Hypervigilance, dissociation and shutdown

• Card 1

  Hypervigilance is a state of heightened alertness — scanning rooms, reading faces, anticipating problems before they happen. It often develops when danger was unpredictable, so staying alert felt like the only way to stay safe.

• Card 2

  Hypervigilance can look like

  • Struggling to relax even when nothing is currently wrong
  • Startling easily at sudden noise or movement
  • Constantly assessing other people's moods
  • Difficulty sleeping because 'switching off' feels unsafe

• Card 3

  Dissociation and shutdown sit at the other end of the spectrum — a kind of protective disconnection from feelings, body sensations, memory or surroundings, which can develop when fighting or fleeing wasn't possible.

• Card 4

  Dissociation and shutdown can look like

  • Feeling foggy, distant, or like you're watching yourself from outside
  • Losing time, or gaps in memory for ordinary events
  • Feeling numb or 'switched off' during emotionally significant moments
  • A heavy, weighted stillness, or difficulty moving or speaking

  The Dissociation and Window of Tolerance modules go into more depth on these states and gentle ways of working with them.

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