What Evolution Tells Us About Functional Freeze
- Brainz Magazine
- 6 hours ago
- 10 min read
Written by Petra Brunnbauer, Mind-Body Coach
Petra Brunnbauer is an award-winning Mind-Body Coach, founder of The Jōrni® well-being platform, and host of the globally ranked Jōrni Podcast. With a Master’s in Psychology and as a doctoral student in Mind-Body Medicine, Petra is committed to advancing holistic approaches to health and healing.
Functional Freeze can be difficult to recognize, especially when life on the surface appears to be working. You may be moving through daily routines, keeping up with responsibilities, and meeting expectations, even though something underneath feels off. There is a quiet sense of disconnection, as if part of you has gone offline while everything else keeps going. Functional Freeze is part of a larger pattern in the nervous system that blends both activation and immobilization. It often develops over time in response to chronic stress, and it reflects a nervous system that has adapted to survive when stress resolution wasn’t possible. Looking at the evolutionary origins of Functional Freeze can help us understand why the nervous system reacts this way and why those reactions are innately shaping how we show up.
The evolution of classic survival responses
The human stress response system was developed in response to real, physical threats. For early humans, survival often depended on the ability to act quickly, mobilizing energy to either confront or escape danger. These responses, commonly known as fight or flight, are well understood. Less understood is what happens when neither is possible.
Freeze has long been described as the next step in the sequence, a state where the body shuts down, conserving energy and limiting awareness. But our understanding of these responses has also evolved. What was once called freeze is now seen more as a momentary pause. It allows for orientation: stop, wait, assess. When stress becomes overwhelming or inescapable, the nervous system can enter deeper states of immobilization. These are marked by collapse, dissociation, or emotional numbing, and they serve the same evolutionary purpose to keep us alive in the absence of other options.
How does it relate to modern stress
Functional Freeze likely developed as part of this same survival mechanism. It reflects a nervous system caught between mobilization and shutdown. The body continues to function and meet demands, but internally, there is a disconnection.
We do not know if Functional Freeze existed in early humans or whether it is more visible now because of the chronic, low-level stress that defines modern life. But we do know that survival responses are far more layered than the classic three-part model suggests. Functional Freeze lives in those in-between states. It is not a singular reaction. It is the long-term imprint of chronic stress that the body could not fully process.
We may not recognize Functional Freeze when it is happening, especially if life continues to move forward on the surface. But looking back, it often becomes clear. A period of relentless pressure, where we felt numb but pushed through. A time when it seemed easier to withdraw than to explain why everything felt so distant. These are moments worth noticing. They help us understand the deeper intelligence of our nervous system and how its survival responses work.
Why modern life triggers ancient responses
Our nervous system hasn’t had time to catch up with the pace of modern life. It still responds to stress the way it did when threats were physical and short-lived. But most of what we face today doesn’t work that way. Stress builds slowly and often stays in the background. It shows up in overflowing inboxes, constant notifications, and the demand to be available all the time.
Over time, this kind of ongoing stress can leave us feeling worn thin. Even if we’re still getting everything done, something inside starts to pull back. It becomes harder to stay present. We might find ourselves losing interest in things we usually care about, feeling distant in conversations, or zoning out partway through the day without really knowing why.
Social media tends to add another layer. The endless stream of other people’s highlights and polished moments can stir up a sense that we’re not doing enough, even when we’re barely keeping up as it is. That nagging comparison settles into the background and makes it harder to feel good about who we are.
And for many of us, work plays a large role. The pressure to perform, respond, and stay productive doesn’t always leave space for rest. We keep moving through the tasks, but it’s not unusual to feel like we’re only halfway there. On the outside, but inside, it is a scarily different story.
If you have noticed yourself pulling away without meaning to, checking out mid-task, drifting through the day, or just feeling strangely absent from your own life, it’s worth paying attention to that. There’s no need to figure it all out at once. Just recognizing these patterns as they unfold can be enough to begin shifting your relationship with them.
The physiology of Functional Freeze
Functional Freeze may develop in response to chronic stress, especially when we have had to keep showing up while carrying more than the body has had space to process. Unlike more immediate survival responses, Functional Freeze involves a complex and sustained pattern in the nervous system. Both the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches activate at the same time, creating an internal experience that can feel confusing, paradoxical, or simply hard to describe.
On the outside, we may continue to meet expectations. We go to work, respond to messages, manage responsibilities, and stay in motion. But inwardly, we often feel disconnected, emotionally numb, or too far away from ourselves to engage fully. The nervous system keeps us moving while also pulling us away from the internal signals that help us feel regulated and connected.
Key features of Functional Freeze
1. Simultaneous activation of activation and withdrawal
In Functional Freeze, both branches of the autonomic nervous system are active at once. The sympathetic system drives activity and outward engagement, while the dorsal vagal branch of the parasympathetic system signals the body to conserve and withdraw. This mixed response keeps us functioning on the surface, but without a steady internal coherence to support it.
2. Disruption in how we pace ourselves
Energy becomes harder to track. There may be moments of high energy followed by exhaustion, or long stretches where everything feels disconnected and difficult to access. We continue doing what we need to in order to function, but it often feels mechanical or disconnected, as if we are running on autopilot.
3. Loss of emotional connection
Emotional awareness and emotional intelligence are often narrowed. We might struggle to feel anything distinctly like joy, anger, or even grief. Instead, we move through the day with a kind of numbed presence, able to function but unable to fully connect with anything.
Long-term physical impacts
When Functional Freeze becomes the baseline, the effects begin to show in the body. Sleep may feel light or fragmented. Fatigue becomes more persistent, and rest no longer brings the reset it once did. Chronic stress can also impact digestion, immunity, and the ability to recover from even small disruptions. These changes are sometimes gradual and subtle, but they build over time and are easier to see in hindsight.
Mental health
Cognitive changes often emerge gradually when we are stuck in Functional Freeze. We may notice that our thoughts are harder to organize, or that remembering details takes more effort than it used to. Concentration slips in and out, and our ability to follow through on plans may start to feel unreliable. Emotionally, we might begin to withdraw from others because the energy it takes to connect is no longer effortlessly available. Over time, these shifts alter how we relate to our thoughts, our focus, and our emotional world.
Impact on decision-making
Living in Functional Freeze can affect how we make decisions, often in ways that are difficult to notice until we begin to feel overwhelmed by choices that once felt manageable. We often lose access to the internal cues that usually guide us. Prioritizing becomes harder. Even small decisions can take longer because the nervous system is trying to respond to conflicting signals.
Reconnecting with awareness
Different practices support different people. What often helps us begin is including the body in our awareness again. That might mean noticing how we are breathing, sensing where we feel tense, or simply observing what is present without trying to change it. The goal is to remain in contact with what our bodies are communicating, even when we might not know how to interpret it yet.
How understanding evolution can help you heal
When we begin to understand Functional Freeze as part of how the body responds to prolonged stress, it becomes easier to approach it with curiosity rather than frustration. This perspective offers a way to relate to the experience with less uncertainty and confusion.
Shifting from survival to safety
1. Recognize the patterns
The first step is often noticing when we are in Functional Freeze. When we can name what is happening, we create the possibility of responding to it, instead of reacting to it. This recognition softens the internal tension that comes with not understanding what we are experiencing.
2. Support nervous system regulation
Over time, small practices can help the body begin to reorient toward safety. This might include breathwork, grounding, gentle movement, or pausing during the day to feel the weight of our bodies in a chair. These kinds of practices help rebuild a felt sense of presence and support the nervous system in moving out of survival mode.
3. Rebuild internal trust
Functional Freeze often requires us to suppress what we feel, simply to keep functioning. Over time, this can create distance from the signals that help us know when we are overwhelmed, when we need rest, or when something matters. As we begin to reconnect, we also begin to rebuild trust in those signals.
The role of mindset
How we make sense of Functional Freeze can influence how we move through it. When we begin to understand it as a protective response, shaped by our bodies’ attempt to manage stress, we often find more space for patience. This kind of perspective can reduce the pressure to manage or interpret everything and make space for us to stay present with what we are experiencing.
Community support matters
We are not meant to carry long periods of stress without support. Connection can help us begin to shift out of isolation through speaking with someone we trust, or spending time in the company of another person without needing to explain anything. These moments can remind us that we are not outside of connection, even when we feel far away from it.
A place to begin
Grounding through the body can help bring us back into contact with the present. This might include walking outdoors and noticing the rhythm of our steps, or holding something with texture and letting ourselves feel it fully. These small practices can help re-establish a sense of orientation when we have been living with a sense of disconnect.
Supporting recovery from functional freeze
1. Recognize what the body has learned
Functional Freeze reflects how the nervous system adapts when stress continues without relief. When we begin to recognize this response for what it is, we often feel less urgency to push through it or ignore it. Naming the pattern can help us stay in relationship with our experience, rather than distancing ourselves from it.
Functional Freeze can be difficult to identify while we are in it. Learning to recognize the cues like brain fog, numbness, or going through the motions without feeling present, can help us interrupt the automatic urge to override what we are experiencing. We are simply learning to notice when it is happening, so we can respond rather than disappear inside it.
2. Use movement to support regulation
In Functional Freeze, it can become difficult to sense what the body is feeling. Gentle movement can support regulation by creating physical awareness and rhythm. This might include walking at a steady pace, swaying while seated, or moving with music in a way that allows us to stay with sensation rather than moving on autopilot.
3. Reduce sensory and social load
When we are in Functional Freeze, even small inputs can feel like too much. Creating space with fewer sensory and social demands can help reduce the level of activation we carry and support the nervous system in beginning to regulate.
This might mean sitting in a quiet room without screens, turning off notifications, or choosing not to engage in conversation for a while. These small adjustments can offer a break from the constant pull to be engaged.
4. Reconnect with emotion gradually
In Functional Freeze, it can be difficult to access our emotions. The body may have learned to suppress emotional responses in order to keep functioning under chronic stress. We can start to shift that emotional disconnection through consistent and supported reconnection.
This might include reflecting on what felt significant during the day, noticing how emotion shows up in the body, or writing down a feeling without needing to explain it. These small practices help us return to parts of ourselves that have been disconnected from our awareness for a long time.
What becomes possible as we recover
As we begin to come out of Functional Freeze, the shifts are often less obvious but deeply meaningful. Over time, we begin to notice changes that reflect a different way of relating to ourselves, our work, and the people around us.
Sleep improves. We start waking with more energy, and rest begins to feel restorative again.
Brain fog begins to lift. Thoughts become easier to organize, and decisions no longer feel like obstacles.
There is more energy to work with. Fatigue is still there at times, but it no longer defines the day.
We feel more connected. Conversations feel easier. Emotions start to pop up. We begin to show up more fully in our relationships.
We can start moving forward again. Tasks that once felt impossible become manageable. Procrastination gives way to motivation.
We stop being passengers. Life feels less like a list of demands and more like something we can participate in again. Heck, we can even take the wheel again!
And something amazing happens on this journey out of Functional Freeze. As we recover, we find ourselves more engaged, more connected to what matters, and better able to meet the moments that make up our lives. We might not ever be our old selves again, but an evolved version that has integrated and grown exponentially from their experiences.
Take the first step today
Functional Freeze can leave us caught in patterns that are difficult to name. And when we begin to understand how those patterns form in the nervous system and where they come from, we also begin to see what might help us shift out of them. Recovery is a journey, a discovery, and an adventure about learning, observing, and making room for something different that supports us in our healing journey.
The Functional Freeze Formula offers a deeper framework for exploring this process, restoring energy, and managing chronic stress overload.
Petra Brunnbauer, Mind-Body Coach
Petra Brunnbauer is an award-winning Mind-Body Coach, founder of The Jōrni® well-being platform, and host of the globally ranked Jōrni Podcast. With a Master’s in Psychology and as a doctoral student in Mind-Body Medicine, Petra is committed to advancing holistic approaches to health and healing.
