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Hi! I'm Cami

Freeze...You're It....

Published 11 months ago • 3 min read

Do you remember playing freeze tag as a kid?

I remember that thrill of running around and how at times it was almost a rest to be frozen and at other times, it felt lonely, like no one was ever coming to unfreeze you so you could be part of the game again.

These mental images from playing freeze tag in my yard as a kid, remind me so much of my body in it's healthy rest and digest state (a welcome rest) and my body in it's survival freeze state (no one is ever coming to save me and I'm stuck frozen forever).

It might seem dramatic, and our survival states, usually are......

In healing terms we talk about this healthy state as our dorsal vagas nerve being in good health or regulated (being toned in a way only our nerves can be toned) and our dorsal in it's survival, protective state - I'm about to die so I have to freeze and pretend I'm already dead in order to survive.

I find it helpful to start to notice what my body does in each state so I can have awareness, no longer be afraid of the freeze state and know that healthy rest and digest is available.

I use a Polyvagal tool of "Exploring My Dorsal Landscape" when I'm seeking to understand more about my experience with freeze. Just as we did with our sympathetic system back in April, we can explore both our regulated and survival states through this tool.

Let's explore awareness, no more fear of freeze, and the availability of healthy rest and digest through this tool.

Just like I did with tag, I can gain awareness of my body and it's internal cues.

It can be helpful to remember times when I felt regulated? I like to go to moments in time were I felt restful, calm, peaceful....my body doesn't feel as tight, I feel refreshed, I feel light and airy.....Can you think of a time? How would you describe your experience?

I can look for the things in my physical world that connect with those feelings and sensations in my body....maybe it's people, or water, rocks, beauty in nature, colors.....these are mine.....What things are in your physical space here?

What about times when I felt I was in freeze? I go to those moments and I do feel like life is happening without me. I feel separate from myself, from the group, even though I can see that I am surrounded by people. Often even people I love....and yet I'm not really me...can't seem to find me....I feel so distant from myself and others....I can't actually feel anything in my body....just disconnected....

My physical world has a foggy hue that is hard to focus on....all the colors blur together, I don't really notice peoples faces, or details, just that things are there and yet I couldn't really tell you what.......unless I notice a threat. Then I see every detail of that threat. I memorize it quickly and notice that I have actually been scanning for threat the whole time, just very discretely and secretly.

Does any of this sound familiar?

When we go back to these "landscapes" within our body and without in our physical world around us, we gain more clarity and awareness. This is helpful in healing because, going back to these moments, helps us gain comfort in our body and in our nervous system.

Our ability to go back in time and notice that we were there once (in either peace and calm or frozen).......but we went back in our minds eye and then came back to present and we were okay through it all.

That whole experience offers us doorways into releasing the fear of the unknown. We don't have to wonder how we will respond, we start to know and understand what is happening and then we have so much more power and choice over our experience.

We get to practice moving back and forth, pendulating safely between the 2 dorsal states of our body. This is offering us a nonthreatening way to view our freeze and rest and I digest in a way to ease the fear AND let us know what healthy rest and digest looks and feels like in our body and full sensory system.

I invite you to try it out. Find a moment where you felt regulated and where you felt frozen. You can use the tool, "Exploring My Dorsal Landscape", to learn about your internal and external landscapes and see what your body offers you around awareness of how your body feels.

Are you able to have a little less fear of your survival freeze state?

Are you able to trust a little more how your body can get to safety and how it feels when it's in a healthy and safe rest and digest state?

And remember, Freeze....you're it....we really do create patterns in our dorsal state and we really do become that state because, due to trauma our freeze state is often overactive.

AND......We can consciously use tools to change that overactive freeze to a more regulated dorsal state that is restful and calm.

I used to live most of my life in freeze and now I don't.

I am enjoying a more present, restful life.

Want to join me?

You totally can!

And if you need help, please reach out.

Remember, ❤️

You Matter. Your Healing Matters. You Are Worth It!

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P.S. My latest podcast is Here.

P.S.S. Photo of kids by Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash

Hi! I'm Cami

I am a Trauma Informed Embodiment Coach. Healing is possible for women who have trauma. Big T, Little T, Complex, Sexual, Religious, any form of trauma. Check out my content and ways we can work together.

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