Numbness

I was wondering what causes people to go emotionally numb? Does any one have any ideas?

Not wanting to feel any more, therefore, they numb them self from the inside out.

LoVe,
Rhapsody -

Wow! There are so many different ways to answer that question I don't even know where to begin! It's a good question though!

It could be emotional overload so the body has a built in response to just shut down. A defense mechanism of sorts.
It is something that can be learned, especially as a child, to deal with issues that a child does not have the mental capacity to deal with. A child does not have the ability to "reason" with some things, or to "contemplate" certain things, or to "understand" certain things, or "process" certain things...because they haven't yet developed the maturity to do so and then this is how they continue through life because they were never able to resolve those issues in a healthy way.
Sometimes emotional numbness is a sympton of certain illnesses.
Gosh, I could go on and on, but these are a few of what I believe to be reasons for emotional numbness.
TgrsPurr.

that is interesting! thank you for your insights!

i wish i knew more about myself concerning that.

i'm standing in line waiting to get my "joy" back......i see glimmers of it occasionally and then something causes me to have a setback......

Numbness is a place that I want to be - to achieve numbness for me means I feel no pain... Physically and sexually abused as a child, it was doing to a place in my mind where I didn't feel the pain during and after.. giving my mind and body a chance to heal.

that is what I am waiting for too favorody...my joy to come back into my life!!! good ans trgsprr

Right on! During times of feeling overwhelmed, I sometimes go into an intense detachment mode. Just another mechanism that allows me time to recover a bit.

Calm

I think I figured out that I'd go numb most often when I needed "rest." It was kind of a primitive way for me to regulate myself, how hard I was working in therapy or on my own. I don't get numb very often anymore, feel more "balanced" and get better clues from myself when I need to relax or take a break or when things are getting too intense for me to deal with well so I back off before I wear myself out.

How do you know when you go numb? Can you describe it to me?

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pamelasu said:
How do you know when you go numb? Can you describe it to me?

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You feel numb. You can’t cry and feel like there are no tears left. You may feel that you are NOT part of the world because you do not think you have feelings. You may feel distant and unfeeling about even people very close to you like your partner, family or children.

Thank you Rhapsody, that explains a lot to me!! Thanks for the reply!!