Ruth, are you hearing voices that really are not there? Or is it that you are zoning out and in a fog when someone is talking? Most people have a limited attention span. Even trained professionals can only take in so much. This is normal. However if you find yourself zoning out in stressful situations it could be disassociation which is our brain trying to protect us. The only way to know for sure is to see a doctor or therapist. I have PTSD, so when I hear certain things or become frightened or upset, I can go into disassociation (my own little world) which tunes everything out, but how quickly I come out of it depends. I have gone minutes to days not knowing what I have done or where I have been, or how I got somewhere. It’s a scary thing. Sometimes I don’t even know how I was triggered. I hope you will assistance. A therapist or doctor should be able to help. Best Wishes.

Yup, I get this, big time. My pros have dubbed it, "Dissociation." Family members have dubbed it, "Selective hearing." I like the pro name better. "Selective" implies a measure of control I have yet to find. By whatever name, ^it^ has escalated to catatonic levels in my own case where I could no more respond to external stimuli than I could remove my own appendix.

"Tactile grounding exercises" are my go-to psychotherapy tool for the phenom. The broad stroke of tactile grounding is using your senses to regain your senses. The touch of my fingers running up and down my own arm. Taking note of smells in a breeze on my face. The feel and sound of my fingers tapping on a table top. The possibilities are quite literally infinite.

Gentle support while you find what works for you, Ruth. You are not alone.

I absolutely understand! I do the same thing where I "zone out" or take a little trip to mystery land! I don't know where my mind goes wandering off too, but it happens whenever I am overwhelmed or if my mind is straining in too many directions. I stare at something and then my mind just takes a walk.... My family and friends just call me a space cadet. Sometimes they will ask where I went but I never have an answer. When people tried to pull me out it does nothing...doesn't matter if they yell or touch me, snap, clap, toss things at me.. I can sort of hear them and I get a feeling that someone is trying to get my attention but I can't respond.

Hmmm.... I wonder if that's what my daughter had / would do.