Frozen child syndrome is a trauma induced state in which children, that often face severe abuse, neglect or chronic fear become physically or even emotionally immobilized as a survival mechanism.
The freeze response in frozen child syndrome can also manifest as extreme emotional numbness like frozen watchfulness and even in severe cases, a catatonic like stupor, which is also known as resignation syndrome.
The key aspects of the freeze response in Frozen Child Syndrome include a trauma response, which occurs when a child can't fight or flee from a threat, which leads to a shutdown in the nervous system.
The symptoms of frozen child syndrome include becoming mute, dissociation, or even becoming immobile and appearing cut off from emotions as well as losing previously acquired skills like speaking or walking.
The cause of frozen child syndrome is often a result of severe and prolonged trauma, neglect or dangerous environments.
If frozen child syndrome is left untreated, the frozen child syndrome which is a childhood coping mechanism can also persist into adulthood as a functional freeze or a trauma response and cause a person to feel stuck, numb or even overwhelmed by stress.
Recovery from frozen child syndrome and healing often involves building secure relationships, establishing safety and gentle, somatic therapies, like dancing or yoga to ren-engage the child's nervous system.
There's also a specific and extreme form observed in asylum seeking children, which is called Resignation Syndrome, in which children fall into a coma like state, and sometimes require feeding tubes for months or even years, often triggered by the loss of hope or extreme stress.
Functional Freeze is when a person goes into autopilot as a response to chronic stress and trauma.
To turn off a freeze response you can do some relaxation exercises like deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation and guided imagery, which can help the nervous system calm down and reduce physical symptoms of freeze mode, to help you feel more relaxed and reduce your anxiety and stress response.