How to Holistically Heal From a Freeze Response to Stress

When we cannot regulate the fight or flight response or when the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) becomes exhausted, the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) steps in, specifically through something called the Dorsal Vagal pathway. This system takes over when the SNS (which controls the fight or flight response) becomes overloaded or exhausted. The freeze response is akin to hitting the brakes completely; your body becomes immobile, conserving energy to protect itself from further stress.

The freeze response kicks in when the stressor feels too intense and we are unable to handle feelings of fear, anxiety, or irritation. It's as if the body says, “I can’t handle this anymore,” and goes into a state of immobility. In this state, we may disconnect from ourselves and others, lose our ability to relax or feel calm, and enter what is called an “emergency state.”

When the freeze response is activated, the body slows down drastically. This can lead to feelings of:

• Tiredness or exhaustion

• Emotional numbness or feeling disconnected

• Flatness or depression

• A sense of being stuck or unable to act

It’s a survival mechanism, but when we remain in this state for too long, it can prevent us from fully engaging in life, making it harder to heal or recover from stress.

The Difference Between Freeze & Shutdown

Although the freeze and shutdown responses may seem similar, there are important distinctions between the two.

Freeze occurs when the body’s fight or flight response has been activated, but the individual is unable to either fight or flee. This response often happens when the stressor feels too overwhelming, or when the person feels trapped or helpless. In this state, the body becomes immobilised but remains full of tension and energy, ready to spring into action if the threat goes away.

Shutdown, on the other hand, is a deeper state of collapse. It happens when a person has been in a state of hyper-arousal or stress for too long, and their body becomes physically and mentally exhausted. In this state, the individual may disconnect from their surroundings, feeling numb, emotionally flat, and unable to engage with the world.

While both responses are ways the body deals with overwhelming stress, they affect the body and mind in different ways. 

Here’s how freeze and shutdown differ across various physical and emotional responses:

Muscles

• Freeze: Tense, holding energy in the body.

• Shutdown : Loose, flaccid, lacking energy.

Expression

• Freeze : Stuckness or tension in facial expression and body language.

• Shutdown: No expression or voice, often disengaged from communication.

Eyes

• Freeze: Wide-eyed, hyper-focused on the environment.

• Shutdown: Blank stare, detached from surroundings.

Response

• Freeze: The body is ready to move once the threat dissipates.

• Shutdown: Immobile, or in extreme cases, may result in fainting or total collapse.

Posture

• Freeze: The body stiffens, preparing to react.

• Shutdown : The body goes limp, collapsing into disengagement.

Breathing

• Freeze: Holding breath or very restricted, shallow breathing.

• Shutdown : Shallow, weak breathing as energy is conserved.

In summary, freeze is a state of high alert where the body holds tension and energy, waiting for the right moment to respond. Shutdown is a state of deep withdrawal, where the body collapses and disengages due to exhaustion and prolonged stress. Recognising the difference between these states can help identify what your body needs and how to respond to these stress signals.

How Freeze Shows Up In The Mind & Body

The freeze response can have a wide-ranging impact on both the mind and body. Here's how it might manifest:

• Increased Fuel Storage: The body stores energy since it’s not using it for movement or action.

• Analgesic Effect: The body may dull physical and psychological pain, creating a sense of detachment or numbness.

• Gazing Out The Window: A classic sign of dissociation, where the mind checks out from the present moment.

• Vacant Eyes or Avoiding Eye Contact: A lack of connection with surroundings, often looking distant or blank.

• Collapsed Posture: The body physically droops or slumps, reflecting an internal withdrawal.

• Loss of Words : Struggling to find words or express thoughts clearly.

• An Absence or Disconnection: Feeling like you're not fully present, as if you’ve mentally or emotionally "checked out."

• Decrease in Heart Rate and Blood Pressure: The body slows down to conserve energy.

• Decrease in Muscle Tone: Muscles may feel loose, flaccid, or weak.

• Decrease in Body Temperature: Feeling cold, as the body conserves energy by reducing blood flow to the skin.

• Decrease in Vocal Intonation: Speech becomes flat or monotone, lacking the normal rise and fall of pitch that conveys emotion and emphasis.

• Decrease in Facial Expressions: The face may appear blank or emotionless.

• Barely Breathing or Holding Breath: Breathing becomes shallow or pauses altogether.

• Feeling Stuck in a Part of the Body: Specific areas of the body may feel stiff or immobile.

• Feeling Cold or Numb : Numbness in the limbs or a sense of coldness throughout the body.

• Physical Stiffness or Heaviness: Limbs may feel heavy, making movement difficult.

The Conditions Associated With The Freeze Response

Prolonged activation of the freeze response can lead to various physical and psychological conditions. Here are some common issues associated with being stuck in freeze mode:

• Persistent Fatigue : A profound exhaustion that makes even simple daily tasks feel overwhelming.

• Adrenal Fatigue: A state of emotional and physical depletion, with minimal energy reserves.

• Muscle Tension: Chronic tightness, often referred to as 'armoring,' serving as a protective mechanism.

• Jaw Tension : Chronic clenching resulting in a rigid jaw and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain.

• Chronic Pain and Inflammation: Ailments like fibromyalgia, characterised by widespread musculoskeletal pain.

• Sleep Disturbances: Difficulty falling or staying asleep, leading to restless nights.

• Digestive Issues: Conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or sluggish digestion.

• Hormonal Imbalances: Irregular menstrual cycles or thyroid dysfunctions.

• Immune System Dysregulation: Increased susceptibility to illnesses and prolonged recovery periods.

• Cognitive Impairments: Experiences of brain fog, difficulty retrieving words, and memory challenges.

• Depressive Symptoms : Feelings of numbness, hopelessness, or a pervasive sense of despair.

• Reduced Libido: A noticeable decline in sexual desire or interest.

• Hypotension: Low blood pressure leading to sensations of lightheadedness or faintness, particularly upon standing.

• Metabolic Concerns: Development of type 2 diabetes linked to prolonged stress and energy storage issues.

• Weight Gain: Accumulation of weight, especially due to energy being stored rather than expended.

• Substance Dependence : Reliance on stimulants or depressants—such as caffeine, drugs, alcohol, or excessive device use—as coping mechanisms, which can exacerbate the freeze response over time. Along with the damage associated with using these substances.

What Triggers Your Freeze Response To Stress?

The freeze response can be triggered by various internal, environmental, and relational factors. While some of these triggers may be obvious, others are subtle and deeply personal, particularly those connected to past trauma or negative self-perception. Triggers are reminders - such as situations, places, or even smells - that bring back the emotions and memories associated with past traumas.

Emotional Triggers

• Overwhelming Fear or Helplessness: When fear becomes so overwhelming that neither fighting nor fleeing seems possible, the nervous system may shift into freeze mode as a form of self-preservation.

• Trauma Memories: Re-experiencing a traumatic event can activate the freeze response, particularly when the mind recalls an event in which escape or defense was impossible.

• Shame and Guilt: Intense feelings of shame or guilt can cause the body and mind to "shut down" as a coping mechanism to protect against emotional pain.

• Emotional Overwhelm : Situations where emotions like grief, anger, or sadness are too intense to process may lead to emotional numbing or dissociation.

• Chronic Stress or Burnout: Long-term emotional strain can leave a person feeling immobilized and unable to act.

Environmental Triggers

• Over Stimulating Environments: Loud noises, chaotic surroundings, or bright lights can overwhelm the senses and lead to a freeze response, particularly in those with heightened sensitivity.

• Confinement or Crowding: Situations that feel physically restrictive, such as being stuck in a crowded space or feeling trapped, can trigger immobility.

• Sudden Danger: A perceived inescapable threat, such as being in the presence of a predator (literal or figurative), can send the body into a freeze response.

• Lack of Safety Signals: Environments lacking warmth, familiarity, or signals of safety can lead to a sense of being “frozen” and unable to engage with surroundings.

• Nature of the Threat: Freezing often occurs when a threat feels unpredictable or when it isn't clear how to react, such as during natural disasters or unexpected conflicts.

Relational Triggers

• Power Imbalances: Interactions where one feels powerless, dominated, or controlled (e.g., abusive relationships or authority figures) can activate a freeze response.

• Conflict: Interpersonal arguments, particularly those involving intense emotions, can overwhelm the system, causing some to freeze rather than confront or escape the situation.

• Emotional Unavailability: Feeling dismissed, ignored, or unseen in important relationships can trigger a shutdown response as a way of coping with relational disconnection.

• Abandonment or Rejection: Experiences of being left behind or rejected by someone significant can elicit feelings of helplessness and lead to a freeze response.

• Attachment Trauma : Early relational wounds, such as inconsistent caregiving or neglect, can leave individuals prone to freezing in later relational dynamics.

Bodily Triggers

• Pain or Illness : Persistent physical discomfort or chronic illness can overwhelm the body and lead to a shutdown state, as the body attempts to conserve energy.

• Exhaustion or Fatigue : When the body is severely depleted of energy, it may freeze as a means of self-protection.

• Hormonal Imbalances: Dysregulated stress hormones, such as elevated cortisol, can interfere with the body's ability to respond adaptively, increasing the likelihood of freezing.

• Sensory Overload: Overwhelming sensations, such as extreme cold, heat, or even touch, can prompt immobility as the body tries to protect itself.

• Nutritional Deficiencies: A lack of essential nutrients that support nervous system health, such as B vitamins or magnesium, can heighten susceptibility to freeze responses.

Why Understanding the Freeze Response Matters

Unlike the active energy of fight or flight, the freeze response is often misunderstood as inaction or apathy. However, it is a deeply rooted survival mechanism designed to protect the organism when fight or flight is not viable. Recognising and addressing these triggers can help us move from immobility to reconnection, resilience, and healing. By identifying these triggers and understanding their origins, we can begin the work of soothing and retraining the nervous system toward safety and equilibrium.

Learn How to Regulate Your Freeze Stress Response

Through our self-paced, six-month course , you'll be gently guided to understand and regulate the overwhelm, fear, and anxiety that often accompany the freeze response. When we understand how our nervous system responds, we can start to work with it. By tuning into what is happening inside us, we can begin to identify and name these experiences. I encourage you to take some time to explore how freeze feels in your body and mind.

Each month, you’ll receive carefully curated information and guidance to help you explore the underlying causes of chronic stress and trauma. You’ll learn how to recognise and meet the fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses - those deeply ingrained patterns that can keep the nervous system stuck in survival mode.

This course offers a practical and theoretical approach to healing the nervous system and repositioning it for restoration, balance, and long-term wellbeing. As stress, when left unresolved, eventually makes a home in the body—manifesting as persistent symptoms and emotional distress - this journey will empower you to begin releasing that weight and moving toward healing.