Defensive mechanisms: withdrawal, dissociation, refuge in fantasy or cognition, chronic hyperarousal, tension, anxiety and underlying rage, frozen core tension, armoring, terror and robotic behavior

Fear of existing, feeling unwelcome or overwhelmed by experience and felt sense of annihilation
The world is a relentlessly harsh place

As an adult the world of fantasy takes over where there is a felt sense of control in the creation of one’s experience or, an analytical world of machines and precision in which feelings and needs do not exist

Ultimately a retreat from the world where there is no knowing or feeling what humanness is like.

What is needed is a path from withdrawal to safety and connection

Physical characteristics

Eyes may appear frozen, startled, intense or especially wide open
Arms pulled in, chest constricting to center
Core tension in the body
Fragility

Core Beliefs

There is something wrong with me
The world is harsh and dangerous
I am not wanted

Personality

Keep to their own world
Strong fear or anxiety
Emotions may not be congruent with presentation
Maybe spiritual, creative, nonconformist, with high integrity and insistence on honesty

Explorations

Invite felt sense of welcoming
Curiosity about the world and exploring aliveness within one's interior world
Accepting experience just as it is