Uncoupling Fear From Freeze, with Dr. Aimie Apigian
Getting out of functional freeze starts with stopping the push and letting the body go all the way through a freeze, at a time and place that feels safe, so it learns that freeze ends. Pushing with caffeine, busyness or stress gets you through the day, and the freeze underneath stays.
A participant asked Dr. Aimie a question she hears nearly every week: "Every time I go into the freeze response, I get scared I won't come back. And so I brace and I push myself back up. How do I get out of freeze when I'm afraid of it?"
Her answer starts with what surprised people when she taught this in person in her home: freeze is one layer, and the fear of the freeze is a second layer. That second layer is often what keeps us stuck.
In this solo episode, Dr. Aimie Apigian, a double board-certified physician in preventive medicine and addiction medicine and author of The Biology of Trauma, explains what functional freeze is, how to recognize it, why pushing through keeps the body in it, and how to uncouple the fear from the freeze.
TL;DR: Functional freeze is a trauma response that never completed, so the body lives with the emergency brake on and uses adrenaline to override it. Pushing through gets you through the day and drains the tank. Underneath the freeze there is often a fear of the freeze. When you choose a small, safe moment to let the freeze happen, the body gets proof that it goes in and comes back out, and next time it remembers that path.
HOW DO YOU GET OUT OF FUNCTIONAL FREEZE?
By letting the body move all the way through a freeze instead of pushing it away. Dr. Aimie explains that most people only know how to pull themselves out of freeze, so the body never gets the experience of reaching the other side.
"When we choose a small, safe moment to allow the freeze, the body gets proof," she says. "It goes in and it comes back out. And next time it remembers that path." The goal is not getting stuck in it and not having to push through it.
WHAT IS FUNCTIONAL FREEZE?
Functional freeze is a term for stored trauma that has not yet resolved. It is not a medical diagnosis, and it describes something real that Dr. Aimie sees in almost everyone who comes to this work.
"Functional freeze is a body's trauma response not having completed," she says. The body went into freeze and shutdown during an earlier event to survive, never completed that response, and now lives with it as a chronic background state.
Functional freeze: a chronic background state left by a trauma response that never completed, in which a person keeps functioning by overriding exhaustion with adrenaline.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF FUNCTIONAL FREEZE?
The main sign is needing to push yourself to get through your life, with an exhaustion underneath. You get up, get the kids to school, show up to work, maybe go to the gym, and from the outside nothing looks different.
Dr. Aimie asks one question: when you feel energized, is there still a background exhaustion behind it? Often that exhaustion surfaces when you stop. Instead of resting and enjoying rest, you fall into something heavier that feels like a collapse. The patterns that follow include disconnection, stuckness, depletion and dysregulation, where change of any kind (stress, perimenopause, travel, a new food) brings a reaction that is too big or too small.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ACUTE FREEZE AND FUNCTIONAL FREEZE?
An acute freeze happens in the moment of a threat; functional freeze is what remains when that response never completes. In stress, the foot is on the gas pedal, and adrenaline helps us get things done. Freeze is the moment the body realizes there is nothing it can do, and the nervous system pulls the emergency brake while the foot is still on the gas.
As the body moves into shutdown, it takes the foot off the gas and puts it on the brake pedal, so both brakes are on and metabolism dims down to conserve energy. In functional freeze, we wake up with the brakes still on and bring in adrenaline to put the foot back on the gas. The emergency brake has not come off. We are overriding it.
Acute freeze: the moment in a threat when the body has no way to act, with high activation and a strong brake at the same time. Research on freezing in animals and humans describes both branches of the nervous system active at once, with the heart slowing (Roelofs, 2017).
WHY DOES PUSHING THROUGH KEEP YOU IN FREEZE?
Every push adds adrenaline on top of the freeze, and the freeze underneath stays until the stress and trauma responses are opened up and completed. The compensations look familiar: caffeine, busyness, sugar, exercise, addictions, deadlines, crisis and drama.
Dr. Aimie shares that she did this for years. As a resident physician she was in functional freeze most of the time without knowing there was a name for it, over-exercising, over-caffeinating and overeating to push through until her body could no longer be pushed. Pushing drains more gas from the tank, and when the tank runs low, it shows up as a breakdown in health or burnout.
HOW CAN FUNCTIONAL FREEZE LEAD TO CHRONIC ILLNESS?
Chronic illness builds underneath the surface. Dr. Aimie explains that a nervous system and metabolism still in survival physiology contribute to it, and so do the behaviors used to compensate for that physiology.
This is part of why adult chronic illness is associated with adverse childhood experiences, sometimes decades later. A large meta-analysis found that people with four or more adverse childhood experiences had higher risks across many health outcomes in adulthood. Often a perfect storm of high stress precipitates the final presentation, and the disease has been building all along.
WHY AM I AFRAID OF THE FREEZE RESPONSE?
Because the freeze feels awful and it can feel like you will not come back. The logical mind asks why we would want to be somewhere that feels heavy, depressing and hopeless, so we fight it.
In freeze, the body disconnects from a reality that feels too much. Dr. Aimie describes the feeling as numb or flat inside, like floating out in space without any tether to Earth. Sometimes it reaches dissociation, and it does not have to. Either way, the loss of control is frightening.
DOES FEARING BODY SENSATIONS MAKE THEM WORSE?
It can keep them going. In a prospective study of Air Force Academy cadets during basic training, those most afraid of their own body sensations were more likely to have panic attacks under that stress (Schmidt, Lerew and Jackson, 1997).
"The fear of the feeling feeds the feeling," Dr. Aimie says. "So when we fight the freeze, we add fear. And the fear tells the body it is still not safe." Safety is one of the things the nervous system needs to come out of freeze.
WHAT HELPED DR. AIMIE STOP FEARING HER OWN FREEZE?
Working with someone experienced who was not afraid of her freeze. She knew the science, and understanding it did not lessen the fear of experiencing it. Just watching others work with their freeze could send her into one.
Dr. Aimie explains why that person is rarely a partner, friend or neighbor: many people are afraid of their own freeze, which is why they try to cheer you up when you feel down. Once she had that support, she could begin practicing on her own, letting her body go into deep exhaustion without needing to pull herself out. She began to notice her compensations, like reaching for chocolate, and to ask whether she could allow the freeze instead.
HOW DO I UNCOUPLE THE FEAR FROM THE FREEZE?
Through understanding, support and predictability. Dr. Aimie hopes that knowing the science lets you approach your freeze like an experiment in the lab, observing it. For the first few times, find someone who can be your tether back to reality.
As you work with your freeze, it becomes predictable: your body does come out, it takes about this much time, and this is how you know you are coming out. That predictability takes away the fear. She notes that allowing a freeze in the moment will not resolve every past experience, and that deeper work is not available until the fear and the freeze are uncoupled.
WHAT CHANGES WHEN YOU STOP PUSHING?
The freeze becomes more predictable, and you may feel more before you feel better. Dr. Aimie points to Chapter 12 of her book, where shutdown becomes more predictable rather than chaotic and constant. The background exhaustion lifts, and moments of joy and expansion become possible.
She also points to Claire in her book, who started feeling anxiety after feeling nothing for so long and thought she was getting worse. That is the path back to ourselves.
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I AM IN A SHUTDOWN RIGHT NOW?
Rest. If you are in a freeze today, make it a day of rest and gentleness; practice and analysis can wait. Clear what you can from your schedule, stay warm, take naps, and let people know your capacity is low before you snap at them.
It will pass. When the freeze gets the rest and safety it needs, you do not have to push your way out. "The stories in our mind don't change without creating a new experience," Dr. Aimie says, and this is that new experience.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Functional freeze is a trauma response that never completed and became a chronic background state.
A key sign is needing to push through your life with an exhaustion underneath, which often surfaces when you stop.
In acute freeze the gas and the emergency brake are on together. In functional freeze we use adrenaline to override a brake that is still on.
Caffeine, busyness, sugar, exercise, deadlines and drama are common ways to push through.
Pushing through keeps the freeze in place and drains the tank, which can lead to burnout and chronic illness.
Underneath the freeze there is often a second layer: the fear of the freeze.
Fearing body sensations can keep them going, and the fear tells the body it is still not safe.
For the first few times, work with someone who is not afraid of your freeze.
Freeze becomes predictable as you work with it, and predictability uncouples the fear.
If you are in a shutdown right now, rest; the practice can wait.
NOTABLE QUOTES
"Freeze is one layer. The fear of the freeze is a second layer. And that second layer is often what keeps us stuck." ~ Dr. Aimie Apigian
"And from the outside, nothing looks different because I'm out there functioning. I am getting up and getting things done. But there is an exhaustion underneath it." ~ Dr. Aimie Apigian
"And so here is a question that I like to ask people. When you feel energized, is there still a background exhaustion behind it?" ~ Dr. Aimie Apigian
"But it doesn't mean that the emergency brake has been taken off. We're just trying to override the emergency brake." ~ Dr. Aimie Apigian
"Functional freeze is a body's trauma response not having completed. And so it becomes this chronic state now that lingers." ~ Dr. Aimie Apigian
"Chronic illness is not something that just arrives out of the blue like food poisoning does. Chronic illness is something that builds underneath the surface." ~ Dr. Aimie Apigian
"The fear of the feeling feeds the feeling. So when we fight the freeze, we add fear. And the fear tells the body it is still not safe." ~ Dr. Aimie Apigian
"And I know the science, I knew the science, and yet the science, understanding it, didn't diminish the fear of experiencing it." ~ Dr. Aimie Apigian
"This is the value of learning how to work with your freeze response. It allows a deeper layer of shifting our nervous system state that managing or reducing stress will never accomplish." ~ Dr. Aimie Apigian
"And so when we choose a small, safe moment to allow the freeze, the body gets proof. It goes in and it comes back out. And next time it remembers that path." ~ Dr. Aimie Apigian
EPISODE TAKEAWAY
A participant asked me a question I hear nearly every week. Every time she went into a freeze, she got scared she wouldn't come back, so she braced and pushed herself back up. How do you get out of freeze when you're afraid of it?
I know that question from the inside. As a resident physician, I lived in functional freeze most of the time and didn't know there was a name for it. I over-exercised, over-caffeinated and overate to push through, until my body could no longer be pushed.
Functional freeze is a body's trauma response that never got to complete. In the moment of an acute freeze, the gas pedal and the emergency brake are on at once. Then the body moves into shutdown to conserve energy. When that response never completes, we wake up each morning with the brake still on, and we bring in adrenaline to get things done. Caffeine, busyness, sugar, deadlines and drama all help us override the brake. They never take it off.
Pushing through works for a time, and it drains the tank. When the tank runs low, it shows up as burnout or a breakdown in our health. Chronic illness builds underneath the surface for years.
So why don't we just let the freeze happen? Because there is a second layer. The freeze feels heavy, flat and hopeless, and it can feel like floating in space without a tether. We are afraid we won't come back. And the fear of the feeling feeds the feeling. When we fight the freeze, we add fear, and the fear tells the body it is still not safe.
When I started working with my own freeze, I was terrified. I knew the science, and the science didn't take away the fear. What helped was working with someone experienced who wasn't afraid of my freeze, so my body could go through it without being pulled out. From there I could start practicing on my own. I noticed when I reached for chocolate to stay out of the freeze, and I could ask myself whether I could allow it instead.
As you work with your freeze, it becomes predictable. You learn that your body does come out, about how long it takes, and how you know you're coming out. That predictability is what uncouples the fear. And when we choose a small, safe moment to allow the freeze, the body gets proof that it goes in and comes back out, and next time it remembers the path.
If you are in a shutdown today, this is a day for rest. Clear what you can, stay warm, take naps, and let people know your capacity is low. It will pass.
Functional freeze is one of the ways the five patterns of stored trauma show up: disconnection, stuckness, depletion, dysregulation and, over time, disease. If you want to know which pattern your body has been running, take my 2-Minute Assessment for Stored Trauma. And when you are ready to build the safety and capacity this work depends on, the Foundational Journey is where it begins.
FAQ
How do you get out of functional freeze?
Stop pushing it away and let the body move all the way through a freeze at a time and place that feels safe. Each time it goes in and comes back out, the body learns that freeze ends.
What does functional freeze feel like?
Functioning on the outside with an exhaustion underneath. Many people notice it most when they stop and fall into a heavy collapse instead of rest.
Is functional freeze a medical diagnosis?
No. It is a popular term for stored trauma that has not resolved: a trauma response that never completed and became a chronic background state.
Why do I feel worse when I finally rest?
When you stop pushing, the background exhaustion that adrenaline was covering can surface as a heavy, collapsed feeling. It is a sign of functional freeze.
Why does caffeine help me function?
Caffeine, busyness, sugar and stress bring in adrenaline that overrides the body's brake. They help you get through the day and leave the freeze underneath in place.
Why is the freeze response so scary?
In freeze the body disconnects from a reality that feels like too much. It can feel numb, flat or like floating without a tether, and the loss of control makes people afraid they won't come back.
Who should help me work with my freeze?
For the first few times, someone experienced who is not afraid of your freeze response. Many partners and friends try to cheer you up, which pulls you out before your body moves through it.
What should I do if I'm in a shutdown right now?
Rest. Clear what you can, stay warm, take naps and let people know your capacity is low. Practice and analysis can wait until you have more room.
IN THIS EPISODE
00:00 How do I get out of freeze when I'm afraid of it?
01:20 What is functional freeze?
01:48 How do you recognize functional freeze?
03:32 What happens in an acute freeze?
05:11 How does an acute freeze become functional freeze?
06:33 What patterns come from functional freeze?
09:15 How does pushing through lead to chronic illness?
11:09 Why are we afraid of the freeze?
14:41 Does fearing body sensations keep them going?
15:25 What did I have wrong about my own freeze?
19:52 How do I uncouple the fear from the freeze?
23:12 Where do I go from here?
24:47 What changes when you stop pushing?
26:12 What if I'm in a shutdown right now?
RESOURCES/GUIDES
Take the free 2-Minute Assessment for Stored Trauma. It names the pattern of stored trauma your body has been running and how it has been protecting you. 2-Minute Assessment for Stored Trauma
Get The Biology of Trauma book. Chapter 12, "The Map and Framework for the Journey," describes shutdown becoming more predictable as the work begins.
RELATED PODCAST EPISODES
Episode 153: The Biology of Burnout: Why Pushing Through Stops Working. For the listener whose pushing has turned into burnout: why the body eventually stops responding to the push.
Can a Thyroid Problem Keep Me in Chronic Freeze? Reverse T3 and Shutdown, with Dr. Amie Hornaman (Part 1). For the listener whose freeze has not moved despite the inner work: when the thyroid is part of it.
Episode 129: Why You're Still in Survival Mode (Even After Years of Therapy and Healing Work). For the listener ready for the roadmap: the safety, support and expansion sequence.
YOUR HOST
Dr. Aimie Apigian is a double board-certified physician in Preventive and Addiction Medicine, author of the national bestselling book The Biology of Trauma (foreword by Gabor Maté) and the founder of the Biology of Trauma® framework that reshapes how we understand the way the body experiences and holds trauma. She holds master's degrees in biochemistry and public health. Foster-adopting a child during medical school set her on this path, and her search for answers deepened as she developed her own chronic health issues. Through Trauma Healing Accelerated®, her practitioner training, podcast, YouTube channel, and international speaking, Dr. Aimie bridges functional medicine, attachment science, and trauma therapy, with a focus on facilitating accelerated repair of trauma's impact on the mind, body, and biology.
RESEARCH
Schmidt NB, Lerew DR, Jackson RJ. The role of anxiety sensitivity in the pathogenesis of panic: prospective evaluation of spontaneous panic attacks during acute stress. J Abnorm Psychol. 1997;106(3):355-364. In Air Force Academy cadets followed through basic training, anxiety sensitivity, the fear of one's own body sensations, predicted spontaneous panic attacks.
Roelofs K. Freeze for action: neurobiological mechanisms in animal and human freezing. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2017;372(1718):20160206. Freezing involves activity in both branches of the autonomic nervous system, with the heart slowing.
Hughes K, Bellis MA, Hardcastle KA, et al. The effect of multiple adverse childhood experiences on health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Public Health. 2017;2(8):e356-e366. People with four or more adverse childhood experiences had higher risks across a wide range of adult health outcomes.
Transcript
DISCLAIMER
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