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Hypnosis for Emotional Numbness and Feeling “Flat”

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Feeling numb or flat is a symptom, not a diagnosis, and its causes range from depression and trauma to the side effects of common medicines. Some of those causes need a doctor, so the first step is working out which one fits. Hypnosis comes later, if at all, as a gentle way of noticing small feelings again, not as a way of forcing strong ones.

What are numbness and flatness?

Two related ideas are worth separating:

  • Emotional blunting or numbing: reduced emotional reactivity. The Wikipedia article on emotional blunting describes it as low emotional expression, especially about things that would normally stir feelings.
  • Anhedonia: reduced motivation for, or ability to experience, pleasure. The Wikipedia article on anhedonia notes that researchers now separate “wanting,” the anticipation of something good, from “liking,” the enjoyment of it while it happens. You can lose one without the other.

What can cause it?

According to the emotional blunting article, reduced emotional expression can be a symptom of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, depersonalization-derealization disorder, autism, schizophrenia and schizoid personality disorder, and a side effect of some medicines, including antipsychotics and antidepressants. The anhedonia article adds that it is a core symptom of major depressive disorder, and common in people dependent on alcohol, opioids, cannabinoids or nicotine, where it tends to become less severe over time.

That range is the reason to get it checked rather than treating it as a mood to push through.

Could it be my medication?

It might. The NHS guide to antidepressants lists feeling emotionally numb among the common side effects, and also among the possible withdrawal symptoms when coming off them. It is clear on one point: do not stop taking an antidepressant suddenly or without talking to your doctor first. If the numbness started after a new medicine or a dose change, tell the prescriber; the NHS advises talking to your doctor if side effects are hard to manage.

Is numbness after trauma normal?

It is a recognized response. The emotional blunting article describes blunted affect as one of the central symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, bringing reduced interest in pleasurable activities, a sense of detachment from others and restricted emotional expression. It adds that in post-traumatic stress disorder the blunting can be seen as a psychological response, a way of coping with overwhelming anxiety. If numbness followed a frightening or distressing event, a clinician who works with trauma is the right first contact.

When can hypnosis help with feeling flat?

After the causes above have been considered, and gently. A session can offer a calm setting in which to notice small physical sensations and faint feelings, such as warmth, tension or mild interest, without pressure to feel more than you do. It is not a way to break through numbness by force, and if the flatness is part of depression or trauma, it should come alongside treatment for those, not before it.

When should you get help quickly?

If numbness comes with thoughts that life is not worth living, or with thoughts of harming yourself, get help now. In the United States, call or text 988. Outside the United States, contact your local emergency number or crisis line.

Three notes to take to your doctor

Before the appointment, write down: when the numbness started and anything that changed around that time, such as a loss, an event or a new medicine; whether you have lost the anticipation of good things, the enjoyment of them, or both; and whether you are drinking or using other substances more than before. Those answers help separate the possible causes listed above.

This article is general information, not medical or psychological advice; talk with a licensed clinician about your own situation.

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