Do you ever feel numb in a stressful situation, like your body won’t move, your mind is blank, or you just shut down? This is the freeze response, a deeply ingrained survival mechanism that the body uses to protect itself when overwhelmed. While fight and flight are more commonly known, freeze is just as important, especially when it comes to understanding trauma.
As Dr. Gabor Maté explains, “Trauma is not what happened to you. Trauma is what happens inside of you as a result of what happened to you.”
From a somatic perspective, trauma is about how your body responded to a traumatic event and whether it was able to return to a state of safety. If the nervous system gets stuck in survival mode, particularly in the freeze response, it can lead to patterns of dissociation, numbness, fatigue, or chronic illness. But with awareness, self-compassion, and body-based healing practices, it is possible to restore a sense of safety and reconnection.
Understanding the Freeze Response: Polyvagal Theory
Imagine your nervous system as a traffic light, guiding your responses to the world around you. Dr. Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory explains how our body shifts between different states of regulation and survival and into the freeze response :
Ventral Vagal (Social Engagement & Safety) – When we feel safe, we connect with others, stay calm, and regulate emotions with ease.
Sympathetic (Fight or Flight) – When we perceive danger, the body mobilizes for action, increasing heart rate and muscle tension.
Dorsal Vagal (Freeze & Shutdown) – When the threat feels too overwhelming to fight or flee, the body shuts down as a last resort. This can feel like numbness, exhaustion, dissociation, or a sense of being “stuck.”
For trauma survivors, the nervous system may become stuck in dorsal vagal shutdown, making it difficult to feel present or engaged in daily life. If you’ve ever felt like you’re watching life happen from a distance, this may be the lingering effect of a freeze response.
How Trauma is Stored in the Body
Somatic psychologists emphasize that trauma is not just a memory in our mind, but an experience stored in our bodies. The body remembers what the mind may forget, and the freeze response may often show up in posture, muscle tension, breath patterns, and movement restrictions.
For example:
- Someone who was unable to escape from danger might unconsciously hold tension in their legs as if bracing to run.
- Someone who learned to suppress emotions might carry tension in their jaw and shoulders.
- A person who felt vulnerable for prolonged periods may experience collapsed posture, shallow breathing, or chronic fatigue.
Healing from the Freeze Response
The good news is, we can find our way back to ease and freedom in our own bodies. Researchers in Somatic Trauma Therapy have spent their lives learning how we can reconnect with our bodies and move beyond the patterns that keep us frozen. At Soulful Therapy, we’re guided by the wisdom of leading psychologists like Stephen Porges, Pat Ogden, and Jenna Fisher who provide powerful tools to heal from stored trauma. See below, some of their insights:
Establishing Safety: Stephen Porges
Stephen Porges, the founder of Polyvagal Theory, suggests that the key to moving out of the freeze response lies in activating the ventral vagal system, which is associated with feelings of safety, connection, and social engagement. When we feel safe and calm, the ventral vagal system helps regulate our physiological state and shifts us out of the freeze response. Here are some methods he recommends:
Co-regulation: Connect with others in a calm, supportive way to activate safety.
Orienting to the Environment: Look around and engage the senses to re-establish safety.
Music or Sound: Listening to soothing music or nature sounds can activate relaxation and a sense of comfort.
Light and Warmth: Being in a well-lit, warm environment can promote comfort and a sense of security.
Visualization: Imagine a safe, peaceful place or memory to create a mental sense of safety and calm.
Visit Stephen Porges page on Polyvagal Theory
Listening to the Body: Pat Ogden’s Sensorimotor Therapy (SMT)
Pat Ogden’s Sensorimotor Therapy (SMT) is a type of therapy that helps people connect with their bodies to heal from emotional pain and trauma. SMT helps people notice physical sensations and teaches them how to use their bodies to process and release emotions. Through simple exercises, movement, and mindfulness, clients learn how to unfreeze, feel safe, and regain control over their body and emotions. It’s a gentle way of healing by listening to what our bodies have to say.
Body Scan: Focus on different body parts, noticing sensations or tension.
Breathing Exercises: Deep, slow breathing (e.g., inhale 4 counts, hold 4, exhale 4) to calm the body.
Grounding Techniques: Pay attention to feet on the ground to feel safe and stable.
Movement and Posture Work: Move or adjust posture to release tension or shift emotions.
Mindful Walking: Walk slowly, focusing on how the body moves.
Tension and Release: Tighten muscles for a few seconds, then release to notice the difference between tension and relaxation.
Read Breanne Benson’s Bio, Soulful Therapy’s specialist in SMT
Befriending Our Inner World: Janina Fisher’s Parts Work
Janina Fisher’s work builds on this somatic understanding by introducing the idea that trauma fragments the self into different survival parts. When someone is stuck in a freeze response, different parts of them might be responding in different ways. Here are some examples of “parts” in this work:
The Inner Child: Holds trauma memories, may feel paralyzed or helpless during freeze.
The Protector: Tries to numb emotions or shut down to avoid overwhelm, contributing to freeze.
The Inner Critic: Shames the person for freezing, adding to feelings of being stuck.
The Pleaser: Freezes to avoid conflict or upsetting others, suppressing its own needs.
The Rebel: May freeze as a form of resistance, rejecting help or feeling trapped.
Parts can work together or be in conflict with one another. In parts work, the goal is to understand and integrate these parts to create a more balanced and compassionate sense of self. Rather than seeing these parts as “problems,” Fisher encourages recognizing them as adaptive survival strategies. Healing comes from befriending these parts rather than fighting them.
Final Thoughts: From Frozen to Flowing
The freeze response is not a weakness—it’s a survival strategy that once kept you safe. If you notice yourself disconnecting, going numb, or feeling stuck, know that your nervous system is simply doing what it learned to do in response to overwhelming situations.
Learn more about somatic therapy practices
By working with your body rather than against it, you can begin to thaw from the freeze response, gently reawaken your connection to yourself, and find safety in movement and presence again.
If this resonates with you, consider exploring somatic healing practices and reclaim your body as a safe place to be.
Warmly,
Laura Farberman
References
Maté, G. (2003). When the body says no: The cost of hidden stress. Knopf Canada.