How to deal with emotional numbness?

[InterruptReQuest]

I've been trying to go through some past events that I didn't fully deal with, but it proves to be almost impossible because I can't feel the emotions that are associated with those events. I rarely feel anything, which leads me to believe I might be emotionally numb. According to my understanding, it's purpose is to protect you from emotional pain, but I don't think it's serving me anymore because I'm no longer living in the same environment as I used to. Does anyone have any experience with emotional numbness and how to deal with it?

[RickyFitts]

You might find this thread of use :

 

Edited August 28, 2021 by RickyFitts

[Flowerfaeiry]

I'm sorry you're dealing with this it can be quite concerning. Sometimes, just sitting in stillness with the numbness can bring up emotions. It may be that you are too scared to feel the depth of your pain so take it easy. 

[Cathal]

try a strong determination sitting for like 1 hour 30 mins and don't resist anything, you'll see for yourself you just neglect the uncomfortable emotions, you'll get really impatient and frustrated which can be gateways into some of the walled of trash.

there's a lot of reasons why you might go emotionally numb or what they call experiencing anhedonia,

but in my experience even as I write this I've found it's just the reason the floodgates aren't opening is because you have heavy resistance to the underlying emotions you're currently deal with and since you can feel those underlying things they seem so distant and unreachable yet trust me they are reachable, they just need a kind of object/focus/method to surface them up for processing. could be a therapist, could be breathwork, could be as I said strong determination sitting, could be psychedelics, could be acupuncture or all sorts of shit who knows, explore them all.

it's a bad rut to get into 

[hamedsf]

I guess I'm an emotionally detached person and I don't feel like there's a problem for that.

 still I handle flirtation, create entertaining conversations and deep stuff. 

[InterruptReQuest]

22 hours ago, catcat69123 said:

but in my experience even as I write this I've found it's just the reason the floodgates aren't opening is because you have heavy resistance to the underlying emotions you're currently deal with and since you can feel those underlying things they seem so distant and unreachable yet trust me they are reachable, they just need a kind of object/focus/method to surface them up for processing. could be a therapist, could be breathwork, could be as I said strong determination sitting, could be psychedelics, could be acupuncture or all sorts of shit who knows, explore them all.

Well at least as far as I know, I don't resist them consciously. Otherwise I probably wouldn't want to do this, because I know that I need to deal with the emotions.

I did try breathwork few times and I remember getting a tingling/numb feeling (similar feeling to your arm falling asleep for example) in several parts of my body, but I don't know if that is linked to emotional numbness itself or if it's something that happens when doing breathwork. I have heard others getting that too, but I don't ever recall it begin linked to emotional numbness.

I have also heard someone say that emotional numbness in itself is sort of feeling, but I'm not sure if that feeling is the same kind I mentioned above.

[roopepa]

On 28.8.2021 at 3:12 PM, InterruptReQuest said:

I've been trying to go through some past events that I didn't fully deal with, but it proves to be almost impossible because I can't feel the emotions that are associated with those events. I rarely feel anything, which leads me to believe I might be emotionally numb. According to my understanding, it's purpose is to protect you from emotional pain, but I don't think it's serving me anymore because I'm no longer living in the same environment as I used to. Does anyone have any experience with emotional numbness and how to deal with it?

I think it's the belief (I'm not feeling) that is hiding the feeling itself.

Rather than trying to heal something, rather than trying to deal with some past experience, maybe it would be better to start from simply focusing on feeling good. Is there anything that makes you feel better? Maybe listening to music, taking a walk, enjoying a good meal...?

[Cathal]

@InterruptReQuest

because they are repressed, an action needs to occur and not thinking. you won't find any of that shit thinking about it because in this mode even thinking about your worst traumas it doesn't really work. 

don't try to dissect the feeling and make sense of it, it's much easier if you find routes of actions that can surface up emotions. 

really a good therapist is the easiest way to penetrating this feeling of numbness, psychedelics are the easiest way if you're going solo, not meeting the infinite buddha 5 dried grams but low doses and brutal honesty and compassion for yourself.

they are tools to shed awareness on things you can learn to work on and eventually get to a point you may not need any drugs or therapy.

what kind of breathwork? i would recommend trying a free class on https://breathworkonline.com/try-a-free-online-breathwork-session/ and seeing how it goes