Revved up but Shut Down: Functional Freeze

Whenever I would hear about the fight, flight, or freeze responses, I never felt like my own experiences fit neatly into any category. Sure, I might feel overwhelmed, but I’m fine! I certainly don’t let that sense of overwhelm debilitate me, and I can actually act pretty quickly in a crisis. In the face of stress, I’m getting up and going to work, I’m doing at least the necessities, I’m putting one foot in front of the other. So that doesn’t sound like a freeze response, right? That’s when I learned about a different manifestation of the freeze response called “functional freeze,” and I had that A-ha moment.

Functional freeze describes the experience of shutting down and numbing while staying functional and getting through. Our physiology is essentially revved up but shut down, a phrase I learned from Victoria Albina’s comprehensive podcast explaining this phenomenon. She describes the state as being “tired but wired.” To understand a little more about what’s happening internally during a functional freeze, let’s look at the Polyvagal theory to understand the freeze response.

Polyvagal theory explains that we all have two nervous systems, the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. The sympathetic is primarily arousing, while the parasympathetic is primarily calming. The sympathetic system is responsible for the fight or flight response in the face of extreme actual or perceived stress. However, if neither fight nor flight feels possible, the parasympathetic nervous system takes over and elicits a freeze state.

The vagus nerve controls much of the parasympathetic nervous system, made up of the dorsal and ventral branches. The dorsal vagal nerve helps us maneuver between arousal and calm but can become overwhelmed by not having the ability to fight or flee. This overwhelm is linked to shutting down and freezing as a survival strategy. The ventral vagal response is linked to social engagement and safety and helps us connect with others. When we go into a functional freeze state, the dorsal vagal response is heightened and we feel that experience of internal conflict, one foot on the break and one foot on the gas. Our metabolic processes go on standby; our blood pressure drops, we freeze. This freeze response is also called dorsal vagal shutdown.

Functional freeze can begin to manifest in the face of chronic trauma or stress. When we experience consistent stress and can’t fight or flee, this functional freeze response develops to help us function and get through. We might become disconnected from our emotions as a survival mechanism if facing those painful and shameful emotions over and over again can become too overwhelming to bear. We might be able to function, but we are often disconnected from any sense of joy, hope, or social connection. We might lack energy and feel out of it or just generally checked out. We numb out to stop feeling the painful and unsafe emotions but as Brené Brown says, we can’t selectively numb. We end up numbing all emotions.

To get out of this functional freeze state, we must first acknowledge the experience. We can use techniques from Internal Family Systems and engage in parts work exercises with this protector part of us.  We can thank our nervous system for employing this tactic to try to keep us safe and protect us from harm. After externalizing the part and thanking it, we can begin to tell ourselves when it is safe to reengage with the world.

Since the freeze response is stimulated by the dorsal vagal nerve, we can come out of the freeze response by stimulating the ventral vagal nerve and engaging in social connection. When we’re frozen, everything in us is telling us to isolate and not communicate. If you can, try to push through this feeling in small, manageable steps. Start by identifying a person in your life that makes you feel calm and safe. Seeing someone in person is best, but if that feels too scary, pick up the phone and call. If that feels too much, send a text to a friend and share how you’re feeling. If it feels too much to express your feelings, reach out to a friend who you know will make you laugh and engage with humor and joy. 

Since so much of this freeze response happens on a physiological level, we need to engage our body to get out of it. Here are some techniques to utilize in the moment to ground yourself in the present and get back in your body:

• Shake it out! Shake your arms, shake out your legs, jump around

• Go for a walk and engage in a walking meditation

• Tense and relax your muscles using progressive muscle relaxation

• Practice mindfulness activities that utilize your sensory experience, such as the 54321 technique: acknowledge 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste

• Deep breathing techniques such as box breathing

• Self-soothe using temperature such as a hot shower, heating pad, or an ice pack/ ice roller

Getting out of this functional freeze state can feel overwhelming to do on your own, especially if you’ve had a lifetime of using this response to survive. Therapy can provide a safe space to reengage in the presence of a supportive, empathic witness. Reach out to our client care coordinator today to find out which Root to Rise therapist would be a good fit to help you come out of the freeze state and thaw.

If you'd like to learn more tools for healing your nervous system, sign up for our free download that will give you over 50 practices that you can start using TODAY. 

Best,

Jessica Leader LMFT