Emotional disconnection syndrome

Emotional disconnection syndrome occurs when a person stops feeling affection. Soon this spreads to other emotions and a situation is created in which it seems as if you feel nothing. Obviously, in these cases it is impossible to establish a bond of empathy with others because, to do so, it is necessary to feel.

Unfortunately, the idea that there is an opposition between emotions and reason has spread.. Many believe that emotions are part of a primitive area of ​​being and that they are a mistake in themselves.

To become an acceptable “product,” they think, they must be sifted through the filter of reason. This is how you get to emotional disconnection syndrome.

Almost all people go through some time when they need to reduce what they feel, because the intensity of it is unapproachable or because there is emotional exhaustion. This is completely normal.

Only We speak of emotional disconnection syndrome when these states become more or less permanent. for a long period of time.

Characteristics of emotional disconnection syndrome

The main characteristic of emotional disconnection syndrome is isolation. Be careful, because in this case it is not necessarily about social isolation. In fact, many people who fit this picture are very socially active and that is precisely their strategy to isolate themselves: being with many people without strengthening ties with any.

Isolation in this case has to do with a type of emotional rupture with the environment.. You do not feel affection for anyone in particular or you reject that affection if it arises. This also happens with emotions themselves: they are not valued, they are minimized or whatever is necessary is done to suffocate them. The slogan, not always conscious, is not to feel.

Some traits that identify emotional disconnection syndrome are the following:

Avoid talking about emotions. In particular, emotions that involve some degree of vulnerability.Inability to experience emotional intensity. In this case, intense emotions are also rejected, both in the person themselves and in others.Difficulty feeling empathy. The person does not believe that the emotions of others are valuable, nor does he think that there is something to understand in them.Extreme rationality. The value of reason is continually exalted and efforts are made to bring everything to the realm of thought.Difficulty establishing deep relationships. Relationships with others are characterized by their inconsequentiality.Confused self-perception. In these cases it is very difficult to identify one’s own emotions and the internal world is experienced as if it were numb or dazed.

A defense mechanism

In most cases, emotional disconnection syndrome is due to negative or traumatic experiences that are avoided. The person chooses to use strategies of denial, repression or blocking in the face of what is born in the emotional world.. What he fears is going through an experience of suffering again and he has decided to nip that possibility in the bud, preventing himself from feeling.

It is not uncommon for this syndrome to also appear in those who have been systematically subjected to inconsiderate treatment.. They may not have a particularly serious experience, but daily abuse or indifference has led to their own emotions. In reality, it is not that they do not want to feel, but that they do not want to suffer.

The great contradiction in all this is that refusing to feel gives rise to an enormous source of suffering. Whoever makes that decision (almost always without realizing it) deprives themselves of privacy. This is one of the main activators of happiness. The usual thing is that those who refuse to feel experience a deep emptiness and a hidden feeling of loneliness.

Treatment

The treatment approach used to address emotional disconnection depends on what exactly is causing it. If the symptoms are related to a mental health condition, such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or a personality disorder, the professional will likely treat the condition to relieve symptoms.

Possible treatments include psychotherapy and medications. Psychotherapy approaches that could be used to treat emotional disconnection syndrome include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT):

CBT addresses negative beliefs and maladaptive behaviors that contribute to emotional disconnection. It seeks to help people learn new coping mechanisms that will allow them to develop stronger emotional skills without depending on disconnection as a way of coping.ACT incorporates aspects of mindfulness to help people be more aware and control their emotions.

The value of emotions

Emotions are the most genuine signals of what happens inside each human being.. If fear appears, it means that there is some factor that is perceived as a threat. If there is anger, it implies that we experienced frustration about something, or that our natural sense of defense was activated. If there is affection, this means that we have built a subjective identity with someone else.

Emotions do not make anyone weak, quite the opposite.: they provide traces of identity, expressions of being and based on them we can build the understanding and reaffirmation of what we are. What can weaken is the management given to those emotions. Distorting them, denying them or inhibiting them causes a disfigurement of the being.

Emotional isolation is not a material with which happy lives are built. It often leads to confusion and indifference towards everything. It is fertile ground for boredom to grow and the desire to live to pale. Therefore, when faced with emotional disconnection syndrome, the most effective thing is to request professional help.

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