Coming Out of Freeze
Freeze is a slippery state.
By definition, it’s creating a solid boundary that seals in life. Though useful to protect and preserve, too much freeze for too long is a burden, and life suffers.
Before the thaw, it can be beautiful. The utter stillness. Glistening ice crystals, firs gorgeously silhouetted, gracefully bending branches.
If you’ve ever become aware of a “freeze” state in your body — that is, one of the nervous system’s adaptive responses to threat — you might have noticed the stillness, even a sense of power as if you’re isolated from stress. This is how freeze protects us from overwhelm: That slippery boundary outside keeps icky feelings at bay. Like many of our body’s adaptive responses, super helpful, for the short term.
Mary realized that she wasn’t feeling like herself. In fact, she said, she wasn’t feeling much of anything since her hiking trip with some friends a few months ago. At their urging, she had taken some mushrooms, and continued on with the hike. She had felt fine until a day later. Several months later, when we met, she said, “It’s like I’m in back of a wool blanket, and it’s never going to change.” She found it hard to concentrate, had missed a lot of work, and returned to live with her parents.
As we explored parts of her story, and her subsequent freeze experience, I was most curious about what had helped Mary keep going. With this attention to her resources, and allowing “nothing to do” while we sat together, her body began to move rhythmically as it released the held emotions. “I was really scared, but couldn’t let my friends know.” Over a few sessions, she began to be more present, and reported that her motivation and sense of life purpose had shifted. Soon after, she quit her job to start over in a new field.
What is needed to encourage a thaw? Warmth. Caring, reliable, and repeated warmth.
Somatic therapy gently supports the nervous system to allow access — a grip on the slippery nature of the freeze — by helping us find our way to the aliveness inside. Coming out of freeze releases a bunch of energy: that can feel super scary! And, with gentle support, your system can shift organically to a state of more aliveness. If this sounds interesting to you right now, I’d love to hear from you. Please reach out to schedule a free initial phone chat.
Here in Eugene our ice storm is over for now, and forecast for Sunday is nearly 70F. Signs of spring abound!
