What Is a Functional Freeze?

And how I found my way out of it.

I remember the first time my somatic coach (yep, I have one too) told me:

“Kristine, I think you might be in a functional freeze.”

I was like... huh? What does that even mean?

I was showing up to work. Holding space for clients. Texting friends back. I wasn’t crying on the floor or spiraling out of control. I was “fine.”

But that was the thing. I was functioning… not feeling.

The Disconnect I Couldn’t Name

I’ve always been self-aware. I could break down a situation like it was my job. I’d journal it out, reframe the thought, find the root cause. Check, check, check.

But I had never reallllyyy felt my feelings. Growing up, sensitivity was seen as weakness. So I learned to hide it. To push things down. To “handle it.”

And like most feelings we don’t feel... they eventually came back louder.

For me, they came back as burnout.
Chronic migraines. Digestive issues. A body I barely felt connected to.
I was so deeply in survival mode, I didn’t even notice it.

That’s what a functional freeze looks like.

What Is a Functional Freeze?

In nervous system terms, a functional freeze is when you're in a dorsal vagal state (shutdown, numbness, disconnection) but still able to go through the motions.

You might look “put together” on the outside, but internally feel:

• Emotionally flat or checked out

• Tired but wired

• Foggy or indecisive

• Stuck in overthinking

• Disconnected from joy or desire

• Like your life is on autopilot

It’s not laziness. It’s not a mindset issue. It’s your nervous system doing its best to protect you when overwhelm becomes too much to process.

The Turning Point

When I started somatic coaching, I finally had a space to connect all the dots.
Therapy helped me understand the why.
Somatic work helped me feel the what now.

I dove into it: breathwork, energy healing, EFT, meditation, movement, visualization, body-based rituals. It was like learning a new language — one my body had been whispering all along.

What Changed for Me

Physically:
✅ My digestion improved
✅ My migraines stopped
✅ I could take a full breath, not just a shallow inhale stuck in my chest
✅ I felt more grounded, flexible, alive

Emotionally:
✅ I speak up for myself without guilt
✅ I set boundaries that feel good in my body
✅ I trust my intuition
✅ I don’t abandon myself to make others comfortable

But more than anything, I finally stopped outsourcing my peace.

3 Ways to Start Moving Through a Functional Freeze

These aren’t hacks. They’re gentle ways to reconnect with your body:

1. Micro-Movement:
   Try swaying, stretching, or shaking for 60 seconds. Even a subtle shift can reawaken energy when you feel flat or frozen.

2. Oriented Awareness:
   Slowly look around the room. Let your eyes rest on something that feels neutral or comforting. This tells your system, I’m safe now.

3. Extended Exhale Breathing:
   Breathe in for 4. Exhale for 6. Repeat a few times. Longer exhales help activate the parasympathetic system and bring you back into your body.

If This Resonated… You’re Not Alone.

Functional freeze is more common than we think — especially among high-functioning, ambitious women who’ve learned to “keep it all together.”

But there’s another way.
One where you feel safe to slow down, reconnect, and truly take up space in your life.

That’s the work we do in somatic coaching.
It’s not about fixing you. It’s about remembering that your body already knows how to heal.

If you're ready to feel more you, I’d love to support you inside a 1:1 somatic coaching container.