Is It Burnout or Is It Freeze? Exploring Nervous System Responses With a Somatic Therapist in Carlsbad, CA

At Wholeness Collective Therapy Group, we often meet clients grappling with a heavy fog of exhaustion, unsure if it’s burnout or something deeper whispering through their body. In our fast-paced world, feeling drained is common, but what if that overwhelming fatigue signals a nervous system "freeze" response rather than just overwork? As somatic therapists, we dive into these bodily cues to distinguish burnout from freeze, empowering you to restore regulation and vitality. In this post, we’ll explore these states through polyvagal theory and somatic therapy, offering insights and practical steps for healing with Wholeness Collective.

Decoding Burnout: The Exhaustion of Overdrive

Burnout is more than tiredness; it’s a state of emotional, physical, and mental depletion from prolonged stress. Coined by psychologist Herbert Freudenberger in the 1970s, burnout often stems from demanding jobs, caregiving, or relentless hustle culture. Symptoms include cynicism, reduced productivity, irritability, and physical ailments like headaches or insomnia. The World Health Organization defines burnout as an occupational phenomenon marked by energy depletion, negativism toward one’s job, and reduced efficacy.

From a nervous system perspective, burnout aligns with sympathetic dominance—the "fight or flight" branch of the autonomic nervous system. Chronic stressors flood your body with cortisol and adrenaline, keeping you in high-alert mode. Over time, this hyperarousal exhausts resources, leading to collapse. It’s like an engine revving without fuel, eventually sputtering out. Clients at Wholeness Collective often describe burnout as feeling "wired but tired"—restless anxiety masking deep fatigue.

Yet, burnout can mask or overlap with deeper responses, especially when trauma is involved. This is where distinguishing freeze becomes critical, as mislabeling it as "just burnout" may delay true healing.

Understanding Freeze: The Body’s Shutdown Strategy

Freeze, rooted in the dorsal vagal response of polyvagal theory by Dr. Stephen Porges, is a primal survival tactic. When fight or flight feels futile—like a deer playing dead to evade a predator—the nervous system shifts to immobilization. This conserves energy and numbs pain, but in humans, it manifests as dissociation, apathy, or profound lethargy. Unlike burnout’s wired exhaustion, freeze feels like a heavy fog: motivation vanishes, social withdrawal deepens, and tasks feel insurmountable.

Freeze often stems from unresolved trauma or chronic overwhelm. If early experiences taught you asserting yourself was unsafe, your body may default to shutdown. Symptoms mimic depression or burnout—low energy, emotional numbness, brain fog—but the root is protective dissociation, not depletion from action. In somatic terms, it’s trapped survival energy; the body "freezes" incomplete threat responses, causing chronic dysregulation.

At Wholeness Collective, we use somatic therapy to explore this. A client might say, "I can’t get moving," blaming burnout. Through body awareness, we uncover freeze: shallow breathing, cold extremities, or a sense of "checking out." Polyvagal theory explains this—the vagus nerve mediates safety cues, and in freeze, the dorsal branch pulls you from engagement into isolation.

Burnout vs. Freeze: Key Differences and Overlaps

Burnout follows prolonged activation: pushing until you can’t. Freeze hits when perceived danger overwhelms, prompting shutdown without the push. Burnout may bring irritability; freeze brings helplessness. Both can coexist—chronic stress causing burnout might trigger freeze as a last resort.

Physiologically, burnout shows elevated heart rate and tension; freeze presents low heart rate variability and hypoarousal. Overlaps include fatigue and withdrawal, but treatment differs. Burnout benefits from rest and boundaries; freeze requires somatic work to thaw immobilization safely. Studies in the Journal of Traumatic Stress suggest trauma-related freeze is often misdiagnosed as burnout or depression, delaying recovery. At Wholeness Collective, our somatic therapists use tools like Somatic Experiencing (SE) to address both.

Healing Through Somatic Therapy: A Path to Regulation

Somatic therapy focuses on the body’s wisdom, not just talk. In SE, developed by Dr. Peter Levine, we track sensations to release stuck energy. For burnout, we build resources—grounding to calm sympathetic overdrive. For freeze, titration gently mobilizes frozen states: noticing numbness, then pendulating to resourced areas like warm hands, allowing discharge through trembling or sighing.

Consider Maya, a composite client. A high-achieving professional, she called her exhaustion burnout from work. In sessions, we explored her body: a tight chest (sympathetic) shifted to heavy limbs (dorsal freeze), tied to childhood neglect. Through SE, she tracked sensations, releasing freeze via gentle movement. Other elements helped her voice needs, moving from shutdown to connection. She set work boundaries without guilt, feeling energized.

At Wholeness Collective, our group sessions and workshops blend polyvagal education with somatic practices. Home tips: Practice orienting—scan for safety cues. For burnout, try rhythmic breathing; for freeze, subtle rocking to invite movement.

Reclaiming Your Nervous System: Steps Forward

Is it burnout or freeze? Often both, intertwined in your nervous system’s bid for safety. Recognizing this empowers choice—moving from survival to thriving. Somatic Experiencing therapy at Wholeness Collective equips you to listen to your body, regulate responses, and foster resilience.

If you’re feeling stuck, reach out. Our therapists are here to guide you. Schedule a 15 minute free consultation to discuss if Somatic Experiencing therapy is right for you.