332: Ever gone into freeze? Here’s what’s actually going on. (ft. Stacy Matulis)

332: Ever gone into freeze? Here’s what’s actually going on. (ft. Stacy Matulis)

Author: Melanie Curtin October 25, 2024 Duration: 1:16:27

If you've ever felt anxious around a woman you were attracted to, gone rigid when you tried to flirt, or completely shut down during a fight with your partner, you know what it is to go into freeze.

When we're overwhelmed, we can lock up. This is inconvenient if what you really want to do in that moment is to move, get someone's number, or speak up for yourself during a moment of tension with your spouse or in a meeting at work.

Where does this behavior come from? Why did it develop? What do we do about it that actually works?

Here, somatic practitioner and expert Stacy Matulis breaks down what's actually going on in your nervous system when you freeze, and what to do about it. (Hint: No one is an island, and we need others. We are interdependent.)

We also cover the difference between freeze and disassociation, depression and suicidality, and why it can feel like even after years of doing the work, you're still stuck in some ways.

Going into a freeze state will absolutely impact your sex, dating and relationship life. Fortunately, there's a way through.

---

Work with us

Want to go deeper than the podcast? Jason and I are ready to work with you! We specialize in helping men break old patterns and transform their sex & love lives for good.

To see if there's a fit for our flagship program Pillars of Presence, book a call here. Start anytime. (https://evolutionary.men/apply/)

---

Mentioned on this episode:

  • DM 196: The “invisible” relationship pattern that can affect everything (childhood neglect)

---

Memorable quotes from this episode:

  • “I felt neutered as a human.”
  • “When we grew up without safe others, we can learn that there are no safe others.”
  • “What would bring me into a life that I wanted to live?”
  • “Attunement is just as much an essential need as food and shelter is.”
  • “Your feelings and needs are all right with me.”
  • “A traumatized brain is programmed to look for the problem, and stay focused on the difficult energy.”
  • “Who I am makes love go away.”

Melanie Curtin hosts Dear Men: How to Rock Sex, Dating, and Relationships With Women, a space where curiosity meets practical change. This isn't about memorizing pick-up lines or playing games; it's built on the idea that genuine personal growth is the most attractive quality a man can develop. The conversations here move beyond surface-level tips to explore the deeper dynamics of connection, drawing from insights across health, culture, and psychology. You'll hear from women who offer a candid look into what fosters real attraction and lasting partnership, providing a valuable perspective often missing from mainstream advice. Each episode tackles the honest questions and challenges men face, whether navigating early dating, deepening intimacy, or building a resilient marriage. The focus is always on actionable understanding-how to listen, communicate, and show up in ways that are both authentic and effective. Tune in for a podcast that respects your intelligence and meets you where you are, offering a blend of straightforward talk and nuanced discussion that can reshape how you approach every aspect of your life with women. It's for any man ready to move past confusion and toward more meaningful, fulfilling connections.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Dear Men: How to Rock Sex, Dating, and Relationships With Women
Podcast Episodes
328: Betrayal trauma. How do you recover? (ft. Rosanne Delaney) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:13
"For so long I felt like, ‘this is only happening in my marriage.’"If you've ever experienced something dark, difficult, or deeply challenging in your love relationship, *and didn't feel like you could talk about it with…
324: What does it mean to open a woman? (ft. Jason Lange) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:11
Ever been around a woman who was closed down, shut off, or emotionally unavailable? Ever felt like your partner wanted to say something but was holding back, and if you'd somehow shown up in a different way, maybe she'd…
322: 5 ways to polarize a powerful woman (ft. Jason Lange) [Replay] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:01
Has your woman ever been in her masculine, and you wished she was in her feminine? Here's something that doesn't work: "Hey, could you drop into your feminine already?" ;)So how do you polarize your woman well? Polarity…
319: 'My relationship is war.' (What do I do?) (Ft. Jason Lange) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:36
Ever felt like when it comes to your relationship, you're constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop? Or that when you come home, you don't know what (or who) you're going to get? Or that every moment is, "Are they OK…