1 Comments Posted by K-Ray

I have the disorder cataplexy, a symptom of the more familiar sleep disorder Narcoplepsy. Cataplexy is very similiar to being in a straght jacket- in a padded room left with nothing, other than your thoughts. Any strong emotion (laughing, anger, sadness) results in a complete loss of muscle control. Physically I am paralyzed, mentally I am wide awake. So basically it's like being trapped in a room with your thoughts. This is not as horrible as one may think. In the episodes in which I could not move, lasting minutes at times, once I dismissed movement as an option I could move again. One difference is that I was still aware of my surroundings- which in a padded room you are not- but like this method of punishment, as much as I'd like to tell people I'm fine, I cannot deliver the message. I regain control the instant I stop reacting emotionally. Placing someone in a straight jacket in certain situations may serve the same purpose.Depriving someone of all physical control might possibly be the only way tor them to prevent emotion from controlling them.