The "primitive" reason for selective mutism

The "primitive" reason for selective mutism

It makes sense to believe that selective mutism is caused by an electrical discharge that occurs in the brain while trying to speak when speaking is expected. The electrical discharge causes anxiety, which in turn causes a desire to "escape the situation", "shut up shop", "clam up" etc.

If you believe in evolution then you can look at it this way. The brain is highly evolved, but it hasn't evolved enough to be comfortable with the requirements of using complex language. Being judged by others puts more strain on what is already a difficult task.

Trying to self-analyze the problem is likely to make it worse. It's bad enough having a low-level disturbance of the brain, but forcing that problem to be part of the day-to-day experience of your higher consciousness can only make it worse. The problem needs to be addressed at its core. People need to understand that some parts of the brain are more primitive than others and problems with those parts of the brain can't be fixed by thinking about them (or by being forced to think about them by others who don't understand).

It's important to remember that it's not your fault. It is out of your control. Don't blame youself.

Why do I believe all of this? Because I spent years self-analyzing the condition and seeing it worsen. I am a problem-solver and unfortunately this problem was too hard to solve without causing other problems. I hope I can save others from going through the same experience. Seek professional advice.

- Dazzler

I don't think it is necessarily a desire. It seems to be something that just happens.

The difference, to me, is that a desire is like a preimpulse that you have some level of control over. Lots of people have a desire to clam up in stressful situations, but in those cases they can still talk anyway.

For me being mute was not a desire. It just happened whether I wanted it to or not and would mostly have been easier if I could control it. It didn't matter what I desired because I simply wasn't talking, I don't think I would have talked even if my life depended on it.

You probably didn't mean it like that in the context of desire since you mention that it isn't our fault, but I just wanted to mention it to avoid confusion.