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this post was submitted on 11 Dec 2025
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CPTSD
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A place to talk about CPTSD.
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This sounds like what is often part of emotional numbing in ptsd. People often think about it as part of a way to stay functioning and not be overwhelmed by negative feelings - but at the cost of feeling distanced from positive feelings, too. Does this match what you're experiencing?
Definitely matches my experience.
I don't really have any reaction to what people say, or when watching a movie for example.
I think my default strategy of dealing with feelings is suppressing them. Good or bad.
Even to the point that it happens automatically.
Not sure what to do about it though.
Meditation seems to help, but only if I do it very long and consistently.
Maybe also related, I don't really experience racing thoughts that people often describe when meditating. If I do it long enough I can occasionally notice something.
The most direct way this changes is usually by some type of intentional "approach" (ie not avoidance) of the hardest to tolerate memories and feelings - which seems to let your brain realize they are actually tolerable (now, in a safe environment, etc - there may well have been a reason for avoiding them before). When people do this (often with a therapist) numbing tends to go down.
Not the only option or anything! But often the most direct one.
Sounds very much like what I should try to do. The only thing is that I don't seem to remember anything. Or at least nothing with an emotional load.
I can't really trigger any memory. Sometimes I notice I'm feeling overwhelmed when my partner would scold me. But it still doesn't make me remember anything, just feel very bad. And it's not really consistent. Some days I'm fine with it.
Ah, yeah, that can be a challenge. It's something that comes up for sure, but it's hard to give a general answer to. If there are memories that must people would consider likely traumatic but they feel kind of numbed out too that's often something a good therapist can coach you through - but it's pretty individual.
Another option to consider is looking through some of the DBT handouts on recognizing and naming emotions, which have very concrete descriptions that include physical sensations etc - sometimes this can help if part is what's happening is you're feeling very cut off from emotions.