Feeling Nothing? Why boredom & shutdown can go hand in hand with mindfulness

Last week I shared a video that poses the question: “Do you feel like fleeing ..when practicing mindfulness?”

You can watch this video here:    • Do you feel like fleeing ..when practicing...  

THIS WEEK, we get into the polar opposite of this which is: “What if I feel nothing, am bored, and just want to look at my phone” (when I practice these mind-body practices)?

What’s fascinating is that last week and this weeks’ videos are two sides of the same coin. They represent the spectrum that is survival stress.

Last week’s is all about being caught in the fight and flight responses (feeling panic, anxiety, wanting to run, terror, and the gut sense that the world is a dangerous place and “we’re all gonna die!”). This week it’s about being trapped in the freeze response and not feeling anything: little to no emotion, rarely any body sensation, a non-existent startle response, feeling disconnected and bored with life...(or needing extreme drama, high stress, and adrenaline to feel being alive).

The latter, this numbed out quality of ‘living’, IS protective and it keeps us from feeling the underlying intensity that are the fight and flight survival stresses - this is what this week’s vlog is all about so watch it now.

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Resources I mention in this vlog:

► Do you feel like fleeing when practicing mindfulness:
https://irenelyon.com/2019/12/12/dece...

► Scattered Minds. The origins and healing of attention deficit disorder. Gabor Maté: https://drgabormate.com/book/scattere...

► 9 Common Human Experiences That Can Be Traumatic (but are often seen as not)
https://irenelyon.com/2019/01/15/9-co...

► The work of Peter Levine, in relationship to the concept of titration:
https://somaticexperiencing.com/

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The statements on this YouTube channel or in videos are simply opinion. Content presented or posted on this channel is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment or a professional therapeutic relationship. Content presented or posted is intended to provide general health information for educational purposes only and you should contact the appropriate healthcare professional before relying on any such information.

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