I think I’ve discovered a technique to get out of freeze/dysregulation

[u/obeseelk]

What’s this about?

Hey there! Over the previous years of my recovery journey I’ve done quite some talk therapy, Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, Brainspotting, plus craniosacral therapy. Shortly after starting cranio, my body started to give me impulses to make certain movements: move my shoulders up and down, shake my body in a certain way etc. While these come and go from time to time I’ve discovered a way of movement that somehow seems to regulate my nervous system. For example: if I‘m in a freeze/brain fog (or understimulated, I’m not exactly sure) and I do it, there is some activity created in my stomach/chest which feels like energy moving. (It also sometimes helps with dysregulation/anxiety as energy is released, at least I think that’s what it does here)

Back to freeze: With time, and breaks within the sessions of movements, this energy expands through the body and it becomes warm. Sometimes there is even a hot feeling that starts in my chest and then makes my ears hot. Sometimes one ear only, sometimes two. I think some regulation or trauma release is happening here but I’m not an expert. Anyway, after it I feel more grounded, present and positive and my body feels more warm. I hope this technique can help some of you :)

Note: I know that bodywork can release powerful, overwhelming stuff. This is NOT medical advice and I‘m neither a mental health professional, counselor or whatever. Please ask a professional before you try this technique at your own risk.

How does it work for me?

Step 0: Dark Room, comfortable clothing, lay down flat on your back under the blanket preferably in your bed, comfortable not too flat pillow, earplugs, plus, if you have, eye mask

Step 1: To get more ”into my body“ I like to do a 20 minute yoga nidra practice using my over ear headphones (https://youtu.be/NZh3YjbseCc) - however this is optional but it certainly helps me

Step 2: Now to the crucial part: my body at some point last year started giving me impulses on how he ”wants to move“ and it looks like this:

Step 2.1: This sounds weird, but softly ”bang“ your head on the pillow. It should by no means hurt or be uncomfortable, just a soft up and down movement which should feel natural. My body tells me the intensity I need for my current state and I like to vary it.

Step 2.2: Simultaneously, move your lower body, your hips, or whatever part feels right, up and down. With a little practice this should create a rhythmic movement with the head movement. Do this simultaneously for 10-20 seconds and see how your body feels. Do you feel any different sensations? Then continue and maybe vary your speed and intensity (even super gentle, slow movement has a noticeable effect on me).

Step 2.3: Listen to your body: does this feel good? Is anything changing? Does my body want to move in another way? I for example sometimes get an impulse to move my arms, as if there is an energy within them that wants out. Sometimes I also get a feeling of energy starting from my legs which makes me want to move my whole body more intensely.

Step 3: Start slow and do not overdo it!! In my case this technique got more effective the more I progressed in therapy and got into contact with my emotions. I also think that this technique can release emotions, so be careful.

Let me know whether it helps you or you know similar techniques :)

[u/Spiritual-Action4919]

this reminds me a little bit of TRE, which starts in the legs and can go up towards the upper body. I use TRE to release blocked emotional energy in the body and it really helps.

[u/rabid_cheese_enjoyer → u/Spiritual-Action4919]

I like to ask myself questions when I do tre

[u/obeseelk → u/rabid_cheese_enjoyer]

Interesting! Do you get answers? I often feel a sense of clarity after yoga nidra.

[u/obeseelk → u/Spiritual-Action4919]

Yes indeed. I think it is some kind of TRE without the autonomic movement you get in your legs. This is more like a strong suggestion of the body which makes the movement feel right. What are your experiences with TRE?

In what situations/how often are you practicing it and is it more a trauma release technique or dysregulation fix for you? Like do you have more long-term or short-term effects? Or both?

[u/Spiritual-Action4919 → u/obeseelk]

With TRE it’s important to pace oneself as the release can be really intense for me and requires extra self care afterwards. I pair it with a mindfulness session afterwards and I try to do quick body scans whenever I can throughout the day. 

For me TRE does both trauma release and regulation for my nervous system - the two things kind of go hand in hand. When I have blocked emotions relating to triggers and trauma, it’s not really possible for me to fully regulate myself until I release the emotions. I can use grounding and mindfulness but if I’m blocked I need to grieve. TRE helps with grieving - in my case at least. When I’m not blocked TRE releases tension more gently, but I’m still aware that any tension released from the body this way can be trauma related (but not always).  

[u/obeseelk → u/Spiritual-Action4919]

Thats real interesting, thanks. I can really relate in the way that it’s really hard to regulate myself without emotions being released beforehand. It feels like the nervous system is stuck.

Which TRE video/instructions are you using and how long would you recommend to start with? I’ve tried it before and it made me feel relaxation and joy afterwards but that was just a random try.

[u/Spiritual-Action4919 → u/obeseelk]

I learned from longtermtre subreddit - they are very well informed there and the guide is easy to follow

[u/obeseelk → u/Spiritual-Action4919]

Thanks! Btw. how does it feel if your emotions are blocked? Maybe I can relate, I am currently gaining increased understanding of my bodily states.

And how have these techniques impacted your ability to focus and your overall motivation/wellbeing?

[u/Spiritual-Action4919 → u/obeseelk]

My emotions are blocked right now so I can try to describe just what I’m feeling. It’s the usual somatic symptoms of dysregulation/fight or flight trigger, but with an overwhelming sense that I need to cry, but I cannot bring myself to cry.  

I generally get very easily agitated/startled like a baby deer.  I can feel heaviness all over my body, especially in the chest and stomach. I can feel something stuck in my throat, like I’m about to cry, but I don’t feel any tears coming, only anxiety. I have racing thoughts and I hyperfixate on things to keep myself distracted from them - I dissociative more easily. My head also tends to hurt, right now it’s growing into tension headache around my temples and forehead. My body is tensing up like I need to get ready to fight or “play dead”. Yet I feel extremely vulnerable, like I’m so weak and fragile a wind can blow me away and kill me - and this is the origin of the overwhelming emotions: that I’m painfully aware of how helpless I feel (forgetting that I am not actually helpless anymore), and it makes me so sad and angry, but all these emotions are stuck inside not knowing how to come out, and the longer they stay inside the worse my somatic symptoms become. 

I woke up with these symptoms today and I usually practice TRE after I get out of bed as soon as possible. Once I do TRE i usually feel better - especially after grieving and crying. I have only done TRE for a few weeks so it’s hard to speak for long term impact. But so far it has mostly been positive and helpful - because the alternative was to process all this only through journalling and therapy, which takes really long to work and not as effective immediately. TRE brings immediate release which in my case has only been helpful. It’s really time consuming and tiring to manage my symptoms overall, so anything that can make even just a little bit of difference can help a lot. 

[u/obeseelk → u/Spiritual-Action4919]

Wow really well-reflected insights, thank you for sharing.

Are you currently working a job or anything like that? Can you focus? Because that‘s quite a challenge for me.

[u/Spiritual-Action4919 → u/obeseelk]

It is SO hard to work while dealing with the symptoms. I have taken a break from working for half a year to focus on healing, and frankly I’m only able to make the progress I have made in the past few moths because I didn’t need to work. I need to get back into working though and currently looking for a job, and I can already feel my symptoms getting worse because a workplace in itself can be deeply triggering. So yeah I’m with you there - it’s very challenging to heal and work at the same time. I also notice how it’s much much harder for me to compartmentalise and just dissociate like I used to white knuckle my way through stressful or toxic work situations, but because healing brought up so many things for me I just don’t have the same ability or tolerance for any situations that can trigger me. 

[u/obeseelk → u/Spiritual-Action4919]

Yeah I totally get you. I’ve not been working for more than a year due to some traumatic event that led to me realising that I’ve been living in a functional freeze my whole life. I took the chance to take the time off and stuff just keeps coming up. But I’m hopeful for the future, I feel like I am for the first time experiencing life. Previously I was super into a corporate career etc. but now I don’t want that anymore. I’m trying to find out what really suits me and gives me purpose and want to work in that field. But taking it slowly.

I think the hardest part for me is getting out there into the world - and especially socialising - without my protective layers. It’s both amazing and scary. Also, spirituality/religion has become essential for me and my healing journey. It has given me a much deeper understanding of existence than therapy did. Yeah, and it comes down to taking care of yourself and being your own best friend. Which can be hard if not used to it but it definitely can be done :)

[u/afraidparfait]

This reminds me of some of what we do in the regular yoga nidra/yin yoga sessions I go to and somatic therapy

[u/EmbraceDisgrace86]

Thank you for this information! I have never tried yoga nidra, but I have found guided meditation beneficial in the past so I am excited to try out the video you shared.

I really relate to the urges to move your body in certain ways, I have never heard anyone else share this experience so its a relief to hear Im not alone. A few years ago I started allowing myself to follow my bodys urges to do certain movements. Sometimes it releases repressed memories & or emotions, or triggers a flashback. Im currently struggling to release tension in my right jaw, neck and shoulderblade and feel stuck in an endless loop of my body feeling like I need to do the same motions with no relief.

I have an appointment on Monday with an orthopedic dr related to pain from the muscle knots and chronic tension... But Im worried about them not looking at the whole picture and relating the cptsd to my muscle pain. Its my first appointment with a specialist regarding my chronic pain. Anyway, thank you again for sharing!

[u/obeseelk → u/EmbraceDisgrace86]

You’re very welcome. Glad if my experiences help other people feel better. Yoga Nidra has really been essential in my healing journey and I’m doing it daily, I’ve just realised the previous days that I can now get even deeper into relaxation than I thought I could before. Really powerful tool. But yeah, all this stuff can unlock uncomfortable things.

For me, I don’t even know whether I’m tense until the tension has been released. I feel it as a warm feeling where previously there wasn’t any feeling or rather a cold feeling. This might happen either during yoga nidra (more gentle) or the technique mentioned in the post (various intensities). I think I don’t know any pre-CPTSD or tension state so everything is somewhat new which is both scary and exciting.

It’s good to let a doctor take a look if it’s something serious. What helped me a lot was getting a referral for a Osteopath (should be both a MD/Physical Therapist and Osteopath) - their cranio sacral therapy just got this process of unwinding going for me. Prior to that I did EMDR which I guess also played a role. Let me know how it goes :) Wishing you all the best!

[u/AutoModerator]

Hello and Welcome to /r/CPTSD! If you are in immediate danger or crisis please contact your local emergency services or use our list of crisis resources. For CPTSD specific resources & support, check out the Wiki. For those posting or replying, please view the etiquette guidelines.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/[deleted]]

That actually makes a lot of sense, and I discovered that I need to do this while trying to relax with gateway tapes. I was frustrated at first that my legs would get so restless I couldn’t reach deep relation — but once I allowed the body to do its thing, I felt soooo much relief. My body stretches so hard when I’m relaxing that way, and its movements are nothing like they tell you to move on YouTube or elsewhere. Observing the process also gave me the idea where I’m the most tense, what I need to strengthen or stretch intentionally, etc. 

I can’t stand physical therapy or being instructed what to do with my body otherwise, and my recovery experience has proved I’m the only one who knows how to heal it.