5 Signs of C-PTSD Numbness

I didn’t know I was experiencing C-PTSD numbness until recently. After a series of traumatic events, I spent most of the year emotionally shut down. It didn’t fully hit me until I received a bad performance review. That’s when I learned I hadn’t completed four major tasks- something I hadn’t even realized at the time.

1. You Function… But You’re Not There

I got up and went to work. I smiled in meetings, laughed with coworkers. But I wasn’t in my life. Looking back, I realize how often I was on autopilot—numb, detached, and just going through the motions. I thought I was okay and everyone around me thought I was fine because from the outside, I looked “fine.” That’s the trap.

2. Small Tasks Feel Like Mountains

Throughout the year, I couldn’t bring myself to reschedule meetings. Especially if something had already been re-scheduled once, it felt like the most impossible task. I also worked on my laptop for months without calling IT to ask for new computer monitors. It wasn’t that I didn’t care—I just couldn’t start the simplest things.

It was shutdown, not laziness. When your nervous system is constantly in survival mode, starting anything can feel impossible.

3. You Can’t Ask For Help (Even When You Know You Need It)

I would stare at my unread emails and unread texts. I couldn’t call people back. People said “just reach out” like it was simple. It wasn’t.

C-PTSD numbness can make asking for help feel unsafe, weak, or shameful. Especially if your family did not allow vulnerability when you were growing up. I wasn’t avoiding help consciously, but I hardly ever asked for it.

4. You Do Not Know What You Want

I used to scroll through Netflix for hours and find nothing to watch. Then I’d open the refrigerator door, stare at everything, and shut the door again. I could eat, but nothing felt quite right. I was not being passive; my desire was just not reachable.

5. You Can’t Remember What You Enjoy

Grey’s Anatomy has always been my go-to emotional support show. I can’t even get through an episode. I would just scroll for hours on social media because I didn’t know what else to do. When people asked me what I did for fun over the weekend, I would stare at them blankly. It wasn’t that I was disinterested in things; I was disconnected from the feeling of interest. My body was protecting itself from pain by blunting everything.

Looking for outside resources?

If you’re interesting is learning about foundations that help people with PTSD and C-PTSD, below are some.

The Trauma Foundation

Complex Trauma Resources

Read about C-PTSD tiredness here: What Rest Doesn’t Help: What C-PTSD Fatigue Feels Like