Why do some of us feel like we’re always on alert — even in moments of calm? In this episode of Numbness Paralysis, we explore hypervigilance: the exhausting state of constant scanning for danger, even in safe environments.

Through listener voices, trauma-informed science, and compassionate reflection, we unpack how hypervigilance forms, how it impacts our daily lives and relationships, and how the nervous system can slowly, gently, learn to stand down.

We also offer practical tools to support regulation — from orienting exercises to relational anchors — and close with a reminder: Your vigilance was earned. But your rest is deserved.

🎧 If you’ve ever felt like your guard never comes down, this episode is for you.

Topics Covered:

• What hypervigilance feels like
• Trauma biology and the brain
• Somatic regulation tools
• A gentle SWOT reflection on survival patterns
• How to offer safety to your nervous system

🔔 Subscribe and follow for weekly episodes on PTSD, emotional numbing, complex trauma, and healing through gentleness.

Have you ever felt emotionally numb, mentally foggy, or like you’re watching life happen from the outside?

That’s not you being distracted — it’s dissociation. A powerful, subconscious trauma response that helps the brain and body survive emotional overwhelm.

In this gentle yet illuminating episode, trauma educator and host Olga Costa explains how dissociation works, why it develops, and how to begin gently reconnecting with yourself through body-based tools and trauma-informed compassion.

💡 You’ll learn:

• What dissociation feels like (and how it differs from distraction)
• How the freeze response protects you
• The neuroscience behind emotional numbness
• Grounding tools to return to the present moment
• A soft SWOT reflection to explore your own patterns

If you’ve ever Googled "Why do I feel so disconnected?" or "How do I stop emotionally shutting down?" — this episode is for you.

Stay safe, stay soft… and stay curious.

🎧 Episode 5 — Shame as a Cracked Armor | Host: Olga Costa

Shame doesn’t scream. It whispers: “You’re too much.” “You’re not enough.” “If they knew the real you, they’d leave.”

In this powerful episode, Olga Costa explores shame not as a feeling — but as a survival strategy. We dive into how shame becomes emotional armor, why we wear it, and what happens when it starts to crack. Through stories, symbolism, and science, we’ll uncover how to soften shame’s grip and meet it with compassion instead of judgment.

🔎 In this episode:

• The difference between guilt and shame
• How trauma wires us to hide
• The “social survival” brain and why shame feels so dangerous
• The kintsugi metaphor: cracks that heal with gold
• A reflective SWOT to reclaim your voice
• Tools to speak back to shame gently, not forcefully

If you've ever felt like you're too broken to be seen, this episode is for you.

🕊️ You are not the armor. You are the softness underneath.