Alexithymia

Alexithymia is also known as '“emotional blindness”.

Individuals can have difficulty in emotional recognition, understanding, articulation and regulation of emotions.

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Key Characteristics

1. Struggles to verbally describe emotions

Might detect they feel good or bad but not able to label a specific emotion.

2. Struggles to recognise signs of emotional distress

It might be difficult to link own physical sensations to emotions.

3. Difficulty with resolving internal psychological conflict

Has a high risk of developing anxiety and low mood.

4. Difficulty differentiating between bodily processes and emotions.

It can hard to determine if it is hunger cues, exhaustion or anxiety.

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How many does it affect?

Approximately 1 in 10 individuals experience Alexithymia. However, this is higher among individuals with neurodiversity (autism and ADHD), those with Parkinson’s disease, those that experience mental health conditions (OCD, PTSD and anxiety) and those that have experienced adverse childhood events.

Alexithymia is considered a personality trait and not a medical diagnosis. Although it is not a medical diagnosis Alexithymia is associated with many medical and mental health conditions.

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Alexithymia includes both cognitive and emotional elements:

• Emotional

  • Difficulty recognising and identifying own emotions.

  • Emotional signals might be faint or not easily detectable.

  • Difficulty identifying subtle differences between emotions. E.g. excitement vs. fear, sadness vs. disappointment.

• Cognitive

  • Difficulty in describing or articulating emotions in words.

  • More inclined to focus thoughts externally compared to internally. E.g. what is happening in the outside world vs. what is happening internally.

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Management and support

1. Mindfulness

Practice observing and noticing bodily sensations which help to connect with emotions.

2. Journaling

Writing about experiences and events can help to reflect on thoughts and feelings. This can help to bring emotional connection to recent events.

3. Feelings wheel

Using a feelings wheel can help to practice labelling emotions.

A frequent risk factor for Alexithymia is often extreme stress. Therapy can help with stress management which can improve emotional identification and connection.

4. Therapy

Psychological therapy can help to connect with emotions, build on emotion regulation skills and build emotional resilience.

A frequent risk factor for Alexithymia is often extreme stress. Therapy can help with stress management which can improve emotional identification and connection.