Sarah Murphy, an expert on shifting out of 'freeze mode' and helping transition the body out of a frozen state, discusses practical tips to heal the nervous system. Topics include the importance of a 'felt sense of safety', somatic experiencing, and methods like morning sunlight, intermittent fasting, and psychedelics. They also explore energization techniques and the concept of 'bringing your life force back into your body'.
Healing freeze mode requires a bottom-up approach, focusing on the body's biology and releasing emotions.
Cultivating a 'felt sense safety' through physiological mechanisms like vagus nerve activation aids in moving out of freeze mode.
Somatic experiencing addresses stored emotions in the nervous system, complementing talk therapy for long-term healing.
Deep dives
Understanding Freeze Mode and Rewiring Neural Pathways
Freeze mode, a state of nervous system shutdown due to stress and overwhelm, can be understood as a biologically driven response rather than solely a mental issue. To address freeze mode, working on the body's biology is crucial. Nutrient deficiencies, inflammation, and microbial imbalances need to be managed to support the body in shifting from stress to safety. Additionally, rewiring neural pathways is essential to prevent reverting back to freeze mode, requiring a focus on optimizing neuroplasticity through activities like exercise, deep sleep, meditation, and adequate nutrition.
Fostering Felt Sense Safety and Healing Trauma
Felt sense safety, a deep intuitive feeling of security beyond thoughts, plays a key role in moving out of freeze mode. Activating felt sense safety involves physiological mechanisms like vagus nerve activation, oxytocin release, engaging the prefrontal cortex, and reducing hypervigilance. Through practices like nature walks, physical touch, soothing music, and mindfulness, individuals can nurture a sense of safety in their bodies and environments to counteract the freeze response.
Exploring Somatic Experiencing and Resolving Trauma
Somatic experiencing, as proposed by Peter A. Levine, emphasizes how emotions and trauma are stored in the body's nervous system. Unresolved emotional responses manifest as physical tension and physiological patterns related to stress responses. Releasing trauma somatically involves working with the body to address stored emotions and rewire neural pathways for long-term healing, complementing traditional talk therapy by delving into deeper subconscious triggers.
Practical Steps to Overcome Freeze Mode Daily
To navigate freeze mode daily, individuals can practice body positions like the fetal position to evoke safety and self-soothing gestures, fostering communication and safety in relationships, and engaging in activities like cold exposure, deep breathing, mindfulness, creative expression, and positive relationships. Encouraging rewiring of neural pathways can be achieved through simple yet transformative daily tasks like switching certain routines, practicing self-affirmations, deep breathing exercises, and getting sunlight exposure.
Promoting a Holistic Approach to Mental Health
Embracing safety-first and energizing strategies can help individuals gradually transition out of freeze mode towards a balanced nervous system response. By integrating practices that address physiological, emotional, and neural aspects of trauma and stress, individuals can create a supportive environment for mental well-being. Initiating small daily habits that prioritize safety, body-mind connection, and emotional release can contribute significantly to a journey of healing and self-discovery.
#152 - Welcome to *the* episode designed to help you understand how to actually start recognising, understanding and shifting out of the ‘freeze mode’ of Polyvagal Theory.
The more work we do with our There She Glows cohort we’re realizing some people are in HARD freeze and have been for a long time. But coming out of freeze needs to be gentle.
Louise and Sarah delve into everything related to 'freeze' and explore practical daily tips, tricks, and hacks to help transition your body out of this state and return it to its 'baseline'.
If you’re depressed or feel stuck, lost and like you can’t seem to function in the way you want to, this episode is for you. It’s also a beautiful episode to help you support others around you who may be feeling ‘frozen’, stuck or depressed.
The pair discuss:
Why you can’t out-think the freeze mode
How healing freeze lies in the bottom-up approach to healing (+ what this means)
The concept of a ‘felt sense of safety’ and how important this is to healing the freeze state
Somatic experiencing - what it is and why the release of emotions is vital for healing freeze
Tips, tricks and methods that can help alleviate the ‘freeze’ state: including felt sense of safety, morning sunlight, intermittent fasting, psychedelics, mushrooms, BDNF and more
The concept of ‘bringing your life force back into your body’
Identifying what energisation means for you - moving, grooving, healing, shaking, singing, dancing, painting, friendship, human connection - and more
The pair also dive into how neural rewiring is a big part of the body learning to function outside of the freeze state and how it can help you shift back to the state where you were born to thrive, heal and repair!