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?

It was a complete involuntary thing for me, and probably saved my life. When I was pushed into a dark corner, many years ago I was screaming without thought or decision. He did what he wanted next, I can't elaborate but when I caught my breath I was screaming. My body did it for me and the guy ran away. It know some people freeze but I was screaming without thought. Not my choice.
Lucky you OP. I sincerely hope you never find out how you react.

I definitely have full screamed on rollercoasters and at fright night type events where a man chases you with a chainsaw.
In real life I've screamed a couple of times but it's been when really horrifying things have happened

@betterangels Thank you. I'm now registered with the local carers association (Ncompass) and they once offered me counselling which I readily accepted but when I was eventually phoned by the counsellor, it was a man who only offered CBT and when I said I didn't think that was for me, having sat in on many sessions of CBT for dh and that I wanted more of a "talking" therapy, he got very stroppy with me as he specialised in CBT. I went back to Ncompass and requested a different type of counselling to CBT and ive never heard anything about it since. I really don't know how to access counselling any other way. I've had to try and put it to the back of my mind, in a way it felt good this morning typing it all out on here. I hesitated about posting it but I felt relieved after, even though I'm telling a bunch of strangers, it felt good to be free to say what happened to me.

Yes, I have. And trust me, you could too in the right situation. It’s a real instinctual fight or flight thing.

I was in my ground floor bedroom getting changed. Winter’s evening so dark outside. Thought I heard a noise like a faint tapping on the window — looked up and caught a strange man with his face pressed against the glass, watching.

It wasn’t a contrived noise at all, just came pouring out of me involuntarily and at incredible volume. I wasn’t even aware I could produce a noise like that. Blood-curdling is the perfect word. Everyone in the house came running towards the room, as I was crashing out of it like a hunted animal to lock myself in the bathroom! Embarassingly I didn’t spare a thought for anybody else, I just screamed the house down then turned and fled!

I'm so sorry you've had that experience with therapy! I don't know what to suggest for an alternative, as I'm outside the UK, but perhaps support groups for spouses online? I'm not sure, but I hope you know that you are worth finding an outlet and someone to listen. I journal, personally, and find it helpful to get thoughts down 'on paper'. I hope you find something that works for you. You matter. Excuse the platitude but it's true. Good luck.

What a strange thing to think. Most people can't cry or vomit on demand either, but both those reactions are normal emotional responses to some things. Even laughing is hard to do convincingly if it's not genuine.

This thread is horrifying ~ you can tell it's 👻 month!

Also, I've never thought about it but not since I was a kid and spankings were a thing 😂

Thank you 💕

I used to work in an office that was mouse infested. I went to collect a sample from the back and as I reached for the hanger, a mouse was crawling up the collar.
I’m pretty sure I screamed loudly (although I don’t remember actually doing it) as a couple of people came rushing over, asking if I was ok!

I didn’t scream during childbirth, it was more weird low mooing sounds, according to dh.

I was involved in a car accident a while back, I saw the car coming towards us, it was speeding and not slowing down, dh was driving and pulling into our driveway. It was almost like time slowed down in the seconds before, I was completely silent except for a low ‘ohhh’ just as the car crashed into my side.

@betterangels Thank you so much for taking the time to write those very kind words, it means such a lot to me, thank you.

He ran away on being disturbed (with a handful of purses, phones etc)

Whenever I've properly screamed it's been totally instinctive and, like a few pps have said, it's taken a while for me to register that I am even doing it. It's always been in situations where something unexpected happen and I feel in danger of physical harm (sometimes correctly, sometimes not). When I've been in real physical pain my reaction has been silence (even birth with no pain relief) and when I've been terrified for the safety of a loved one I have just gone almost numb and got on with what was needed,

My most recent true scream was at a theme park with my teens. Neither of us had been on a particular ride before and it was one of those that you can't see from outside. I had never been on a coaster that goes upside down (and had no intention of ever doing so) but we were all under the impression that this one would be quite fast and dark, but not very scary and definitely not upside down. It was actually incredibly fast and most of the ride was loops around and upside down. Just before the end I became aware that I could hear a dreadful shrieking noise then gradually realised it was me. It must have been bad, as the staff asked me if I was OK when I got off, and my throat hurt for days.

As a teen, when I stood on mouse entrails, that was a true scream into a wail ...

As an adult, only squawks when someone surprises me 😅

@catlesslady - I screamed like that on the Dragon at Legoland 😳

When I broke my ankle and dislocated it, was in agony and screamed then.

That seems to be what screaming is for. Warn the others, scare the predator.

And flight is evolutionarily normal.

I scream a lot in my sleep. I have awful nightmares.
Awake I can only think of one. I was a teenager and my family played a prank on me that involved a light bulb and a home made mannequin.
I screamed and fell down the stairs.

Three times. All of which were out of body fear/pain responses.

Once in a high speed car crash.

Once when having to have an episiotomy without pain relief because my epidural didn’t take.

Once when my then one year old fell from something high when they were in the care of someone else. I was too far to help but close enough to see.

It was completely instinctive and involuntary for me.

I have screamed when a spider ran across my body. It was totally out of my control and the sound just came out of me like it was someone else screaming

I've never thought about this until now but actually- no, never, not even once.

I've been in plenty of traumatic situations though- victim of an armed robbery- by two men with guns, broken femur in an accident, childbirth with forceps, car accident etc

No idea why- I tend to go very very quiet and my mind starts planning how to fix it/get out of it and screaming seems like a distraction from survival planning.

Not judging anyone who does btw, I recognise its an instinctual reaction but I've just always gone into very silent planning mode in a crisis.

Trigger alert is needed in the title.

Erm, yeah. Loads! I scream more than I cry, I think.

Rollercoasters (hate them! Don't go on them any more.)

Being splashed with cold water can make me scream.

Spiders, wasps, particularly gnarly unexpected moths. Actually the wasp one is ridiculous and I know it but I can't help it - it is a proper phobia. I have thought of getting some kind of therapy for it but I haven't found anyone offering such a service and I am not bothered about going to a wildlife park and touching tarantulas etc. I would like not to turn into an insane person when a wasp is near my children though.

Childbirth x2 - by the third one I figured out how to channel it into a sort of roar instead which felt amazing. The second one was a bloody nightmare because I got far enough in that I went - fuck this, I remember this and it gets worse - I'll have the epidural - and then it DIDN'T WORK AT ALL DH was like "Maybe it is taking the edge off a bit and you just haven't noticed?"

If I think DC have/are about to do something dangerous - DH always gets annoyed because he thinks I freak them out (I probably do TBF )

On things like a rope climbing course if it feels like I'm going to fall off. Even though I know I'm attached with a rope it's still an instinctive thing.

When being tickled, if I cannot move away.

Sometimes when surprised - this is very rare but it has definitely happened. Like rollercoasters, I tend to avoid things with jump scares.

Yes to car accidents. Though luckily I've not been in that many. Only one as an adult.

When my dad played a trick on me as a child by cutting a carrot wrapped in kitchen roll, pretending it was his thumb. I saw tiny bits of orange come off and thought they were drops of blood. I can actually remember this really clearly!

I have very, very occasionally screamed in anger/desperation in extreme circumstances. I am not proud of this, because it's a horrible thing to do.

I couldn't do it as a conscious effort either. It's an involuntary reaction. Sometimes when I've screamed, I've burst into tears immediately afterwards too - usually when it's a fear response.

However I am starting to think reading this thread that I am a proper screamy weirdo (I promise I have never screamed at any chapels!)

I think the title is the trigger alert tbh .

Roller coasters get me every time

That's not just a girl thing, though, is it?? Little boys frequently scream while playing, at least mine seem to delight in it.