Introduction

When there’s no pain — but no life either

You’re not panicking. But you’re not really present either. You’re not searching for a way out — but you’re not living. This isn’t emptiness. It’s shutdown. 

It’s how the brain protects itself when it can no longer process emotions. You haven’t disappeared. You’ve simply gone deeper into "power-saving mode."

Quiet and clear

What’s happening

The brain has stopped letting intense signals through. It’s like someone turned down the internal volume — not because you’ve disappeared, but because the intensity of feeling became dangerous.

You haven’t lost your emotions. They’re still there — just temporarily blocked by a protective filter.

Calmly

What’s important to understand

  • This is the phase of silent movement.
  • Recovery has already begun — just without your emotions yet.
  • If you start doing small things, the feelings will come back later.

In this phase, don’t wait for motivation. You need to act — not to “feel something,” but to gently wake up your attention.

Valuable actions

What to do in this phase

✔  Don’t try to “snap yourself out of it.”
→ It won’t work.
→ You don’t need to "feel something." You just need to start moving — without expecting a result.

✔ Do 3 quiet actions:
→ Look out the window. → Notice what time of day it is — not by checking a clock, but by the light. → Notice that even if you feel "nothing," you still did it.

✔ Do simple physical actions.
→ It matters more than you think.

Feel texture


When emotions are out of reach — start with the skin.

  • Find two different surfaces: fabric and wood.
  • Run your fingers over them.
  • Feel them — without analyzing.
  • Say: “This moves through me. Even if I feel nothing — I am touching.”
Body rhythm


Sometimes it's easier to feel movement than emotion.

  • Take three slow breaths in through your nose, and out through pursed lips like a soft straw.
  • Say: “I don't have to feel. I just breathe.”
  • If you yawn — don’t hold it back. That’s good.

In the phase of "silence," you don’t need to do a lot. But doing nothing means freezing. Every simple movement — even without emotion — is a step toward coming back.

 

I remember this part.
It wasn’t panic.
It wasn’t pain.
Just... silence.

Everything was flat.
Nothing touched me.
It felt like someone had turned the volume off inside.

I could look at anything —
and feel absolutely nothing.
No joy.
No fear.
Just… nothing.

But I hadn’t disappeared.
And neither have you.

It’s not emptiness.
It’s a pause.
Your brain turned emotions off to keep you from burning out.

I didn’t expect anything to help.
But I started doing small things.
Not to feel —
but just not to freeze.

Sometimes I just walked.
Sometimes I watched how the light fell on the wall.
Sometimes I held a cup.
Didn’t feel it.
But still held it.

I didn’t know when things would return.
But I started returning to myself.

You can too.

Not to feel.
But just to stay near yourself —
even if you don’t feel like you’re really here.

Just stay close.
That’s already a beginning.

 



With respect and warmth,  
Serge

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You think you’ve disappeared.
That there are no feelings, no meaning left.
But this silence is the planting of a seed.
Growth is happening inside — even if you can’t see it yet.

And if you need support along the way — we offer two gentle forms of guidance: a book that resonates, and an AI companion that guides.

→ Learn more