Have you ever screamed?

[Righteouspuppy]

Like out of fear proper screamed? Was thinking today whilst watching a film that it feels unlikely I ever would. I might shout or exclaim, but a proper scream? Does anyone outside of films?

When I was a child, our two dogs (who were usually fine together) had a bad fight. We were eventually able to separate them, and I wondered what the noise was - it was me screaming.

I've screamed in frustration many many times. Not at my child but because of her and taken myself away, really screamed, not proud of it at all.

I've been terrified a couple of times and not screamed like I have with frustration

I scream far too easily. It's like a PP said - if somebody takes me by surprise in a quiet room, or my DH touches me when I don't know he's nearby. I've even screamed at work in these circumstances.

I actually find it really embarrassing. It's not an exclamation, but a definite scream. It doesn't take any effort - it happens before my logical brain kicks in.

I think screaming is a primeval instinct, many years ago through my work, I knew a lady who was born deaf, this this was long before cochlia implants etc, she also had no speech, just approving or disapproving grunts.

She fell down a flight of stairs and absolutely screamed the place down, sounded like someone was being murdered. Being deaf, she had no knowledge of what screaming sounds like, it must have been an instinctive behaviour rather than learned.

(She was fine BTW, turned out it was more of a fright than injury).

Yes, when I fell down the stairs holding my toddler, while home alone, and slammed flat on my back at the bottom with said toddler hitting my chest a split second later. Took a few seconds to stop and comfort the (completely unhurt as I took the whole force of the fall) crying toddler. It just sort of happened instinctually for a few seconds 🤷🏼‍♀️

My friends thought it would be funny to hide and jump out at me in the dark. I screamed my head of, like a proper horror movie scream and it was completely involuntary. It's a survival instinct - I guess it loudly alerts everyone to the fact that something is happening and might even scare away whatevers attacking. Freezing and not being able to make a sound is also a survival reaction and I think in the instant moment you get a shock you can't really control which you do (though you can get your conscious brain to take the wheel after that sometimes).

Incidentally I heard somewhere that almost all animals have a "scream" response to threat. It's the most commonly shared vocalisation. So it makes sense it would be instinctive in humans too.

Giving birth with no pain relief 3 times (singletons, not all at once)-very fast, intense labours. Having the local anaesthetic injected into my labia, which didn't work, then being able to feel every stitch afterwards, straight after having one of those babies with a sub 5 min second (pushing) stage. Wild day. If I had a 4th child (I won't) I'd have all the drugs. No idea what I was thinking. I can't recall ever having screamed before or since.

That's a self consciousness thing though. It's a very noisy thing to do for no reason. There are a lot of things people struggle to do in cold blood, that they do without thinking when their primeval brain tells them to.

I was hoping this would be on here!

My voice won't go high enough to scream.
I believe it's part of the reason why a doctor (read butcher) rated my pain as 2 when for me it was a 10. It seems that unless you scream and cry you are not in pain..... (All assuming you are a woman of course.)

What happened @BussiBop23 ? Did you get out of the house? Was there anyone else in the house?

How terrifying.

Yes in a car crash. No one was harmed very luckily but my DH was driving and went off the road and span over. I screamed the entire time.

I’ve done a mid range agonised “Argh” rather than the stereotypical high pitch boiling kettle movie scream (😂)

Never.

@NewYearNewMeMamma Oh God no.

I am so sorry. It shocked me just reading. So very sorry.

I definitely screamed when I gave birth to my kids and I screamed the other day when I had an IUD fitted (when they did the injection). I may or may not have screamed on seeing a mouse, years ago in my kitchen cupboard. Not screamed at a film I don't think.

Absolutely dreadful. The little bastards! Awful x

That must have been terrifying for you, did you know the person?

Yes, this. I've screamed without even realising until others told me afterwards. I've also howled with grief - more like a lonely wolf than a human sound - and screeched like a furious banshee at some muggers who took my handbag. With both the latter, I heard a sound but didn't realise it was me, or how bloody loud it was.

We must have some kind of safety switch that goes off in a crisis! Like the PPs whose partners found superhuman strength when needed, we have a muscular inhibition (this part is documented) to save us injuring ourselves all the time. When it's really needed, the inhibition releases - ordinary mothers have lifted up cars to free a trapped child, for instance.

I guess we must have similar blocks on vocal expressions, or we'd be really fucking noisy 😂

Gosh, I’m so so sorry 😞

Being woken up by the sound of hysterical terrified screaming, realising its me after a few seconds of adenine fuelled panic something really bad is happening in my bedroom

The time lag is actually the scariest bit.

Don't think I can scream. Never screamed in play as a child nor as an adult when facing challenging situations including a particularly nasty accident.

I don't remember very well but I am sure I did when I was in a car crash at 13.

I do wonder what my actual scream is like though a lot!!! Interesting thread.

I can do the arrgghh thing but I've never made a high pitched scream.

I was just speaking about fear at home though and I don't feel it in the moment, tend to deal with whats in front of me rather than react in fright. And before anyone suggests I've never been in a frightening situation, I have, potential deadly situations too, I just respond in a calm way, I'm not unusual in that, others do too. I wonder if that is a factor? After all a scream is designed as a call for help or to frighten off an attacker.

I don't think it is a forced thing though, my cousins could always scream the house down even now we are middle aged without thinking about it. Proper film type scream too.

Once but I didn't know I was doing it, it was as I was falling down 2 flights of stairs