Why do I feel numb? Understanding emotional blunting

Do you sometimes feel like you feel…nothing? No happiness, no sadness, just numbness?

If so, you might be experiencing emotional blunting.

The experience of emotional numbness can feel very lonely, like you’re the only one experiencing it, but in truth, it’s pretty common. There are many reasons why this can happen, including mental health conditions and the use of psychiatric medications.

Here’s everything you need to know about emotional blunting, what causes it, and how to manage it.

Key takeaways:

• Emotional blunting is the inability to experience positive or negative emotions

• It can be caused by psychiatric medications or mental health conditions like MDD, PTSD, schizophrenia, and BPD

• Signs include emotional numbness, disinterest in activities, and flat affect

• Management includes medication adjustments, psychotherapy, and lifestyle changes

• Long-term strategies involve consistent therapy, self-care, and social support

What is emotional blunting?

Amelia Pauley, PMHN, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with Grow Therapy, helped us establish an emotional blunting definition:

Emotional blunting is not a mental health condition, rather it is a symptom characterized by a lack of experiencing emotions. This typically involves an experienced reduction in positive and negative emotions. It’s often unsettling and can affect a person’s experience greatly.

People may also describe it as feeling numb, apathetic, or experiencing a lack of connection to others, Pauley adds.

Alternate phrases or labels for emotional blunting include emotional detachment, emotional apathy, blunted affect, and emotional insensitivity, says Tahara DeBarrows, LMFT, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with Grow Therapy.

Emotional blunting vs anhedonia

The lack of ability to feel positive emotions specifically is known as anhedonia. If you experience anhedonia, you cannot feel pleasure or joy, even when engaging in activities you once enjoyed.

The difference between emotional blunting and anhedonia is emotional blunting is the lack of feeling positive or negative emotions, whereas anhedonia is the inability to experience pleasure.

Signs & symptoms of emotional blunting

It’s important to recognize signs of emotional blunting so you can report them to your mental health care provider. DeBarrows says some signs include:

• Experiencing a numbing of emotional experiences

• Feeling disconnected emotionally

• Difficulty being empathetic

• Inability to cry

• Having a disinterest in activities

• Having flat facial expressions

Causes of emotional blunting

Two scenarios can result in emotional blunting: antidepressant use or having a mental health condition. Regardless of the cause of your emotional numbness, treatment is available.

Psychiatric medications

Antidepressant medication is a primary cause of emotional blunting.

One study estimates that up to 40-60% of people who take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) to treat their major depressive disorder experience emotional blunting.

“When we treat negative emotions such as anxiety and depression with medication, we risk dialing in all emotions, and at times, antidepressant treatment can cause emotional blunting and a reduction of both positive and negative emotions,” Pauley says.

Ultimately, the range of emotions is much smaller.

Major depressive disorder

Although major depressive disorder (MDD) is often linked to feelings of sadness, it can also cause numbness.

Pauley says some people with depression experience a lack of motivation and lack of positive emotions. Numbness and apathy associated with emotional blunting in MDD can present in many ways. You may withdraw socially or have no desire to engage in activities you used to like.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Emotional numbing may also be present in people who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), says Gregorio Lozano, a licensed professional counselor with Grow Therapy. Lozano says it’s common for trauma survivors to shut down and feel emotionally numb when they’re in a “fawn” or  “freeze” response.

Research shows emotional blunting is especially common in those with chronic PTSD.

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia consists of “positive symptoms” like hallucinations and delusions and “negative symptoms” like emotional blunting and a general feeling of disconnection from emotions, Pauley says.

Many people with schizophrenia have a “flat affect,” meaning it is difficult to tell what the person is feeling based on their facial expressions.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD)

Although borderline personality disorder (BPD) is often associated with intense, unstable emotions, it can also cause emotional numbness, Lozano says.

People with BPD might feel dissociation, chronic emptiness, or numbness that impacts their functioning and quality of life. “Such individuals I’ve treated have told me that they tend to self-harm, just to be able to ‘feel something,’” Lozano shares.

Substance use disorder

Drugs and alcohol can contribute to emotional numbness. “Individuals with substance use disorders can also develop emotional blunting due to the substances depressing the central nervous system,” DeBarrows says.

How is emotional blunting diagnosed?

Emotional blunting is not a condition, and therefore does not have a diagnosis.

However, it’s a symptom that a mental health provider should absolutely be aware of. This way, they can help you determine what is causing the numbness and how to get you back to feeling something again.

Most of the time, individuals are very aware of their emotional blunting, and it’s a symptom they quickly report to a therapist because it’s troubling them, Pauley says.

Sometimes, an individual might not realize they’re experiencing this, and a mental health professional will notice it throughout sessions. “It becomes apparent during a mental health assessment based on their tone, expressions, and reported symptoms,” says Pauley.

For example, a client might tell a story about something very sad, but look emotionless and detached. In this case, a therapist would ask questions to dive deeper to see if someone is also experiencing emotional blunting outside of sessions.

A mental healthcare provider will take your history and assess all of your symptoms to make a diagnosis that accounts for the emotional blunting.

How emotional blunting impacts daily life

Emotional blunting throws a wrench in day-to-day life, robbing you of all the emotions that come along with the human experience – both good and challenging.

Impact on personal life

“Emotional blunting can affect personal relationships due to its impact on the individual being able to use effective communication and identify their feelings,” DeBarrows says.

“Emotional blunting can cause the individual to be misunderstood, and conflict can arise.” This can be the case in friendships, family, or romantic relationships. “Intimacy can also be affected, which can damage the quality of their relationships and their connections with others due to the detachment of their feelings and lack of empathy,” DeBarrows adds.

You might prefer to isolate and have trouble maintaining close relationships because of this. Furthermore, Pauley says you might feel like you can’t connect with others, and even when you do connect, you might not want to share how you’re feeling.

Impact on professional life

Emotional blunting can impact your professional relationships and your performance at work.

“In the workplace, emotional blunting can hinder an individual’s ability to motivate others and increase morale and productivity,” says DeBarrows. “It can also affect job performance, leading to decreased productivity and the individual’s overall job satisfaction.”

Not to mention, coworkers or management might view the emotional blunting as a lack of care for work.

Emotional blunting, especially mixed with lack of motivation, can definitely impact your career. “You might experience detaching and not advancing or meeting your potential due to a lack of positive emotions from success,” Pauley says.

How is emotional blunting treated and managed?

Treatment and management look different depending on the individual and the causes of their numbness. Here are examples of treatment approaches:

Medication review and adjustment

If the emotional blunting began after taking a psychiatric medication such as an antidepressant, the drug could be the culprit. Your psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse will assess your symptoms and current medication in this case.

From here, your provider can either start you on a different medication or lower your dose, Pauley says. If you’re on an SSRI or SNRI, which commonly causes emotional blunting, your provider could either lower the dose of it or switch you to a different drug class.

There are always other treatment options to try, and sometimes, it takes trial and error to see what works best without resulting in the unwanted side effect of emotional blunting.

Psychotherapy

“Psychotherapy or talk therapy with a licensed mental health therapist can help individuals manage emotional blunting,” DeBarrows says. “A therapist can treat the individual’s emotional blunting through various coping skills and interventions.” They can also treat the underlying condition contributing to the emotional numbness.

There are many therapy modalities to choose from. Ultimately, the approach to treatment will depend on your diagnosis. A few examples are:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT): This type of therapy helps you explore how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected. You’ll identify and change cognitive distortions or negative thought patterns. CBT is helpful for culprits of emotional blunting, including major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and substance use disorders.

• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): DBT was developed specifically for the treatment of borderline personality disorder. If BPD is the cause of your emotional numbness, DBT is a great way to manage bipolar disorder by learning emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness skills. DBT can benefit people with MDD, too.

• Psychodynamic therapy: In this type of therapy, you work with a therapist to dig deep and understand how your past experiences and trauma affect you in the present. Your therapist will help you explore your unconscious thoughts and emotions, uncovering thought patterns or behaviors you might not even be aware of yourself. By understanding these patterns, you can learn how to make positive changes in your life.

Lifestyle modifications and coping strategies

On top of talk therapy and medications, living a healthy lifestyle and staying on top of self-care can help manage your emotional blunting and other symptoms. Here are some tips to incorporate in your daily life:

• Regular exercise: Physical activity is great for mental health. It boosts overall well-being by releasing feel-good hormones and impacting neurotransmitters that can improve mood and reduce stress.

• Good quality sleep: Don’t underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep. Lozano says getting enough high-quality sleep can contribute to mental well-being. Sleep deprivation can also worsen symptoms of mental health conditions.

• Doing activities you once enjoyed: Even though everything feels pretty dull right now, don’t give up. Pauley recommends getting back into activities that you used to enjoy. Maybe even trying stuff you loved as a child, such as a specific sport or form of art, to see if it brings you joy.

• Social support: Emotional blunting can feel super lonely. Even if you don’t desire to connect with others, staying connected is important. “Engaging with people regularly who are a safe space and encourage you to share their experience can reduce feelings of isolation,” DeBarrows says.

• Paying attention small moments of joy: Identifying small glimmers of joy or happiness that happen for short periods of time throughout the day or week can be beneficial. This is often a practice encouraged through Solutions Focused Brief Therapy.

• Support groups: Additionally, you can look for support groups to find people who are in the same shoes as you. Ask local mental health organizations if they offer support groups, or browse this support group directory to find in-person and virtual groups.

• Mindfulness: Practicing mindfulness and meditation techniques regularly can help improve well-being, DeBarrows says. Mindfulness allows you to stay present in the moment and observe your thoughts and feelings kindly without judgment. If you’re not a fan of meditation, there are plenty other ways to practice mindfulness.

• Express yourself: Art is a powerful tool for self-expression. Pauley suggests making art to help you dive deeper into how you’re feeling and express yourself. This could be through visual art or music. You can even look into art or music therapy if you enjoy creativity.

• Journaling: “Journaling can help record thoughts and increase awareness as well as track progress,” DeBarrows says. Putting your thoughts onto paper can help when you feel overwhelmed or need to process stressful events.

Long-term strategies for dealing with emotional blunting

Maintaining good mental health takes work. If you want to manage your emotional blunting for good, it’s important to stay consistent with the following:

• Attending therapy sessions

• Building emotional resilience and learning skills in therapy

• Taking medication as directed

• Letting your therapist and/or psychiatrist know if and when your symptoms are worsening

• Doing things you love and spending time with people you love

• Practicing self-care, using coping tools, and living a healthy lifestyle (reference the tips above!)

Relief from emotional blunting is possible. With the right therapy and mental healthcare providers, you can start to feel emotions again.