Therapy for Avoidance and Numbing
Turning to substances or other distractions to avoid difficult feelings is a common coping mechanism. Whether it’s alcohol, drugs, food, or even excessive screen time, numbing can offer a temporary escape from pain, stress, or overwhelming emotions. Over time, avoiding your emotions this way can lead to deeper struggles, impacting your relationships, self-esteem, and overall well-being. You may find yourself caught in a cycle, feeling temporarily better but ultimately stuck with the same unresolved pain.
about substance misuse
In these moments of avoidance, it can feel like there’s no other way to handle the discomfort. The idea of facing those tough emotions might feel too overwhelming or painful to bear. You might fear that allowing yourself to feel will lead to being consumed by those emotions, or that you won’t be able to cope. But numbing doesn’t make the emotions go away—it simply pushes them down, often leading to more intense feelings of isolation, anxiety, or guilt later on.
How therapy can help
Therapy can help you explore the underlying emotions that drive avoidance and numbing. You’ll learn to understand and manage difficult feelings, developing healthy coping mechanisms that bring long-term relief instead of temporary escape. I’ll help you gently face what you’re avoiding, creating a supportive path to emotional resilience and self-compassion. Therapy can empower you to reconnect with yourself in a meaningful way, reducing the need to numb and instead allowing you to process life’s challenges constructively.
If you’re relying on numbing behaviors to avoid your emotions, I can help you break the cycle. Reach out to start your journey toward genuine emotional healing.
