Hi everyone. 
 

I have noticed while researching about withdrawal that there is a lot of people who say they have anhedonia when in reality they have emotional numbing.

i just wanted to post this for others to see as I know a lot of people tend to read stories and see how people recover from certain symptoms which trouble them the most.

 

 

Anhedonia is when someone has a reduced ability to feel pleasure, interest, or enjoyment from things that used to feel good. It’s not just “feeling sad.” It’s more like the reward system in your brain has gone quiet.

A few key ways it can show up:

What it feels like

• Things you know you should enjoy (music, food, hobbies, sex, socializing) feel flat or pointless

• You might still do activities, but they don’t give that “ahhh” or spark anymore

• Motivation can drop, because your brain isn’t offering that pleasure payoff.

 

Emotional numbing is when your emotional responses become muted, blunted, or shut down, especially feelings like joy, sadness, love, anger, or fear. It’s less about not having emotions and more about your brain turning the volume way down to protect you.

What emotional numbing feels like

People describe it as:

• Feeling empty, hollow, or “blank”

• Knowing intellectually that something is sad or meaningful, but not feeling it

• Reduced emotional reactions — crying feels impossible, excitement doesn’t land

• Feeling detached from yourself or others (“I care, but I don’t feel it”)

• A sense of watching life instead of participating in it.

 

Apathy is a state of reduced motivation, interest, or emotional investment. It’s when the “drive” to care, initiate, or engage feels low or absent — even when you want to want things.

What apathy feels like

People often describe:

• “I don’t care” or “It doesn’t matter” — even about things that should matter

• Difficulty starting tasks, making decisions, or following through

• Emotional flatness or indifference rather than sadness

• Low initiative: not because you’re lazy, but because the urge to act isn’t there

• Caring intellectually, but not emotionally (“I know this is important, but I feel nothing”)

Apathy is often quiet and invisible — it doesn’t always look dramatic.

 

 

 

• Apathy → lack of motivation or interest

• Anhedonia → lack of pleasure or reward

• Emotional numbing → emotions turned down across the board

 

 

Edited February 21Feb 21 by Richie

Thank you for this! I am really struggeling with these symptoms. My inner world feels very “flat” and “clinical” I really miss the emotional component.. hope that my emotions and personality come back soon 🥹

11 hours ago, Sophia said:

Thank you for this! I am really struggeling with these symptoms. My inner world feels very “flat” and “clinical” I really miss the emotional component.. hope that my emotions and personality come back soon 🥹

no problem @Sophia they will come back, I suffered the numbness while on the drug at full dose and when I jumped of it morphed into anhedonia and apathy bloody horrible what these drugs can do.

Thank you, @Richie, for this. I indure all three horrors you mention there. It is inhumane and brutal.

Svetla

I have all three. The most painful aspect is total indifference towards my husband. I pray my feelings come back after I'm off.

Hi @skamen and @Kat66,

 

Do you also struggle to feel sadness and cry? I want to cry so badly.. but something in my brain just blocks it and I only get a few tears.. it’s awful to not be able to let it all out.. 😔

Hi @Sophia and @Kat66, I am as you, emotional anesthesia. I cannot cry, cannot laugh, cannot feel love for my husband neither for my daughter, it is awful, I hate myself, it is not a life...

Hate the situation, but please don't hate yourself! You've done NOTHING wrong. It is your brain being in protection mode while it works on your recovery ❤️

Let's hope this, dear @Sophia that the brain works for recovering.

Svetla

@skamen @GreggeryPeccary @Billford81 @Wildgoose@Samuel @Redding @Sminismoni @Cloudy4ever

For all my emotionally blunted / anhedonic buddies…. See this video minute 27-28. Adele Farmer (Founder SA) talks about emotional anesthesia.

Hang in there friends ❤️‍🩹

Edited June 25Jun 25 by Sophia

Thank you @Sophia that has helped me greatly.

Thank you so much, @Sophia.

2 hours ago, Sophia said:

@skamen @GreggeryPeccary @Billford81 @Wildgoose@Samuel @Redding @Sminismoni @Cloudy4ever

For all my emotionally blunted / anhedonic buddies…. See this video minute 27-28. Adele Farmer (Founder SA) talks about emotional anesthesia.

Hang in there friends ❤️‍🩹

Thanks Sophia! You’re the best!

Thanks soo much Sophia!

Hello everyone, has anyone seen any improvement in these symptoms?

I’m acting in robotic mode…like i know i love to do things and cannot feel excitment or real happiness or sadness. My friend who has been working with me 12 years, and my best friend told me she was going to follow another path. Before WD this would be heartbreaking for me, and now it was just like, thinking im very sad, but not feeling nothing.

Will the feeling of being alive ever come back?

19 hours ago, Healing_s said:

Will the feeling of being alive ever come back?

It will! It just can take lots of time. We just have to be patient. Unfortunately those around us often struggle to understand, but we must not let that influence our approach to our healing.

Hey dear friends,

I see this topic is already a few months old has anyone have improvements in their symptoms when it comes to emotional anesthesia ? It feels like I’m stuck in this state .

@Saar8srl I'm 16 months off and I have noticed some improvement but it is limited. I still deal with a lot of anhedonia and some emotional blunting in general. I remain hopeful that it will improve in the next few months as other symptoms are less present and some have disappeared completely 🙂

@Saar8srl

Hey,

I'm sorry to hear about the emotional blunting. I used to be a big cryer especially as a child, but also moved by all things music and film. My workplace shut in June and almost all my colleagues cried (including boss and regional manager!) but not a tear from me... just frustrated and 🅰️ngry. It feels almost criminal to deprive a human of emotional catharsis, or even just being 'in tune' with people around you.

I will say though other emotions have made a slight return... I can sit outside and feel the change of seasons now especially spring and autumn (used to be a special thing for me before drugs). I see a picture of my niece and nephew (4, 6 years) and finally get a fraction of joy or interest that didn't exist when they were born. It's not much but I take it as a promise of things to come at lower doses.

I made a dial/clock split into equal segments of receptor occupancy (with mg amount next to the number, according to Maudsley guidelines). My current progress is just under a quarter from initial dose (10mg Lexapro) and this gives me comfort despite slow progress regaining emotional range.

All the best and I hope you get to feel more, soon.

@PaintingDave thank you for your beautiful massage. Nice to hear you feel the love for your niece and nephew❤️ I hope that you recover. Bless you dear.

On 8/1/2026 at 3:03 PM, Healing_s said:

Hello everyone, has anyone seen any improvement in these symptoms?

I’m acting in robotic mode…like i know i love to do things and cannot feel excitment or real happiness or sadness. My friend who has been working with me 12 years, and my best friend told me she was going to follow another path. Before WD this would be heartbreaking for me, and now it was just like, thinking im very sad, but not feeling nothing.

Will the feeling of being alive ever come back?

Did this change for you somehow ?

@Saar8srl yes.

Once hipervigilancy and alert state starts to disappear a lot of emotions start to pop up again. We are so overwhelm with what’s going on with us that we cannot process all the external environment. Your body needs time to low this alert state, stress, high cortisol.

Things will come back and sometimes so intense that we will need to learn how to manage emotions.

❤️

2 minutes ago, Healing_s said:

@Saar8srlJa.

Zodra hypervigilantieen alertheid begint je te verdwijnen, beginnen er weer veel emoties op de duiken. We zijn zo overweldigd door wat er met ons gebeurt dat we niet de hele externe omgeving kunnen verwerken. Je lichaam heeft tijd nodig om deze alertheid, stress, hoog cortisol te verlagen.

Dingen zullen terugkomen en soms zo intens dat we moeten leren omgaan met emoties.

❤️

How beautifully said ❤️