seem logical on the surface.

On that note, I have few aspirations and live life by three rules: first, question all things; second, speak only truth; third, act from logic. I have never, ever been led astray by those three rules, and when someone asks me how I feel, I tell them, "Initially, with my peripheral nervous system." I am unsure whether that is the most precise answer possible, but it tends to work.

when people ask me a question, I ask them what is the motivation for the question. This startles them. Sometimes if I answer what I understand the question to be, it turns out my answer is "wrong" (not the answer they wanted to hear). So, I ask them for the motivation so that I can provide the answer to the "question behind the question."

Example. If someone asks me what color the sky is, and I say "blue," turns out that isn't what they wanted. What they wanted to know was if it is sunny. (there are varying shades of blue sky and blue doesn't mean it's sunny.....) Thusly, I always ask the motivation for the question.

People hate this. But it's the only way I can make sure I give the answer to the "question behind the question." My mom hates this the most. It's part of why we aren't speaking.

Asking a person's motivation for their question is a fantastic idea. I'm sure it does startle some people, but at least you're less likely to provide an answer that "offends" their sensibilities. Whatever that means.

I've never been on great terms with my mom, either. I don't mean to trash talk her on the Internet, but she is, far and away, the most emotional person I've ever met. I have always come across as cold and callous to her, and on many occasions, she has taken it quite personally. My problem in the ordeal was that I kept trying to understand her. When I gave up and just let her say whatever she wanted without saying anything in return, most of the fighting stopped. Then again, that means we simply don't talk much, which is definitely okay with me.

Hi All,

I'm conducting a research study at King's College London investigating the traits of alexithymia with a gambling task, if anybody is interested in participating.

I can be reached at adam.skinner.14@ucl.ac.uk if you'd like more information regarding payment, the task, or have general questions about the study.

Hopefully hear from you soon,
Adam

Hello,

I find this site quite fascinating as I am in graduate school studying to be a psychologist (which I think skewed some of my responses since we are taught about how to identify emotions in others and somewhere along the way we gain a little bit of insight into our own). But, what I found really interesting was the imagination/fantasy vs. logic part. This is because I have been told by almost every one I know how logical and practical and concrete and realistic I am. Yet, I struggle with daydreaming and wanting to choose fantasy over reality (which I think partly arises as a means of avoiding responsibilities/procrastination/stress as a defense mechanism) and have always thought myself to be creative (danced for 16 years growing up, love art, love music, etc.). However, about 4 years ago I was diagnosed with ADHD. And everything started to make sense (of course there are more symptoms here I'm not listing so I can focus on the imagination part). Basically, ADHD has to do with your brain being wired differently and that can lead to those with ADHD thinking and acting quite differently than others. It might not be quite the same as the example about the sky being blue, but I tend to give answers that I think are appropriate to the question and 95% of the time, it has nothing to do with what I thought. I, along with others, can interpret things 3,000 different ways! And because I am logical, I need you to be COMPLETELY crystal clear! Where no other interpretations or questions can stem from what you're saying. Otherwise, you're not going to get the answer you wanted.

At any rate, I have no idea whether some of you have ADHD along with Alexithymia or not (though the whole tangential ranting from the original post is quite familiar to me), but it's possible that could account for the combination of creativity and practicality. Especially since this site mentions Alexithymia being commonly comorbid with other psychiatric conditions. And because ADHD also commonly can influence social/interpersonal functioning. I know Lifehack.org might not be the most reputable site for diagnosing yourself, but there is an article on their site about loving someone with ADHD (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/20-things-remember-you-love-person-with-add.html) and it is me to a tee - so maybe take a look and see if some things resonate with you. It's more common than some people think to be diagnosed with ADHD later in life if they have a higher IQ because that means they were able to compensate for their deficits; it's usually when things become too difficult or there is too much stress when the symptoms start becoming more apparent and less manageable (depending on the severity). Also, it's much more common for women to be diagnosed later in life because they tend to be more inattentive than hyperactive (which is more common for men) and seen later in life whereas if you're bouncing off the wall as a child, it's much easier to pinpoint at a young age. ANYWAY, sorry about my tangent, but if you read through the short article, pay special close attention to #8, 9, and 10, and possibly #14 regarding physical sensation awareness. Now, I realize not all these may fit, but I'd be interested to see if any parts of this article make sense for you guys! If they do, please reply with the numbers (so we could see if any overlap!). Hopefully that all made some kind of sense...


Thanks for listening/reading!

Hi there,
I have been officially diagnosed with alexithymia (unspecified personality disorder DSM IV) and scored 111. The questions I had the most difficulty with were exactly the questions about imagination. I did not understand what they meant with imagination (I felt confused). I suppose that this means that I do not know what imagination is and have a limited imagination, as would be 'normal' for someone with alexithymia. My thoughts throughout the day relate to solving more or less difficult questions by thinking logically about them. In no way do I involve any feelings in trying to find a solution/understanding. I would not know how to do that. I also go over past events a lot. This might relate to not being able to handle/process the disturbing emotions relating to these events, due to alexi.
I do not have ADHD. I read the text and I found that points 1 and 6 relate to me. That is because I am intellectually gifted. For Asperger I score 25 on a scale were 17 is normal and people with Asperger tend to score 32 or higher.
Alexi people appear to be a quite diverse bunch.

You are me! High imagination but trouble with feelings. I found another name for something that fits me better but I have forgotten what it is, I will get back to you!

I used to have a blog were I posted reams of my own poetry. I used to paint and sketch portraits on commission too, so I'd dispute the stereotypical "lacks imagination and artistic or creative abilities." I dream vividly and very rarely about mundane or humdrum things. I almost always "think out of the box," I just tend to look at things from a different perspective than most people do, perhaps because I'm also autistic. I simply have no understanding of have other people think or their emotions and to be honest it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I'm perfectly content to live alone, I don't need or want other people in my life.