Cannot edit layer names or expressions; ghost return key hit.

I have had this issue randomly, before, but intermittently in the past, and a software restart seemed to resolve it. I figured it was one of my plug-ins acting up, and that I would address it during some downtime in the next few months. Today it has reared its ugly head in two different massive projects. and now carries over into even new ones.

When I go to enter characters of any kind in the timeline— a layer name, a value, an expression, anything— after a random amount of time between .5 and 2 seconds, the program will behave as if I have clicked off of the input, preventing me from making further changes. It's completely debilitating.

I have tried disconnecting from my peripherals and trying other units. I have also reinstalled After Effects, removed every plug-in and script, and started new projects in safe mode. STILL the issue persists. I have tried everything. It won't stop doing it. I cannot find the issue in any other piece of software, including other Adobe software.

I cannot find any guidance about this online. I'm facing deadlines and really hoping that there's someone out there that can help me.