Life is a roller coaster that tests the individual at every phase of their life. It is always a challenging yet tough situation on a daily value. However when it comes to the close ones hurting ourselves, the mental health is directly affected. The traumatic experience that can vary from childhood abuse, marital abuse, loss of your loved one, bullying, financial losses, sexual abuse, stress and increased release of stress hormones, and the list can go on and on. Mental illness is very prevalent in our country, especially with growing modernization. Stress has become a part of daily life. Sadly, still people continue to associate mental disorders with shame, disgust, and something that should not be openly discussed. Mental health and physical health is very much dependent on each other, nothing should be taken lightly and the individual must approach the doctor immediately even. Mental health disorder is not a matter of shame but a body part that requires medication and care from the patients.

The most common mental health disorders that are prevalent in almost one after another person-

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Panic attacks
  • Personality disorder
  • Post traumatic stress disorder
  • Emotional numbness

Emotional numbness is an illness that is so prevalent among the population all across the world. It can be simply described as an illness when the person turns out to be all numb in terms of emotions and feelings

Emotional numbness includes a sense of isolation and a feeling of disconnect and loneliness. People suffering from emotional numbness are unable to feel any emotion and have lost the capability to express what they feel. In a room full of people the person suffering from this is like a ghost with no emotions, all absent, clueless, and disconnected from the people around. The person is like a ghost that feels no presence, not even of themselves, there is just a feeling of despondency and emptiness.

Emotional numbness is the most challenging, painful, and tough illness to deal with. The person has lost themself and everyone around them, they have lost self belief, self confidence , self love, love for close ones, and is just a living zombie that is dead inside.

Steps to approach emotional numbness

But the thing that can motivate the patient is that this treatment is not untreatable and can be treated by the concerned professionals.

  1. The first step is to analyze the illness and reach out to the professional to seek help, treat the underlying cause, and to improve one’s own situation.
  2. The second step is, to be honest with the doctor regarding the symptoms, medication, and the traumatic experience that you have suffered in the past.
  3. Third, being determined to get better and sticking to the treatments no matter how challenging it can become at a point.
  4. Fourth building a therapeutic relationship with the therapist, communicating with them, and trying to feel emotions and feelings while sharing them.

Treatments for emotional numbness

Emotional numbness suitable treatments are the Somatic experiencing, EMDR, and therapy sessions that are most appropriate treatments for post traumatic stress disorder. THESE TREATMENTS GIVE EMPHASIS ON COMMUNICATION AND SEND CONNECT THE BRAIN AND BEHAVIOUR OF THE INDIVIDUAL. This treatment is the somatic experience that instils emotions and feelings within the person letting them go of their fears, miserableness and vulnerability. It connects the brain with the behaviour of the individual so that the actions and emotions are in correspondence with the brain. There is an improvement in terms of sharing the emotions and feelings, indulging themselves in everyday activities, and turning into a human from a zombie.

Importance of Family

The support of the family during these situations is really essential and often instills a belief in the patient to get treated and come out their past Traumatic experiences and thus could focus on a positive future life. It is important to understand that mental health is a very challenging illness that takes a lot from the individual, changing their behaviour, their set lifestyle, work settings and relations with their close ones. Thus coming in terms with new self that is vulnerable, destructive,miserable and alone needs a lot of courage to phase the illness and support from the close ones who are there to be at their side whenever needed rather than being judgemental and submerged under the societal pressure of keeping a distance from those suffering from mental illness.