Dissociation · also called numbing
why can I not feel anything
Dissociation is a protective disconnection from thoughts, feelings or surroundings under overwhelming stress. It is effective in the moment and costly over time, because a system that switches off under pressure also switches off during ordinary life.
What to do about it
Ground through the senses: five things you can see, four you can touch. Reconnection is physical.
Books that work on this
Each is a 90-day programme. Start with the first — later books assume the work in the earlier ones.
The Nervous System Blueprint$6.99
Sleep Or Die$6.99
Burnout Is Math$6.99
Cold Plunge Lie$6.99
The Battery Identity$6.99
No Backup Nervous$6.99
Recovery Is Required$6.99
The Calm Operator$6.99Part of the Nervous System series.
How people say it
Nobody looks this up by its clinical name. These are the ways it actually gets said.
- I feel numb all the time
- like I am watching myself
- spacing out constantly
- nothing feels real
- I go blank in arguments
- why can I not feel anything
- checked out emotionally
- autopilot all day
Written by Brian Spiker, who has run Spiker Carpet and Tile Care since 2013 — the receipts. More terms in the encyclopedia.