If you have areas of your life where you feel stuck, despite active efforts to do something different, there may be a hidden reason for that – your body could be stuck in a state of “nervous system over-activation.” This state of being isn’t commonly talked about, but it is much more prevalent than most people think.

Survival Mode In Action

We’ve all heard of the body’s survival mechanism of going into Fight, Flight or Freeze when posed with danger. What we don’t realize is that the trauma we experience from dangerous situations doesn’t have to be  “Big T”, ie. war, abuse, car accidents, etc.  It can also come from “Little T” trauma – circumstances that felt emotionally dangerous like embarrassments, humiliations or rejections. All it takes is one situation that pushes us just a bit too far out of our comfort zone and the body tries to “protect” us by going into hyperdrive, and as a result, we end up automatically reacting to situations without the space to slow things down, think things through and choose intentional action.

Fight-Flight-Freeze-Fawn

What does nervous system overactivation look like? It can express itself by having us react in the following ways:

Fight: Feeling irritable, angry, having a low frustration tolerance, or being unable to control strong emotions when they arise.

Flight: A tendency to want to “run” or avoid people or situations we find potentially threatening. This can create difficulty achieving our goals because we’ve had to get away from situations that felt unsafe or unhealthy, resulting in having to start over again and again.

Freeze: Can make us feel flooded (overwhelmed, unable to think clearly, and just plain stuck.)

And now a fourth mode has been identified and added to the defense mechanisms that we use to keep ourselves safe.

Fawn: Becoming overly people-pleasing in order to keep a sense of peace and safety around you. Individuals stuck in fawn learned to put other people’s needs first and will not only need to “flip off the switch” of nervous system over-activation but also learn to give themselves permission to make choices based on their own preferences and desires.

The Body’s Motto: “Protect First, Ask Questions Later”

So, if you often feel hypervigilant (braced for danger at all times), reserved, reluctant or stuck, you may be in a state of nervous system overactivation and all the willpower in the world won’t get you unstuck because this a body issue – not a mind issue.

These states become automatic, driven by the body’s nervous system to keep you safe. After feeling “stuck” for a significant of amount of time, clients often come in saying I think “I’m broken” in some way. I always correct them saying “You’re not broken, you’re just over-functioning, and now that the real danger has passed, we need to flip the switch off.” Despite the fact that it doesn‘t always feel good to be in nervous system overactivation, the body’s good intentions worked  – you did indeed survive – albeit you may feel a bit tormented.

EMDR to the Rescue

The good news is that EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is the Gold Standard for “flipping off the switch.” It began over 40 years ago as a treatment for soldiers who returned home from war – and now, as an evidence-based treatment with years of research behind it, is used to treat everything from PTSD, to grief, to individuals reeling from being in a narcissistic relationship. EMDR desensitized strong emotions and softens the body’s automatic reactions, finally allowing us to truly put the past in the past where it belongs.

Wise Counseling, Inc. has you Covered

Wise Counseling Inc, specializes in EMDR Therapy and can assess your specific situation help you get “unstuck.”  With offices in Fort Myers and Naples, and services via Telehealth throughout the state of Florida, our staff of trained clinicians are ready to help you break free, once and for all.

Book your appointment today on our website www.wisecounselinginc.com or give us a call at 941-202-3350.  We look forward to helping you “flip the switch” and create a more satisfying and intentional life!