Break Free from Functional Freeze: How High Achievers Can Steward Their Nervous System with Felix Wittmann (S4E25)

"The single most important investment you can make right now is to invest in growing your capacity to be with fear."

In this powerful conversation, nervous system practitioner Felix Wittmann joins host Jo to explore the hidden trap that high-achieving women often fall into: functional freeze. This episode will provide crucial insights into your nervous system health and stewarding your inner resources well.

What You'll Learn:

• What functional freeze really is - and why it's different from the fight-or-flight response most people know about
• The "gas and brake" phenomenon that keeps high achievers stuck in cycles of pushing and burning out
• Two essential pillars for healing: capacity building and trauma resolution
• Practical micro-adjustments you can make daily to build nervous system resilience
• Why relaxation techniques alone don't create lasting change (and what actually works)
• How faith and somatic work complement each other in building true inner stability

• The autonomic nervous system as your body's threat detector
• Three main nervous system states: social connection (green zone), fight/flight (orange zone), and shutdown (red zone)
• How past experiences create your nervous system's "database" of safety vs. danger

• How high achievers master external functioning while freezing their internal world
• Why your authentic needs get suppressed in service of productivity and success
• The spectrum of functional freeze, from mild to severe

• Capacity Building: Learning to listen to your body's basic needs (thirst, movement, rest)
• Trauma Resolution: Completing interrupted nervous system activation cycles
• The importance of working with qualified somatic practitioners
• Why healing happens in relationship, not isolation

• How returning to faith provides an anchor during intense life seasons
• The difference between "spiritual bypassing" and grounded spiritual practice
• Building capacity to serve faithfully without burning out

Guest Bio

Felix is a nervous system practitioner and health coach who helps people break free from chronic symptoms by working with the body’s innate intelligence.

Drawing on a trauma-informed, body-based approach, he guides highly sensitive, intelligent and self-aware clients to move beyond survival patterns and into freedom, resilience, and lasting wellbeing.

Having walked this path himself, Felix is passionate about revealing the potential of what’s possible when the nervous system is restored to its natural balance

• Felix on Instagram
• All Felix's links & resources
• Signature Program: 3-month nervous system mentorship with weekly sessions
• Specializes in: Functional freeze, trauma resolution, and faith-integrated healing

"Functional freeze is actually freezing your authenticity... The real you is getting frozen internally, and there's this fake you, the masks that we are talking about, that just exist and function."

"Your nervous system isn't broken. The nervous system is actually the last organ that's going to break. It's like the special ops team - it's going to keep you alive no matter what."

Resources Mentioned

• Polyvagal Theory
• Somatic Experiencing
• Neurosystemic Integration
• The concept of "glimmers" - small moments of nervous system regulation
• Window of tolerance and titration in trauma work

Keywords: nervous system healing, functional freeze, high achiever burnout, somatic therapy, polyvagal theory, trauma resolution, capacity building, nervous system regulation, faith and healing, authentic living, stress cycle completion, nervous system practitioner, emotional regulation, burnout recovery

#NervousSystemHealing #FunctionalFreeze #SomaticTherapy #BurnoutRecovery #HighAchieverHealing #TraumaResolution #FaithAndHealing #StressManagement #EmotionalRegulation

If you found this episode helpful, please rate and review the Vibrant Flow podcast.