Unlocking the “Frozen Paralysis” After a Trauma

L. Jay Mitchell leads the Greenbrier Academy for Girls as founder and combines an enriching academic program with therapeutic offerings that help teens move past emotional disorders. Among the issues L. Jay Mitchell has researched and incorporated within his approach is the “freeze” or paralysis response, which is a causal dynamic arising from emotional trauma and the symptoms that follow.

In the normal course of traumatic events, the body discharges super-charged energies that were long utilized in avoiding or escaping real and perceived danger. Humans, as well as animals, typically enter a dormant “frozen” state following the traumatic event. This is followed by a gradually unfolding release response that includes vibrating, shaking, and yawning, as the accumulated energy is processed.

In cases where this necessary and healthy physiological mechanism does not take hold and the nervous system release process does not occur, emotional trauma can develop. Fortunately, even long after an event, there are ways of accessing this frozen energy and generating reflection and self-awareness, an essential element of the healing process.

Experts recommend a gradual healing and recovery process within an environment that is safe, quiet, and protected. The emphasis is on creating a personal growth experience that transcends the individual, through a community support element that normalizes the healing process.

Embracing a Multifaceted Sense

An educational leader who oversees the Greenbrier Academy for Girls in West Virginia, L. Jay Mitchell emphasizes the therapeutic model of “applied relationality” that he co-developed, which is based on the idea that forging relationships with others is crucial to emotional well-being. In his book Decide Now: The Good Life or the Best Life, L. Jay Mitchell delves into the theoretical concepts behind this approach and challenges the common conflation of “feeling good” with a deeper sense of life purpose.

In the book, he suggests that good feelings and emotional satisfaction, while important, are ideally not viewed as life priorities. The main goal in life might be more beneficially stated as one that involves attaining “a life of rich meaning and purpose,” in which giving and receiving love and forming quality relationships takes precedence. What many fail to grasp is that there are often complex emotions at work in these processes that do not involve “feeling good.”

Mr. Mitchell also tackles the concepts of self and identity, as well as the uniformity with which many in the psychological community regard such constructs. The self is often treated as a single set of feelings or as a unified thought system. The author argues that people inherently possess conflicting thoughts and mixed feelings about many things. A more productive way of looking at personality may be in terms of “mini-selves” that emerge in various social situations and that may even come into conflict with one another.

Equine Therapy Promotes Emotional Awareness

An author and the creator of several residential self-development programs, L. Jay Mitchell founded the West Virginia-based Greenbrier Academy for Girls in 2007. Under L. Jay Mitchell’s ownership, Greenbrier Academy offers treatment modalities such as art therapy, one-on-one therapy, and equine therapy.

An innovative way to help girls explore negative beliefs and personal narratives, equine therapy is an experiential approach that encourages students to interact with horses in a safe, nurturing environment. Horses are highly intelligent and perceptive, making them capable of mirroring their handler’s behaviors and state of mind. When the handler is anxious or uneasy, the horse responds accordingly.

Riding and participating in activities such as grooming and feeding fosters an emotional bond between handler and horse. As such, their engagements can help girls increase emotional awareness, build confidence, and develop a wider range of problem-solving skills. Moreover, equine therapy reinforces social abilities like interpersonal and communication skills, as well as offers physical benefits through improved balance, respiration, circulation, and muscle strength.