Have you ever had a moment where you realize you’re doing everything “right”—but still feel completely disconnected from yourself?

You’re holding down the job. Showing up for your friends. Getting things done.But underneath the surface? You feel numb. Burned out. Stuck in your head. Your body? It’s just… surviving.

That’s not failure. That’s functional freeze—and it’s a lot more common than we think.

In this powerful episode of Flip Your Mindset, I had the chance to sit down with Jessica Parente—a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, somatic trauma-informed coach, and Level 4 brainspotting practitioner. She’s also the founder of It Ends With You, LLC, and someone who’s lived through and healed from many of the same struggles our community faces: childhood trauma, narcissistic abuse, grief, dissociation, and high-functioning burnout.

Jessica brings a rare mix of clinical expertise and lived experience. And our conversation? It cracked something open for me—and I believe it will for you, too.

What we talked about:

🧠 Functional Freeze vs. High-Functioning AnxietyMost of us have heard about fight or flight. But what about freeze? Jessica explains how many people (especially women) are walking around in a state of functional freeze—disconnected from their bodies, emotionally numb, and constantly doing as a way to avoid feeling.

Pathologizing vs. Non-Pathologizing Mental HealthThis part gave me chills. Jessica breaks down how the traditional mental health model is built around diagnosis, labels, and meds. And while that’s helpful for some, it often misses the deeper truth: we’re not broken. Our nervous systems are doing exactly what they were trained to do—protect us. Real healing starts with seeing the human, not the disorder.

Brainspotting: A Portal to Healing the BodyJessica describes brainspotting as a somatic modality that helps people access and release trauma through fixed eye positions and body awareness. It’s not about reliving the past or talking your way through it. It’s about feeling safe enough to let your body finish what it never got to complete.

“You can’t think your way out of a trauma response. There is no mantra strong enough to override the nervous system when it’s in survival.” — Jessica Parente

Why You’re Not ‘Over It’ Yet (And That’s Okay)We talk about how trauma healing isn’t linear—and how your nervous system might intellectually want to move forward, but your body isn’t ready yet. And that’s not a flaw. That’s wisdom.

“There were things I had processed over and over in therapy. I understood them—but I didn’t feel any better. It wasn’t until I started brainspotting that my body actually began to let go.” — Jessica Parente

Why this episode matters

So many of us walk around thinking, “I’ve already dealt with that,” just because we’ve talked about it. But talking isn’t the same as processing.

Your trauma didn’t just happen in your mind.It happened in your body.And your healing has to reach your body, too.

If you’ve been stuck in a loop—doing the work, saying the affirmations, going to therapy—but still feel anxious, disconnected, or chronically burnt out… this episode will help you understand why.

There’s nothing wrong with you.You’re not broken.Your nervous system is doing the best it can with the tools it has.

Ready to go deeper?

🎧 Listen now to Flip Your Mindset🔗 Learn more about Jessica Parente at:

https://itendswithyoullc.com

You deserve to feel safe in your own body.You deserve to feel whole.And most importantly—you don’t have to figure it out alone.

With you on the journey,—Stacey