Dissociation and The "Freeze" Response to Trauma

[Kizzie]

The Freeze Type and the Dissociative Defense - by Pete Walker

Many freeze types unconsciously believe that people and danger are synonymous, and that safety lies in solitude. Outside of fantasy, many give up entirely on the possibility of love. The freeze response, also known as the camouflage response, often triggers the individual into hiding, isolating and eschewing human contact as much as possible. This type can be so frozen in retreat mode that it seems as if their starter button is stuck in the "off" position. It is usually the most profoundly abandoned child - "the lost child" - who is forced to "choose" and habituate to the freeze response (the most primitive of the 4Fs). Unable to successfully employ fight, flight or fawn responses, the freeze type's defenses develop around classical dissociation, which allows him to disconnect from experiencing his abandonment pain, and protects him from risky social interactions - any of which might trigger feelings of being reabandoned. Freeze types often present as ADD; they seek refuge and comfort in prolonged bouts of sleep, daydreaming, wishing and right brain-dominant activities like TV, computer and video games. They master the art of changing the internal channel whenever inner experience becomes uncomfortable. When they are especially traumatized or triggered, they may exhibit a schizoid-like detachment from ordinary reality.

TX: There are at least three reasons why freeze types are the most difficult 4F defense to treat. First, their positive relational experiences are few if any, and they are therefore extremely reluctant to enter the relationship of therapy; moreover, those who manage to overcome this reluctance often spook easily and quickly terminate. Second, they are harder to psychoeducate about the trauma basis of their complaints because, like many fight types, they are unconscious of their fear and their torturous inner critic. Also, like the fight type, the freeze type tends to project the perfectionistic demands of the critic onto others rather than the self, and uses the imperfections of others as justification for isolation. The critic's processes of perfectionism and endangerment, extremely unconscious in freeze types, must be made conscious and deconstructed as described in detail in my aforementioned article on shrinking the inner critic. Third, even more than workaholic flight types, freeze types are in denial about the life narrowing consequences of their singular adaptation. Because the freeze response is on a continuum that ends with the collapse response (the extreme abandonment of consciousness seen in prey animals about to be killed), many appear to be able to self-medicate by releasing the internal opioids that the animal brain is programmed to release when danger is so great that death seems immanent. The opioid production of the collapse or extreme freeze response can only take the individual so far however, and these types are therefore prone to sedating substance addictions. Many self-medicating types are often drawn to marijuana and narcotics, while others may gravitate toward ever escalating regimes of anti-depressants and anxiolytics. Moreover, when they are especially unremediated and unattached, they can devolve into increasing depression and, in worst case scenarios, into the kind of mental illness described in the book, I Never Promised You A Rose Garden.

Available at: http://pete-walker.com/fourFs_TraumaTypologyComplexPTSD.htm

[learningtoheal]

I freeze all the time.... still.  I'm 35, a professional, well educated, taken the time to work through long-term childhood sexual abuse/incest in therapy, but haven't been able to change my reflexive freeze reaction.  I've come a long way.  I recognize that.  I've at least eliminated the shut down and dissociation response, but still can't move past the freeze to positive action.  I've been triggered a lot recently so I'm back for another round of intensive work ... though to be honest I don't feel I have the energy or will to do the work.  Dazed and lost... not a good combination.

[SOS]

This describes me to a T except that I usually pulled myself up and had a handful of very good friends. Not knowing why I was the way I was kept me isolated and at this point, after a physical illness kept me from "running" (I did have a great 'flight' pattern as well) I have managed to put myself in a very sure spot of complete abandonment. It is so bizarre to me that this has happened as I was the one who took care of everyone but did not let anyone get too close. How I wish they'd had C-PTSD info 47 years ago! I am also quite able to socialize when I feel safe as long as no one pulls me in too close. Don't abandon yourselves! Make yourself work through this if you're lucky enough to be in therapy at a young age!

[Sia]

I didn't realize I was a freeze type.  It started getting bad last spring when I was going for days without sleep.  I would find myself sitting in the most uncomfortable positions and places.  Like on the bathroom floor and I'd have a bruise on my elbow and leg for days.  I knew it was bad, but couldn't figure out how I didn't have any accidents to clean up, probably because I hadn't eaten anything either.  I finally started getting EMDR and that got me back in my body, I was ravenous and finally had to use the bathroom.  It was a totally enclosed space with no windows, maybe I felt safe in there?  Who knows, I finally agreed to go on medication after my therapist declared emergency a few months ago.  I'm a recovering alcoholic so the thought of sleeping pills scared me way more than putting up with it.  I'm taking Zoloft and Trazadone, does anyone have any luck with others?  I need to keep trying to tweak my meds, it's helping.  I decided to run a marathon as a non runner who hates running.  I didn't realize how much it helped until I got a stress fracture during the race.  Now I've been in a boot and can't stand not running, it's a mess. 

[mojay]

omg it's me :c

Crying really hard reading this. I never really understood why I was this way, especially when it comes to therapy. I was never able to keep a therapist and I hated myself for it. It took 10 years of "hanging up" on therapy after one or two sessions. Now I am a year into therapy with the same therapist. Really proud of myself for that.

It has been so hard to work through the urge to cancel my therapy sessions. It has been so hard to hold onto my friends, my reality and my sobriety. I have always pushed people away because I feared their human imperfections would lead them to abandon me, so I abandoned them first. I had been diagnosed with DPDR before receiving my CPTSD diagnosis. I have struggled for years with substances. It is all making sense. So thankful for this post and this forum.

[ohsnap113]

Wow this hit's hard. Thank you for this post and for these responses. Being able to see how people interpret this material and how it's manifested for them is so helpful. The best is to know that we're not alone.

Recently I've been in a bout of not seeing my therapist. I've kept him on the calendar every 3 months in case something bad happened. This is making me consider the possibility of upping my sessions again. I focus so much on the imperfections of others and use that as an excuse to avoid them. I thought it was other people that had trouble getting close to me; but it's me that has trouble getting close to others! I do fear that people will leave, so I isolate.

Sitting in uncomfortable positions for long periods of time totally resonates. Spacing out, dazed, daydreaming, never knowing what's going on, space-cadet, all things I've heard. Was diagnosed with ADD in high school. So interesting to have this experience contextualized.