Home page of BPDFamily.com, online relationship supportMember registration here
March 17, 2025, 11:00:39 AM *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Board Admins: Kells76, Once Removed, Turkish
Senior Ambassadors: EyesUp, SinisterComplex
  Help!   Boards   Please Donate Login to Post New?--Click here to register  
bing
VIDEO: "What is parental alienation?" Parental alienation is when a parent allows a child to participate or hear them degrade the other parent. This is not uncommon in divorces and the children often adjust. In severe cases, however, it can be devastating to the child. This video provides a helpful overview.
204
Pages: [1]   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: Non-verbal communications  (Read 615 times)
Old Quaker

*
Offline Offline

What is your sexual orientation: Straight
Who in your life has "personality" issues: Romantic partner
Posts: 17



« on: June 19, 2019, 10:57:44 AM »

My wife who has been diagnosed with traits of BPD seems to have no awareness of her facial expressions.  She often has a very angry face when we're discussing something, and if I ask what's wrong she'll deny anything is wrong.  I can't convince her I ask because I'm getting a really angry look.  I wish I could record her facial expression sometime.

She's also this way with her verbal communications.  She'll respond in a very angry way, but they say she didn't say it like that.  And I can not convince her.

I can no longer count the number of times she has screamed at me, at the top of her lungs, "I'm not angry!"

She seems to have no awareness of when she's angry.  She wasn't allowed to express negative emotions as a child, and I guess she just isn't aware of them.
Logged
Cat Familiar
Retired Staff
*
Offline Offline

Gender: Female
What is your sexual orientation: Straight
Who in your life has "personality" issues: Romantic partner
Posts: 7502



« Reply #1 on: June 19, 2019, 06:45:46 PM »

Are you familiar with the psychologist Paul Ekman's work? He did multicultural research decades ago about facial expressions and found that they were the same throughout the world. Currently he has a website and sells training packages for detecting micro-expressions, expressions that show leakage of emotion, particularly when someone is trying to conceal their feelings. https://www.paulekman.com

She often has a very angry face when we're discussing something, and if I ask what's wrong she'll deny anything is wrong.  I can't convince her I ask because I'm getting a really angry look.  I wish I could record her facial expression sometime.

You are obviously reading her feelings and she may be simply unaware or doesn't want to admit to feeling that way. The more you try to "convince" her of what you are perceiving, the more you will elicit her resistance.

And even if you could convince her, it won't lead to any productive change; it's likely to make her even more angry. Better to just trust your own senses and leave it at that.

What does she do when she's angry that makes you want to let her know that you're reading her loud and clear?
« Last Edit: July 11, 2019, 03:03:01 PM by Scarlet Phoenix, Reason: Quoting error » Logged

“The Four Agreements  1. Be impeccable with your word.  2. Don’t take anything personally.  3. Don’t make assumptions.  4. Always do your best. ”     ― Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom
Can You Help Us Stay on the Air in 2024?

Pages: [1]   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Our 2023 Financial Sponsors
We are all appreciative of the members who provide the funding to keep BPDFamily on the air.
12years
alterK
AskingWhy
At Bay
Cat Familiar
CoherentMoose
drained1996
EZEarache
Flora and Fauna
ForeverDad
Gemsforeyes
Goldcrest
Harri
healthfreedom4s
hope2727
khibomsis
Lemon Squeezy
Memorial Donation (4)
Methos
Methuen
Mommydoc
Mutt
P.F.Change
Penumbra66
Red22
Rev
SamwizeGamgee
Skip
Swimmy55
Tartan Pants
Turkish
whirlpoollife



Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2006-2020, Simple Machines Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!