Dissolving The Freeze State

This exercise focuses on the rewiring of the polyvagal system

through very gentle rocking motions of the pelvis and the
spine to wake up the dormant energy that often resides in the
abdomen after a traumatic experience..

Why this exercise helps

• When we are in a freeze-state, we often don’t have the energy or
inclination to move out of it. So, we often end up staying in the
freeze-state, getting stuck in it. Sometimes we need to stay there,
but if we stay for too long, it is not beneficial for our lives.
• This exercise makes use of gentle rocking motions as a way to
assist you in moving out of a trauma-induced freeze-state.
• Using these rocking movements can help to shift us out of this
trauma freeze-response by shifting the dormant energy out of the
body.
• Having dormant energy as a result of trauma, can make us feel
stuck or trapped in our bodies. This feeling often occurs in the
shutdown state of trauma, also known as the dorsal vagal
shutdown. Shutdown occurs in the dorsal branch of the vagus
nerve (Wagner, 2016).
• Research has suggested that the older brain systems that are
responsible for processing and managing stress, are not properly
reached through conventional top-down approaches such as talk
therapy. Thus, using bottom-up approaches for healing from
trauma can be hugely beneficial (van de Kamp et al., 2019).
• Movement therapy is considered a bottom-up approach whereby
the focus is on the body to assist in regulating arousal and stress
responses (van de Kamp et al., 2019).

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Exercise
• Roll around onto your back.
• Bring your knees towards your chest.
• Hold on to your left knee and slowly move it side to side. Crossing
over the ankles.
• Take both feet onto the ground.
• If it feels within your range of ease, take your feet out as wide as
your mat.
• Drop the left knee toward the right ankle and back up again.
• Do it a couple of times and allow your head to roll in the opposite
direction of the knee.
• Now, drop the right knee towards the left ankle and head roll in
the opposite direction.
• Now, start alternating the movements.

• Pause and walk the feet back in towards each other.

• Let the weight of the left knee drop at the left side. Hold it there
and feel your breath in the belly.
• Then, do the same on the other side. So, the right knee drops out -
holding it there.
• Let it move side to side and move the head. As the right knee
comes up, the head goes towards your right. As the left knee
comes up, the head goes to the left.
• I invite you to find your rhythm.
• Push lightly into the floor with a standing foot to make an arch in
your back. Do the same on the other side. 27
• Once again, slightly rocking from side to side. Massaging the
tailbone. Bringing the body into easy movement as the knees
come up.

• Bring the right foot on top of the left knee, very slowly allow the
weight of your left knee to come down onto the floor and turn
your head in the opposite direction.
• Slowly bring it back to the center and twist over to the right side-
head moving in the opposite direction.
• Let the knee touch the floor just slightly. If that's within range of
your movement.
• As the left knee touches the floor, the right knee might come over
a little bit more.
• Back to the center and twist to the other side. Right knee touches
the floor and back to the center again.

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 • Put your hands over your head. You might be interlocking your
hands. Just rest them there.
• Slowly, let the weight of the left knee find the floor and just
hang there for a few moments.
• Can you feel that gentle breath that’s feeding the abdomen?
• Breathing into the body, feeling a sense of ease, comfort, and
softening.
• Bring the left knee back to the center. The right knee tips over
as you did earlier.
• You can also slowly slide the left leg out until the left knee is on
the floor and then slide the right leg along the outside of the
left calf.
• Pause and take a few deep breaths. Letting your body know
that you are inviting it into a gentle movement, but you are
not going to force it.

• Now, Inhale and back to the center. Bring the knees back
beside you. Pause for a few moments.
• Go ahead and take your left foot on top of the right knee. This
time, rotate over towards the left. Just going as far as you are
comfortable, your foot will come onto the floor.
• Then, roll back to the center.
• Now, how is it when you tip a little bit over towards the right?
• How far can you go without strain?
• Then, over to the other side. As the left foot and right knee
come onto the ground.
• At this stage, you can bring the arms up ahead.
• You can work within your range or what works for your body. 29
 • Pause and breathe.
• When you’re ready to come out, lift the left foot and knee up.
Very gently guiding the body over towards the left side again.
• Sliding your left knee down, along the outside of the right calf.
• you'll get a lovely stretch. Inviting a deep breath into that
stretch.
• Breathe and if anything is uncomfortable in your lower spine
just lift the left foot away from the right. Bring it down to the
ground. Listen to your body, being kind and gentle because
that’s what begins to rewire the places of traumas within us.
• Bring the knees back to the center and bring them in towards
the chest. Crossing over the ankles, holding on to the right
knee, and rocking from side to side.
• It may feel different now as you bring your knees towards your
chest and as you rock.
• Just enjoy the differences that you feel.
• Then, bring the legs back to the center.
• Take a moment of deep appreciation for your body, your
heart, and for being able to make use of this movement to
settle the body.
• Invite in any settling that you need for the rest of the day.

References
Wagner, D. (2016, June 27). Polyvagal theory in practice. Counselling
Today.
https://ct.counseling.org/2016/06/polyvagal-theory-
practice/#:~:text=Shutdown%2C%20or%20freeze%2Dor%2D,us%20into%
20immobility%20or%20dissociation.

Van de Kamp, M. M., Scheffers, M., Hatzmann, J., Emck, C., Cuijpers, P., &
Beek, P. J. (2019). Body- and Movement-Oriented Interventions for
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Journal of traumatic stress, 32(6), 967–976.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22465

support@rewiretherapy.org
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