Why do I feel nothing?

Numbness is not the absence of emotion — it is emotion turned so far down that it stops registering. The brain does this when input exceeds capacity for too long. Depression, chronic stress, trauma, dissociation, and some medications can all cause it.

How to tell what is driving yours

Sudden onset after a specific event → likely trauma or acute stress. Slow drain over months with low motivation and disrupted sleep → likely depression. Numbness only in relationships or intimacy → often trauma or attachment-related. Numbness that began within weeks of starting an SSRI → medication-related; talk to your prescriber, do not stop on your own.

What starts feeling again

Cold water on the face or a two-minute cold shower — activates the mammalian dive reflex and can break dissociation. Slow rhythmic movement (walking, swimming). One small pleasure attempted daily even without desire (behavioural activation). If numbness lasts more than two weeks with low mood or hopelessness, that is a PHQ-9 threshold — get a proper evaluation.