03/09/2026
For many people, what looks like avoidant attachment is actually connected to a freeze response in the nervous system.
Freeze is when the system has learned to anesthetize feeling.
So healing doesn’t come from forcing connection or pushing ourselves harder.
It comes from slowly titrating our way back into the feeling body.
Avoidance heals by doing the opposite of avoidance —
meeting what has been avoided in small, safe increments.
But here’s the deeper tension.
At the heart of avoidance there is often a deep fear of not belonging or not getting our needs met.
And at the same time there can be a powerful desire for freedom, sovereignty, and autonomy.
When that desire meets a nervous system caught in freeze, it can make it incredibly difficult to lean into the very things we long for.
It’s also important to understand something else:
Biological women are often more vulnerable to freeze responses.
The female nervous system is wired for heightened relational attunement and safety detection. When safety feels uncertain, the system may default toward shutdown or immobilization more quickly.
This isn’t weakness.
It’s biology and adaptation.
And remember: attachment exists on a spectrum.
We can have different attachment responses with different people, environments, and areas of life. It’s not a fixed identity.
Especially within female nervous systems, blended states are very common.
So this isn’t about labeling yourself.
It’s simply a place to notice:
Is this pattern familiar for you?
There are many more nuances to this dilemma.
This is just one core piece.
Inside The Somatic Way, we go much deeper into understanding the nervous system, attachment patterns, and how to actually begin working with them in a way that restores safety, agency, and aliveness in the body.
The next immersion begins March 25, and there are only a couple spaces remaining.
If you’re curious, comment SOMATIC or send me a message and I’ll share the details with you.