When we are in hypoarousal, our system begins to shut down. We might feel numb, disconnected, or start to dissociate. One of the best ways to support yourself in this state is to gently stimulate your senses and bring awareness …
Category: Trauma
Signs of Hypoarousal: Understanding Your Body’s Shutdown Response
Hypoarousal Hypoarousal is another defence mechanism. It can feel like exhaustion, numbness, disconnection from everything and everyone, or like you’re moving through a dream. You may want to sleep a lot, eat very little, and feel shut down or dissociated. …
Signs of Hyperarousal and Understanding Your Window of Tolerance
Signs of Hyperarousal Most of the time, we live within what’s called our Window of Tolerance — a safe range of arousal where we feel grounded, present, and able to self-regulate. In this state, the reasoning part of our brain …
How to Reconnect With Your Needs
When your needs have been ignored or dismissed, it can feel almost impossible to trust them. But you can gently rebuild that connection. 1. Pause and Notice When you feel discomfort, pause and ask: “What am I needing right now?” …
Self-Betrayal: Why You Learned to Disconnect from Your Needs
When you have grown up in an environment where your needs were not met or ignored, you learned to disconnect from them. As an adult, this has created one of two situations: When your needs as a child were not …
When Three Triggers in 24 Hours Brought My Six-Year-Old Self Forward
This week, I had a few things happen within a 24-hour period that triggered a younger part of me that says, “I’m in trouble.” I haven’t felt this part of me for ages, so it came as a surprise. I …
When Your Pain Feels “Too Much” for Others
Have you ever been in so much pain that you wanted to reach out… but stopped yourself? Because you didn’t want to be “too much,” or felt like a burden to the people you love? This is such a lonely …
Infidelity Indecision: When Your Heart and Mind Are at War
Discovering a betrayal can leave you spinning in a storm of uncertainty. One moment you’re furious and ready to leave. The next, you’re longing for the connection you once had. This is infidelity indecision — the painful space where your …