Episode 3: Recognizing and Overcoming the Freeze Response (Part 1) with Irene Lyon

Listen to Episode 3 with Irene Lyon →

When You're Functioning But Not Really Living

You get things done. You show up to work. You manage your responsibilities. But something feels off.

Everything takes more effort than it should. You're moving through life, but you're not fully present. You feel disconnected from your body, your emotions, your relationships.

This is functional freeze.

You don't look frozen from the outside. You're not collapsed on the couch. You're high-functioning. But underneath, your nervous system is locked in a protective shutdown state.

In this episode, I sit down with Irene Lyon, a nervous system specialist who uses somatic work to promote neuroplasticity in trauma survivors. We explore how freeze becomes your baseline without you realizing it.

The Childhood Origins of Freeze

Here's what surprises most people: functional freeze doesn't just come from big trauma.

It starts with innocuous childhood events that shaped your developing nervous system. The events don't have to be dramatic because small, repeated disruptions add up.

Your body learned early that freeze was the safest option, and that pattern became your default.

Irene and I discuss how disruptions in mother-child bonding set the template, why your nervous system development in infancy matters decades later, the disillusionment process when early bonding breaks down, how your biology learns the world isn't safe, and why attachment wounds create freeze patterns.

Trauma disrupts your developing nervous system from the beginning, and your nervous system builds on that early foundation. What happened in your first years of life is still operating now.

What Functional Freeze Actually Looks Like

Most people don't know they're frozen. The signs are subtle. You've adapted so well that shutdown feels normal.

Common signs you might be in functional freeze include that you accomplish things but feel emotionally flat, you have difficulty accessing joy or excitement, relationships feel effortful or draining, you're disconnected from your body's signals, you engage in numbing behaviors like scrolling or overworking or substances, you experience chronic fatigue despite adequate sleep, and you're going through the motions without feeling alive.

You function, but everything feels harder than it should. This is freeze operating in the background.

Neuroplasticity Changes the Game

Here's the good news: your nervous system isn't fixed.

Irene explains how somatic approaches can rewire these patterns, how your biology can learn new responses, and why working directly with your body creates change that talk therapy alone can't reach.

Your nervous system has the capacity to change, but it needs the right conditions and approaches.

This Episode Is Essential For:

✓ People who function but feel disconnected or shut down 

✓ Anyone who suspects something from childhood is still affecting them 

✓ High-achievers who accomplish things but feel emotionally numb 

✓ Practitioners helping clients who seem stuck despite doing the work 

✓ Anyone recognizing attachment wounds in their patterns 

✓ Those wanting to understand developmental trauma

What You'll Take Away

Listen to understand how early nervous system patterns form. Discover why functional freeze is so hard to recognize. Learn how somatic work can help you rewire patterns set in childhood.

You weren't meant to just survive. Your nervous system can learn to live again.

Listen to Episode 3 with Irene Lyon →

Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The information shared reflects my clinical expertise and research, but every person's biology and healing journey is unique. Always consult with qualified healthcare providers before making changes to your treatment plan or starting new interventions. If you're experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact emergency services or a crisis helpline immediately.

Join the Conversation

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode. What resonated with you? What questions came up?

Please keep comments respectful and supportive. This is a community of people committed to healing. We welcome diverse perspectives and honest questions, but we don't tolerate personal attacks, spam, or content that could harm others on their healing journey.