Emotional Healing: The Brutal Truth About Shutdown in Men

Most men believe they are finally finding peace when, in reality, they are only going numb. As Marc Azoulay explains on the Men’s Therapy Podcast, “You’re not angry, you’re not excited, you’re just flat. Your girlfriend or wife asks how you feel, and your answer is always the same: I don’t know, I’m fine. That’s not peace. That’s emotional shutdown.”

This episode is unfolding as a deep exploration of why emotional numbness takes root. It sheds light on how it threatens relationships, careers, and a man’s sense of aliveness. Azoulay points out that behind the quiet surface often lies unprocessed grief. It masks unhealed trauma and the damaging effects of toxic masculinity. “If a guy doesn’t acknowledge his grief, if he doesn’t really process it, he could start to really disconnect from everything; joy, accomplishment, meaning, even peace.”

The conversation follows one of Azoulay’s clients, a man who loses his father at a young age and grows up in the shadow of unresolved pain. In trying to please his grieving mother, he disconnects from his own emotions and slips into a pattern of people-pleasing and numbness. Over time, therapy, inner child work, and connection with nature help. They guide him towards emotional healing and the rediscovery of purpose.

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