Reflections on therapy, trauma, and the nervous system

Articles and reflections from my practice

This page brings together articles and reflections from my practice.

Some focus directly on therapy, trauma, the nervous system, and relationship patterns. Others reflect more broadly on the values and human questions that shape how I think about suffering, care, relationship, and psychological work.

If you have come here because you are considering therapy, you may also want to look at the main therapy pages, About, or Getting started to get a clearer sense of how I work.

You can also read more about some of the key values behind my work.

May 16, 2026

Trauma and relationships — why closeness can feel unsafe

May 16, 2026/ Paolo Imbalzano

Many people long for closeness while also feeling anxious, guarded, ashamed, overwhelmed, or withdrawn in relationship. This article explores how trauma and relational wounding can shape patterns of contact, distance, mistrust, and longing, and why these patterns often make sense.

May 11, 2026

Functional collapse: when you look fine but feel shut down inside

May 11, 2026/ Paolo Imbalzano

Functional collapse can be hard to recognise because, from the outside, life may still appear to be moving. You may still be working, replying, caring for others, and appearing composed — while inside you feel numb, foggy, depleted, or shut down.

This article explores functional collapse as a protective response rather than a personal failing: when the nervous system has carried too much for too long and begins to conserve energy by reducing feeling, contact, and responsiveness.

May 07, 2026

DBR and Mindfulness: Similar Attention, Different Clinical Purpose

May 07, 2026/ Paolo Imbalzano

DBR and mindfulness both involve careful attention, but they use attention differently. Mindfulness listens to what emerges in present-moment experience. DBR works earlier in the nervous system sequence, close to where orienting and shock first arise.

May 02, 2026

What shutdown, freeze, or collapse can feel like — and why it happens

May 02, 2026/ Paolo Imbalzano

Not all trauma responses look like panic or agitation. Sometimes the system goes quiet, heavy, numb, foggy, or flat. This article explores what shutdown, freeze, and collapse can feel like, why they happen, and why these responses often make sense in the context of overwhelm or chronic strain.

April 25, 2026

Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR): benefits, side effects, and what they mean in practice

April 25, 2026/ Paolo Imbalzano

Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) can support trauma processing, regulation, and reduced reactivity, but it may also bring temporary side effects. This article offers a balanced overview of benefits, possible after-effects, pacing, and integration.