Freezing Up During A Flashback?

[PandaBear12212]

I was wondering if anyone else experiences this symptom. Whenever I have a flashback, I physically freeze up. All I can do is bend over, bury my head in my lap, cover my eyes, and re-live the abuse. The other night my friend accidentally triggered a flashback and I burst into tears and was literally laying on the floor of his room with my eyes covered just bawling. He was trying to console me and get me to stand up and I physically froze. My vision was blurry, my heart was palpitating, I couldn't breathe, and my muscles were so tense I literally couldn't move even though I was trying.

It was like my brain was going into override, taking over my physical body. I remember when I was being abused I would do the same thing, I would physically freeze up. It felt like my brain was saying, "This is what I know how to do. This is how I know to survive." It's as if my brain was conditioned to freeze up my body during the abuse so know every time I have a flashback I freeze.

 

[Viosinger]

Mine have gotten better over time, but I used to do the same thing. I'd curl up, hyperventilate, squeeze my eyes shut, and the only thing I was able to say was "no." I don't really have any advice... My triggers just got less sensitive with time, and the flashbacks less severe. Hang in there. Hopefully you can find some reprieve. I had to be REALLY careful for a few years about friends conversations, movies & tv, etc.

 

[Echo]

I do, too. I have always had memories since I was a little girl of turning into a piece of cold metal. And since the CPTSD has arrived, my body has been so rigid compared to normal; it takes me so long to do anything and I feel about 93. My body just wants to curl up into a foetal position the whole time. Freeziing and twisting away even minutely were the only ways we knew how to survive and protect ourselves because we couldn't fight and we couldn't get away.

 

[Kas_Can_Fly]

It depends I get three main types of flashbacks and I think I freeze during two of them. During one I get mind splitting migraines before so I'm usually alone my room curled up where I sleep (on the floor), these flashbacks are full body and every sense, I'm entirely back then and not "here" at all - so I don't know what I'm like during it and because of the warning signs, I'm always alone because I don't want to be around people when I have them.

The second type are less severe flashbacks that aren't a total loss of consciousness like that, they can last for only a few seconds although many go on for go on for longer, but they repeat over and over or I get lots of little ones all at once, even if manage to stop them for a second they creep back in. They're quite like intrusive thoughts, but I often feel or hear something that I did back then too. I definitely freeze during this type and I either go very rigid all straightened out or I curl up really tight before and then my whole body locks and tenses. I also find hold my breath a lot with these and often find that I'm too scared to start breathing again. I just say "No" over and over but sometimes this acts as a trigger, but it's the only way I know how to get it to stop as most grounding tools don't work.

The third type are emotional and don't really fall into this, except I do often need to isolate and dissociate, during this I also don't move, but I think that's an intentional choice, I'm not sure. I don't know if it's because I froze during the abuse, but I most certainly did. Under stress I lock up and become unable to do anything and also if pushed lose all ability to make decisions - I know that (although it sounds different) is definitely related to freezing during the abuse. I suppose to me it does make sense, I just never thought to try to relate the two things. :)

 

[Meadowsweet]

I have flashbacks in which I freeze, or feel incredibly heavy headed (like extreme exhaustion) and have to find myself somewhere to lie down. Like you said in your post, it is how I reacted to the abuse, so it stands to reason that flashbacks include that part of the experience too.

 

[FindingMyself88]

I do the same thing, except I find a pillow or something to hug and curl up in a corner on the floor with my legs as close as possible. I just got out of the psych unit and they eventually learned that they couldn't pull me out of that position.

 

[joeylittle]

Yep. I freeze and sob - my arms are usually raised and rigid - or I get very heavy and cannot move and my breathing gets very shallow, and I'm silent. I can't move my eyes when that happens, but they are open.