People focus a lot on the panic and emotion. But many don’t realizing emotional blunting and dissociation are common PTSD symptoms.

Emotional blunting is a form of dissociation where you detach yourself from your experiences and go numb so you don’t freak out. It was the first PTSD symptom my therapist noticed. I sat there relaying my life and she said, “has anyone ever told you you have emotional blunting?” I’m like wha? What’s that? “You talk about such horrifying experiences but your face is completely blank and your voice is monotone.

You know how DID is caused by dissociating so hard you split into two people? Well emotional blunting is a step between that and daydreaming. You’ve checked yourself out. And just as DID exists to protect the main person from pain so does emotional blunting.

It’s often seen in young abused kids in photographs where they look blank, no smile, no lit up eyes, but not sad either. Just like they’ve been zombified or reluctantly have submitted to their fate.

#CPTSD #PTSD #Trauma #Abuse #bluntingeffect #flateffect #Dissociation