Hi,
I'm Dr.
Kim.
Most people have heard of fight or flight,
The body's instinctive reaction to threat.
But fewer people understand freeze.
Freeze is what happens when your system decides,
I can't fight this,
I can't run from it,
My best chance is to shut down.
It's a deep biological conservation mode.
The body slows everything down,
Heart rate,
Digestion,
Breath,
Even thoughts,
To minimize damage and preserve life.
Freeze isn't laziness.
It's not depression,
Although it can look similar.
It's survival.
How do you know if you're living in freeze state?
Well,
You may feel constantly tired,
Even after resting.
You can't seem to get motivated,
Even for things you enjoy.
You feel disconnected from your body,
Emotions,
And other people.
Your body feels heavy,
Dull,
Or numb.
You crash or burn out after periods of productivity or socializing.
You feel like life is happening behind a glass wall.
You can see it,
But you can't feel it.
Freeze can also be functional.
We call this functional freeze state.
You might still go to work,
Care for others,
Get things done,
But inside you feel flat,
Exhausted,
Or spaced out.
Your nervous system is still frozen,
But you're just moving on autopilot.
From a scientific perspective,
This is your dorsal vagal system,
The part of the vagus nerve responsible for deep rest,
Immobilization,
And conservation.
It's only meant to activate for short periods of time in extreme danger.
Think of an animal playing dead to survive.
But in modern life,
When stress is ongoing,
Your body may stay frozen there.
You adapt to survive,
But at the cost of living.
That's why it can feel like your body is a cage.
You want to move forward,
But your physiology is still protecting you from something it hasn't processed yet.
You're still playing dead.
So how do you thaw your system out of this freeze state?
The key is safety.
You can't push or force your way out of freeze.
You have to show your body that it's safe to come back online and start living.
You can start with gentle awareness,
Slow intentional movements,
Soothing self-touch,
Deep unhurried breathing.
You can look around the room using your peripheral vision.
This is called orienting.
Anything that reminds your system it's safe to feel again.
You might notice small flickers,
Warmth,
Tears,
Some shaking,
A desire to stretch or move.
These are all signs your body is thawing.
The process takes time.
It definitely doesn't happen overnight.
It happens in layers.
You are not broken.
You're emerging.
If this talk resonates with you,
I invite you to join me in my full course called Thawing the Freeze.
It's a step-by-step somatic movement program that helps you safely wake your body from shutdown,
Release stored tension and restore connection to life again.
You deserve to feel alive,
Not just survive.
Thank you so much for listening and for your kind donations.
I will see you tomorrow.
