Emotional numbness and disconnection
Not sadness — the absence of it. Watching your own life through glass. Knowing you should feel something at a wedding, a funeral, your child's face, and finding the place where that feeling should be is simply quiet.
Numbness is protection that outstayed its usefulness
It's a freeze response. When something was too much to feel at the time, shutting down was the intelligent move. The difficulty is that it isn't selective — you can't numb the unbearable without numbing the good.
Why this needs body-based work
You can't talk your way back into feeling. Talking is what the numb part does well. Brainspotting and EMDR work below language, which is where the shutdown lives.
What coming back is like
Gradual, and often uncomfortable before it's welcome — the first thing to return is frequently irritation or grief rather than joy. That's normal, and it's a good sign. We go at a pace that doesn't overwhelm the system that shut down for a reason.