The FREEZE Response of Narcissistic Abuse

If we think about our nervous system and how it responds to perceived danger, we could compare it to traffic lights. The green light is when things are relatively under control. The amber light is when some alarms are triggered, and our body gets ready to either fight or flight. The red light is when we go into the dorsal vagal shutdown - we go into freeze.

In this episode, we'll use this analogy to understand why we go into freeze mode staying in uncomfortable and painful situations, and then learn why we shouldn't judge ourselves for doing it.

What You Will Learn In This Episode:

The three stages of our nervous system's response to the environment

Why we tend to stay in abusive relationships, even when they are excruciating

Why our brain thinks that sometimes freezing is the best choice for us

It is crucial to understand that although we might feel depleted because of being in constant freeze mode, our brain is satisfied with its job. From the brain's point of view, we are still alive, it is mission accomplished. We must get curious about why some situations trigger our freeze response; that is our first step into healing.

Resources:

Join my Narcissistic Trauma Recovery ProgrammeTM https://go.carolinestrawson.com/heal-the-trauma-of-narcissistic-abuse

Join my Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/thriveafternarcissisticabuse

Connect with me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolinestrawson/

My website: https://www.carolinestrawson.com/