[LoisB]

It feels like it's too many story lines going on her head at the same time. Kind of like a short-circuit if you will. I've referred to at as her having an emotional stroke and trying to recover from it. My IC mentioned it was like an IED going off and I was too close.

The narrative idea resonated with me too.

Bright, I think it's like they are working through a whole bunch of old shid and unable to stay in the present.

Like, say, they were repeatedly rejected for having feelings about something when they were a child. They were told they were being dumb for feeling the way they did. Or, they have some really deep emotional memories of something. It could be something that even they can't remember the details, but the shadow has left an imprint on their mind. Now, the mind is trying to reconcile these memories/scars.

I did a sleep study once. When they looked at my results, they noticed that I had "scars" (these blips on my sleep patterns) that were a result of the night terrors I had as a kid.

The mind records everything. And, at some point, the mind (IMO) demands the checkbook be reconciled. I think this is MLC. The mind is trying to make peace/wrap around unfinished/painful business of the past.

Imagine struggling to remain in the present, while your mind is working through a lifetime of emotional scars.

Something inside is forcing them to work through all this stuff they had pushed down for, literally, decades. And, now it's all running through their synapses at lightening speed. I know from my years of depression that, when it's at its worst, it feels like your brain may explode because your mind sorta goes into hyperdrive trying to find it's explanation of what your feeling.

Sadly, there may be NO explanation. It's just your brain resolving whatever is tripping you up. Kinda like a daytime nightmare.

And, it makes remembering stuff that previously gave you no problem...nearly impossible.

Then, on top of that...When they hear you, they hear you with the ears of a child who is reliving past, painful memories. They don't hear you as an adult. They use all your words and interactions and more fodder for these emotional battles going on inside.

If it wasn't so painful to be around, it would be kinda interesting from a psychological point of view. Freud would love this stuff.