What is shutting down in therapy?

Sometimes we strike a nerve that causes our clients to feel too vulnerable, leading to a “shut down” response. This is a protective mechanism that probably served our client very well at some point in their life when there was a real threat.

What happens when a client shuts down in therapy?

Shutting down isn't dangerous – Because the experience of shutting down may cause the client to feel helpless, terrified, or out of control, clients and therapists alike may have an urge and tendency to shy away from cues (e.g., certain topics) that make shutting down more likely to happen.

Why do people shut down in therapy?

The reason someone shuts down could be varied, but there are a couple of common reasons. Sometimes there is a belief that they cannot deal with the situation, due to upset, or a fear of rejection. It could be a way to defuse the situation. It may, however, be a tactic of manipulation.

What does it mean to shut down emotionally?

Emotional detachment occurs when people willingly or unwillingly turn off their connection with their emotions. This may be intentional, such as a defensive mechanism on emotionally draining people, or unintentional due to an underlying condition or medication side effect.

How do you know if a client is dissociating?

Are You Stuck in Freeze Mode? How to Turn off the Freeze Response

How do therapists know when you're dissociating?

If someone is experiencing dissociation during a therapy session, it may show up through a certain eye expression or through shallow breathing. Or when the attention fades or there is agitation, or other behaviors.

How does a therapist feel when a client dissociates?

Findings revealed that therapists have strong emotional and behavioral responses to a patient's dissociation in session, which include anxiety, feelings of aloneness, retreat into one's own subjectivity and alternating patterns of hyperarousal and mutual dissociation.

Is shutting down a trauma response?

When trauma and chronic stress become overwhelming, our nervous system tends to move into a shutdown state. Counsellors often refer to it as dissociation, a common response to traumatic events.

Is shutting down a coping mechanism?

Shutting down emotions can be a normal part of human experience, as a coping strategy in stressful situations. Under high stress, it allows your body and brain to protect itself from perceived threats or harm.

What does shutting down mean in mental health?

In shutdown mode, at some level our nervous system believes we are in a life-threatening situation, and it tries to keep us alive through keeping our body still. Some people who have had both attachment trauma and subsequent trauma can have chronic suicidality and dissociation episodes that last days to months.

What does shutting down look like?

When someone has shut down, they certainly look like they don't care. The facial expression is usually neutral, there is little to no expression of emotion, and voice tone becomes monotonous. Answers to questions are short, and you begin to interpret all of this as indifference.

Why do therapists stay quiet?

Done supportively, silence can exert some positive pressure on the client to stop and reflect. Non-verbal signals of patience and empathy by the therapist can encourage the client to express thoughts and feelings that would otherwise be covered up by too much anxious talk. Sympathetic silence can signal empathy.

What is shutdown dissociation?

Shutdown dissociation includes partial or complete functional sensory deafferentiation, classified as negative dissociative symptoms (see Nijenhuis, 2014; Van Der Hart et al., 2004). The Shut-D focuses exclusively on symptoms according to the evolutionary-based concept of shutdown dissociative responding.

How long does the average client stay in therapy?

The number of recommended sessions varies by condition and treatment type, however, the majority of psychotherapy clients report feeling better after 3 months; those with depression and anxiety experience significant improvement after short and longer time frames, 1-2 months & 3-4.

What is the end of therapy called?

But for most people, there will come a time when therapy no longer feels necessary or progress has stalled. In most cases, the client will choose to end therapy; there are also situations in which a therapist decides to end sessions and refer a client elsewhere. Formally, ending therapy is called “termination.”

What causes mental shutdown?

Work stress, mental illness, family responsibilities, and poor coping strategies are all things that can lead to a nervous breakdown and the inability to function normally. The good news is that nervous breakdowns are treatable and manageable.

How do I overcome shutting down?

What is an anxiety shutdown?

Like with emotional detachment, mental detachment is simply a coping mechanism to extreme stress. Your mind and body are under such intense stress with panic attacks that your brain decides to simply shut everything down for a while. It's not dangerous nor does it mean anything about your mental health.

How long does emotional shutdown last?

The Duration of a Nervous Breakdown Varies by Individual. A nervous breakdown is not a diagnosable mental health condition, and that means there are no official criteria to describe it, including duration. These mental health crises are highly variable, lasting a few hours for one person or weeks for another.

Is shutting down emotional abuse?

Silent treatment abuse is a form of emotional abuse in which a person refuses to communicate with you in order to control or influence your behaviors. Taking time to cool down after an argument is healthy, but shutting off communication for a long time, especially in order to control another person, is a form of abuse.

What are the 3 trauma responses?

All kinds of trauma create stress reactions. People often say that their first feeling is relief to be alive after a traumatic event. This may be followed by stress, fear and anger. Trauma may also lead people to find they are unable to stop thinking about what happened.

How do people act when they are dissociating?

Many people may experience dissociation (dissociate) during their life. If you dissociate, you may feel disconnected from yourself and the world around you. For example, you may feel detached from your body or feel as though the world around you is unreal. Remember, everyone's experience of dissociation is different.

What does flooded mean in therapy?

n. a technique in behavior therapy in which the individual is exposed directly to a maximum-intensity anxiety-producing situation or stimulus, either described or real, without any attempt made to lessen or avoid anxiety or fear during the exposure.

Why do therapists mirror you?

When the psychologist mirrors, he or she is giving attention, recognition, and acknowledgement of the person. If the patient has a deep need to feel special, than the therapist's interest in understanding, and the provision of undivided attention, is reparative.

What does an episode of dissociation look like?

When a person experiences dissociation, it may look like: Daydreaming, spacing out, or eyes glazed over. Acting different, or using a different tone of voice or different gestures. Suddenly switching between emotions or reactions to an event, such as appearing frightened and timid, then becoming bombastic and violent.