Trauma Responses: Understanding The Freeze Response
ShrinkChicks
Jennifer Chaiken, LMFT and Emmalee Bierly, LMFT
4.9 • 755 Ratings
🗓️ 9 February 2026
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen break down the freeze response, one of the most misunderstood trauma responses. They explain how freezing is an involuntary nervous system reaction to overwhelming threat, often linked to trauma, and why so many people carry shame for something their body chose automatically.
They explore what freeze can look like in daily life (numbness, dissociation, procrastination, avoidance, shutdown), as well as “functional freeze,” where you’re moving through life on autopilot. The conversation covers why freezing happens, how it differs from feeling stuck or avoidant, and practical ways to gently come out of a freeze state by activating the nervous system.
Listener questions dive into freezing in relationships, with authority figures, and during conflict; plus, how to explain the freeze response to a partner who misreads it as disengagement. Em and Jen also talk about slowing relational tempo, understanding what your nervous system learned about safety, and how awareness can reduce shame and increase choice.
Tune in to gain insight, awareness, and action! PS: Fast forward to around 6:45 to skip the intro and get straight to today’s content.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You have brain fog. |
| 0:01.0 | You feel disconnected. |
| 0:02.6 | And it's hard to make decisions or feel anything. |
| 0:05.5 | This is basically your nervous system choosing to contain and conserve so you can get through. |
| 0:12.1 | And I think a lot of us feel and fall into this functional freeze response, especially when we're dealing with so much that's happening in the world. |
| 0:30.5 | Welcome back to another episode of shrink chicks. |
| 0:35.1 | Take a seat on our virtual therapy couch and get ready to learn all about, well, you. |
| 0:40.5 | I'm Emily Beirley. |
| 0:41.6 | And I'm Jennifer Chakin. |
| 0:42.9 | And we're both licensed, marriage and family therapist and relationship experts. |
| 0:47.0 | We're the owners and founders of the therapy group, a nationwide psychotherapy practice with down-to-earth therapists just like us. |
| 0:54.0 | Your session is starting. So get ready to know yourself and grow yourself. wide psychotherapy practice with down-to-earth therapists just like us. |
| 0:58.1 | Your session is starting, so get ready to know yourself and grow yourself. |
| 1:02.8 | Hi, Jen. |
| 1:04.0 | I am. |
| 1:05.0 | How are you? |
| 1:06.3 | I'm doing great. |
| 1:08.3 | I'm cold as shit. |
| 1:09.7 | How are you? I think it's all we talk talk about i fucking knew the first thing you're to say |
| 1:14.2 | was i'm cold because it's like it's such like a northeast badge of honor to talk about how cold |
| 1:19.9 | we are winter they're just like shut the fuck up move somewhere else like don't you find |
| 1:22.9 | don't you find yourself annoying i bet and i'm not saying that about you i'm saying i'm annoying |
... |
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