Understanding the Freeze Response and Dorsal Vagal Shutdown

Have you ever felt frozen in the face of stress—unable to act or make a decision? This experience, often described as “freezing,” is a common yet misunderstood survival response. While many people refer to all forms of immobility as “freeze,” there are important distinctions within the nervous system, particularly between the freeze response and dorsal vagal shutdown.

These concepts come from the fields of somatic therapy and Polyvagal Theory. Dr. Peter Levine pioneered somatic trauma therapy with his work in Waking the Tiger, while Dr. Stephen Porges introduced Polyvagal Theory, which was further developed into the Polyvagal Ladder by Deb Dana.

This blog uncovers the crucial differences between the freeze response and dorsal vagal state, offering practical examples and tools to help you break free from both and reclaim your sense of well-being.

The Freeze Response: A Normal Part of the Stress Cycle

The freeze response is a natural survival mechanism triggered by stress or trauma. It happens when we feel that neither fight nor flight is an option—essentially, when escape is not possible. It’s a form of immobility that serves as a defense mechanism when we are overwhelmed by a situation. Often described as the “deer in headlights” effect, the freeze response happens when the body feels stuck, unsure of how to act.

For example, imagine you’re giving a presentation at work, and suddenly, you forget what to say. You can feel the tension rise as all eyes are on you, but instead of being able to recover or continue, you suddenly feel stuck. Your body feels heavy, and your mind races to find the next words, but nothing comes out. In that moment, you feel frozen, unable to speak or move, trapped in the discomfort of the situation.

This freeze state is a natural response to stress, temporarily creating a “pause” when we feel incapable of responding. While it’s not inherently harmful, it can make it difficult to engage in the situation or express ourselves effectively. Over time, most people can regain their ability to respond after this initial freeze. However, if the freeze response becomes frequent, or if it continues to surface in everyday situations, it can lead to a feeling of disconnection or an inability to handle stress effectively.

Dorsal Vagal Shutdown: A Deeper Disconnect

While the freeze response involves immobilization, dorsal vagal shutdown is a more extreme state of withdrawal and dissociation. This response, tied to the parasympathetic nervous system, is often triggered when the body perceives that there is no possibility of escape or survival. In this state, the body essentially “shuts down” in order to conserve energy and protect itself from further trauma. This can feel like a complete collapse of energy and an emotional numbness, where you might feel as though you are outside of your body, watching events happen from a detached distance.

In this state, you might experience an intense loss of energy, a feeling of helplessness, or a profound sense of disconnect from your surroundings. For example, imagine you’ve been overwhelmed by ongoing stress at work or in your personal life, and one more small issue sends you into a deep shutdown. You feel utterly exhausted, unable to move or make decisions, and might even find it difficult to get out of bed. This is dorsal vagal shutdown in action.

How Freeze and Dorsal Vagal Shutdown Differ

The freeze response and dorsal vagal shutdown are two distinct survival mechanisms, though they are often confused because both involve a form of immobility. However, their differences lie in the level of activation and the body’s readiness to respond.

The Freeze Response

The freeze response happens when the body feels threatened but is unable to flee or fight. It’s a form of temporary immobilization, allowing the body to “pause” and assess the situation.

Even though a person may feel physically frozen, there is still some level of energy held in the body—an arousal that makes it possible to spring into action once the threat subsides. The freeze response is a survival tactic to avoid being detected or hurt, often observed in situations where escape is not immediately feasible.

Dorsal Vagal Shutdown

In contrast, dorsal vagal shutdown is a much deeper, more extreme reaction, triggered when the body feels completely overwhelmed and unable to escape. It is characterized by a collapse in both energy and emotion, often resulting in a sense of numbness or dissociation.

Unlike the freeze response, where there is still some physiological readiness, dorsal vagal shutdown involves a complete withdrawal from the situation. This is the nervous system’s way of shutting down completely, often leaving a person feeling disconnected, helpless, or emotionally distant.

Dr. Peter Levine and the Animal Model of Trauma

Dr. Peter Levine, a pioneer in somatic trauma therapy, often refers to the way animals deal with trauma to explain how humans can heal. In his book Waking the Tiger, Levine explains that animals who experience a threat and enter the freeze response typically “complete” this response by physically shaking off the tension once the threat has passed. A great example of this can be seen in the viral video of a polar bear, which shakes off the trauma after a stressful encounter, allowing it to return to a state of balance. This release of stored energy helps animals, and humans, regain equilibrium.

However, humans don’t often have the opportunity to complete this cycle. For various reasons—social, cultural, or due to the nature of trauma—we might get stuck in the freeze or dorsal vagal shutdown states without the necessary release. This leaves our nervous system in a chronic state of dysregulation, leading to emotional numbness, exhaustion, or an inability to act in situations of stress.

At Counseling and Wellness Center of Pittsburgh, we recognize the importance of releasing stored tension in the body to restore balance. That’s why we offer a range of somatic therapy workshops to support nervous system regulation. Recently, we hosted a Shaking, Vibrating, and Stress Release Somatic Workshop to help participants release stored energy and create space for healing.

Polyvagal Theory: The Polyvagal Ladder

Deb Dana, a clinician and researcher, significantly expanded on Dr. Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory. She developed the concept of the Polyvagal Ladder, a tool that helps us understand how our nervous system responds to stress and trauma by moving through different states of activation. According to the Polyvagal Ladder, our nervous system can be visualized as a series of rungs, each representing a distinct physiological state:

The Top Rung (Ventral Vagal State): This is the state of social engagement, calm, and connection. It’s when we feel safe and able to engage with others, think clearly, and regulate our emotions. When we are on this rung, our nervous system is balanced, and we are responsive to the world around us in a healthy, functional way.
The Middle Rungs (Sympathetic State): These states represent the fight-or-flight responses. When we move into these rungs, we experience heightened arousal, preparing our body to take action in response to a perceived threat. We might feel anxious, tense, or agitated, but there is still some energy available for us to act.
The Lower Rungs (Dorsal Vagal State): This is where the freeze response and dorsal vagal shutdown occur. When our body perceives that neither fight nor flight is possible, we may freeze or collapse, experiencing a sense of emotional numbness, dissociation, and immobility. This state, while protective, can lead to a chronic sense of disconnection and emotional dysregulation if not addressed.

It’s also important to note that some people experience mixed states, where the body may cycle between activation (sympathetic) and shutdown (dorsal vagal), causing emotional and physiological confusion. These mixed states can be challenging but are part of the complex way our nervous system reacts to ongoing stress or trauma.

Understanding where we are on the Polyvagal Ladder is critical for healing, as it allows us to identify which state our nervous system is in and use specific practices to regulate and move back toward safety. Somatic therapies, mindfulness practices, grounding techniques, and breathwork are all effective tools for helping us shift from states of immobility or high arousal back up the ladder toward a more grounded, calm state.

By learning how to move up the Polyvagal Ladder, we can regain our sense of agency and emotional regulation, ultimately helping us feel more connected and balanced.

Real-Life Examples: Freeze Response vs. Dorsal Vagal Shutdown

Freeze Response:
Imagine you’re at a family gathering, and someone brings up a sensitive topic that makes you feel uncomfortable. You freeze, unable to speak, but you’re still aware of what’s happening around you. You may feel emotionally frozen, but there’s still a sense of being present. This is the freeze response, where the body becomes immobilized, but there’s still some energy to act when the moment passes.

What does this look like?

You may physically freeze, holding your body in place, avoiding any movement or verbal response.
Your mind may still be aware of the conversation or situation but you feel unable to speak or engage in it.
After the moment passes, you might feel a sudden release of tension or a burst of energy, enabling you to speak or act—perhaps you walk away, change the subject, or shift the conversation to something safer.
You may feel a lingering sense of emotional numbness but have the energy to re-engage with the situation once it’s over.

Dorsal Vagal Shutdown:
Now, imagine a different scenario—your stress has been building for months, and something small triggers a complete shutdown. You feel emotionally numb, unable to move, and disconnected from everything around you. You don’t have the energy to respond, even if you wanted to. This is dorsal vagal shutdown, a much deeper, more intense state of collapse.

What does this look like?

You might lie in bed for hours, unable to move or summon the energy to do anything.
You may mindlessly scroll through your phone, watching videos or browsing social media, but without really engaging with what you’re seeing or feeling.
You might experience a deep sense of disconnection, as if you’re physically present but mentally and emotionally checked out.
You could find it difficult to focus on anything or make decisions, often feeling completely drained with little motivation to respond to anyone or anything around you.
You may engage in passive activities like binge-watching TV, feeling numb and disconnected from both the content and the world.

In both of these states, the nervous system is attempting to protect you, but the level of energy and awareness varies. The freeze response still involves some awareness and potential to act, while the dorsal vagal shutdown leaves you feeling immobilized and detached, often with no energy to react.

Moving Toward Healing

Both the freeze response and dorsal vagal shutdown are natural survival mechanisms, evolved to protect us in extreme situations. However, if these states are triggered too frequently or become chronic, they can interfere with our ability to respond effectively to everyday stressors and emotional challenges. Understanding how these states manifest in our bodies—and the key differences between them—is an important step toward healing.

Therapeutic approaches grounded in somatic therapy—such as those developed by Dr. Peter Levine, Dr. Stephen Porges, Deb Dana, and other experts—can help individuals work through trauma, release stored tension, and regain a sense of agency and balance in their nervous system. By using these approaches, individuals can begin to process and complete the trauma response, a concept rooted in the idea that trauma remains “stuck” in the body when it isn’t fully processed.

The goal is not just to “snap out” of these states, but to help the nervous system fully move through its natural survival responses. By completing the trauma response, much like animals in the wild who shake off stress after a traumatic event, we can return to a more balanced, regulated state. This work helps to reestablish a sense of safety, emotional well-being, and resilience against stress and trauma, allowing individuals to more effectively engage with their lives, relationships, and the world around them.

Tools and Techniques to Support Healing:

Breathwork: Deep, intentional breathing can help shift the nervous system from a state of freeze or shutdown back toward safety and engagement. Practices such as diaphragmatic breathing (deep belly breaths) or the 4-7-8 technique (inhale for 4 counts, hold for 7, exhale for 8) can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and grounding.
Activating the Vagus Nerve: Techniques such as Voo breathing or humming/vocal toning, ear massage, eye movements and more help stimulate the vagus nerve, which can lower heart rate and calm the nervous system, encouraging a state of relaxation and safety.
Grounding Exercises: Grounding techniques help reconnect us to the present moment, especially when feeling dissociated or stuck in the past. Body awareness exercises, like focusing on the sensation of your feet on the ground or holding an object and noticing its texture, can anchor you in your body and help regulate your nervous system.
Movement like Shaking and Trembling: Gentle movement can help release stored tension in the body and process trapped energy. Shaking or trembling can help reset the nervous system. Somatic exercises specifically designed to release trauma, such as those taught by Peter Levine, encourage the body to “complete” the trauma response and return to balance.
Polyvagal Exercises: Deb Dana’s work on the Polyvagal Ladder offers a framework for understanding and shifting your nervous system’s state. By using social engagement (talking with a trusted friend or family member, or engaging in activities that promote connection), you can help regulate your body’s arousal levels. Learning to identify where you are on the Polyvagal Ladder and consciously moving toward the higher rungs (social engagement, safety, and calm) is a key healing tool.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR): A practice that involves tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups in the body to release tension, promote relaxation, and activate the vagus nerve to reduce the effects of freeze and shutdown.
Repetition of Safe Experiences: Engaging in safe, calming experiences repeatedly helps rewire the nervous system. This could include spending time in nature, listening to soothing music, or creating routines that evoke safety and calmness. Repeating these experiences can help your body remember what it feels like to be regulated and safe.

By integrating these tools into daily life, individuals can gradually help their nervous system return to a balanced, regulated state. The goal is to reclaim your ability to move through life’s challenges with more resilience, awareness, and ease—free from being constantly hijacked by stress responses.

To further support your journey, we offer a FREE 21-Day Nervous System Reset Challenge. Over the next 21 days, you’ll explore your nervous system and learn simple, effective techniques to regulate emotional responses, promote inner calm, and reestablish a sense of safety and connection—both with yourself and the world around you. This challenge is designed to help you experience lasting transformation as you reconnect with balance and emotional well-being.

Additionally, we offer somatic workshops specifically designed to help you release stored tension, process trauma, and enhance your overall sense of well-being. These workshops provide hands-on tools to support your healing journey in a safe, guided environment.

Reviewed by: Founder & CEO of Counseling and Wellness Center of Pittsburgh Stephanie Wijkstron, LPC.