Emotional Numbness and Scam Victims – Coping After the Scam
Helping Scam Victims Understand the Dual-Nature of Numbness as Both a Psychological Coping Mechanism and a Defense Mechanism
Primary Category: Scam Victim Recovery Psychology
Author:
• Tim McGuinness, Ph.D. – Anthropologist, Scientist, Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.
About This Article
Psychological or emotional numbness is a state where individuals become detached from their emotions as a response to overwhelming trauma, serving as both a defense and coping mechanism.
For scam victims, this numbness can provide immediate relief by shielding them from the intense emotional pain and distress associated with the betrayal and manipulation they’ve experienced. However, while numbness can help victims manage their immediate emotions, it can also hinder long-term recovery by preventing them from processing their trauma fully.
If prolonged, this emotional disconnection can lead to further psychological issues, such as depression, anxiety, or PTSD, and can impair relationships and overall well-being. Recognizing and addressing numbness through therapy and support is very important for scam victims to break through this emotional barrier and achieve healing.
Understanding Psychological Numbness in Traumatized Scam Victims: A Double-Edged Coping Mechanism and Defense Mechanism
What Is Psychological Numbness?
Psychological or emotional numbness is a state in which individuals become detached from their emotions, often as a response to overwhelming stress or trauma.
Numbness in traumatized individuals is a common psychological response that serves as a defense mechanism to protect the person from overwhelming emotional pain. This state of emotional numbness, also known as emotional blunting or dissociation, can occur as a way to cope with the intense distress and fear associated with traumatic experiences. By numbing their emotions, individuals may feel a temporary sense of relief, as the mind effectively “shuts down” or reduces emotional sensitivity to avoid further psychological damage.
For scam victims, who have endured profound betrayal and manipulation, this numbness can emerge as a defense mechanism. It manifests as a sense of disconnection from one’s emotions and sometimes from reality itself, making it difficult for victims to feel or express emotions such as joy, anger, sadness, or fear. The duration can be short or much longer term, and in those cases, it needs psychological intervention to control.
How Numbness Functions as a Coping Mechanism
Positive Aspects
Immediate Protection When a scam victim first realizes they’ve been deceived, the emotional impact can be crushing. Numbness, in this context, serves as a protective shield, blunting the intensity of the emotional pain. It’s the mind’s way of preventing an emotional overload that could be incapacitating. This temporary emotional detachment allows victims to maintain functionality, whether it’s handling daily responsibilities, dealing with law enforcement, or navigating the immediate aftermath of the scam.
For many, this numbness is a survival mechanism, helping them get through the initial stages of shock and disbelief. It provides a necessary pause, giving the brain time to process the trauma at a manageable pace.
Negative Aspects: Long-Term Implications
Delayed Healing and Emotional Disconnection While emotional numbness can offer immediate relief, it often becomes a hindrance to long-term recovery. When victims remain emotionally numb, they may find it difficult to process their trauma fully. The emotions that are being suppressed—such as anger, sadness, or betrayal—need to be acknowledged and worked through for true healing to occur. If these emotions remain unaddressed, they can fester, leading to chronic issues such as depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Moreover, prolonged numbness can lead to emotional disconnection, not just from the trauma but from life itself. Scam victims may struggle to experience joy, satisfaction, or connection in their relationships, leading to feelings of isolation and loneliness. This detachment can create a vicious cycle, where the lack of emotional engagement further entrenches the numbness, making it increasingly difficult for victims to reintegrate into their lives.
Numbness as a Psychological Defense Mechanism
Psychological numbness is a defense mechanism that the mind employs to protect itself from overwhelming emotional pain or trauma. When individuals encounter situations that are too intense or distressing to process, their minds may respond by creating a barrier that dulls their emotional responses, effectively shutting down feelings that would otherwise be too difficult to handle.
How Numbness Functions as a Defense Mechanism
Immediate Emotional Protection: In the face of severe trauma, such as the betrayal and loss experienced by scam victims, emotional numbness can act as a form of immediate protection. The mind, recognizing that the full force of the emotional impact could be overwhelming, triggers a state of emotional detachment. This allows the individual to function in the short term without being consumed by distressing emotions like fear, anger, or grief.
Temporary Relief from Overwhelm: Numbness provides temporary relief from the emotional flood that can accompany trauma. By dulling or suppressing emotions, it creates a psychological “buffer zone” that prevents the individual from becoming paralyzed by their feelings. This can be crucial in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event, enabling the person to maintain daily responsibilities and make necessary decisions without being incapacitated by emotional pain.
The Dual Nature of Numbness: Helping and Hurting
The Protective Side: In the short term, numbness can be life-saving. It gives the mind and body a break from the intense emotional turmoil that comes with trauma, allowing the person to survive the initial impact. This emotional “shut down” can be particularly important in situations where the individual needs to remain functional and composed, such as dealing with the legal or financial fallout of a scam.
The Harmful Side: While numbness can protect in the short term, it can become problematic if it persists over a long period. When emotional numbness becomes a chronic state, it can hinder the natural process of healing and recovery. The emotions that are being suppressed—whether they are grief, anger, or sadness—remain unprocessed, which can lead to long-term psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Over time, this unaddressed trauma can manifest in physical symptoms or destructive behaviors.
Impact on Relationships and Well-Being: Chronic numbness can also impair the ability to connect with others, leading to feelings of isolation and loneliness. It can cause individuals to withdraw from relationships, as they may feel disconnected from their own emotions and find it difficult to relate to others. This can create a cycle where the person feels increasingly isolated, which can further entrench the numbness and delay recovery.
Psychological numbness is a complex defense mechanism that serves as both a protective shield and a potential barrier to healing. For scam victims, it provides crucial emotional relief in the short term, allowing them to cope with the immediate impact of trauma. However, if it becomes a long-term state, it can prevent the necessary emotional processing that leads to recovery, ultimately causing more harm than good. Recognizing and addressing numbness through therapy and support is essential for breaking through this emotional barrier and facilitating true healing.
Moving Forward: Addressing Emotional Numbness
For scam victims to move beyond numbness, it is essential to gradually reconnect with their emotions in a safe and controlled way. Therapeutic interventions, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), trauma-focused therapy, or mindfulness practices, can help victims explore their suppressed emotions and begin to process their trauma. Support groups can also provide a space for victims to share their experiences and reconnect with others who understand their pain.
Recognizing that numbness is a natural response to trauma is the first step in reclaiming emotional health. By acknowledging the dual role of numbness—both protective and potentially harmful—scam victims can take proactive steps toward healing, learning to feel and live fully once again.
Learn More
Learn more about coping mechanisms and defense mechanisms at ScamPsychology.org
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Some of our articles discuss various aspects of victims. This is both about better understanding victims (the science of victimology) and their behaviors and psychology. This helps us to educate victims/survivors about why these crimes happened and to not blame themselves, better develop recovery programs, and to help victims avoid scams in the future. At times this may sound like blaming the victim, but it does not blame scam victims, we are simply explaining the hows and whys of the experience victims have.
These articles, about the Psychology of Scams or Victim Psychology – meaning that all humans have psychological or cognitive characteristics in common that can either be exploited or work against us – help us all to understand the unique challenges victims face before, during, and after scams, fraud, or cybercrimes. These sometimes talk about some of the vulnerabilities the scammers exploit. Victims rarely have control of them or are even aware of them, until something like a scam happens and then they can learn how their mind works and how to overcome these mechanisms.
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The information provided in this and other SCARS articles are intended for educational and self-help purposes only and should not be construed as a substitute for professional therapy or counseling.
Note about Mindfulness: Mindfulness practices have the potential to create psychological distress for some individuals. Please consult a mental health professional or experienced meditation instructor for guidance should you encounter difficulties.
While any self-help techniques outlined herein may be beneficial for scam victims seeking to recover from their experience and move towards recovery, it is important to consult with a qualified mental health professional before initiating any course of action. Each individual’s experience and needs are unique, and what works for one person may not be suitable for another.
Additionally, any approach may not be appropriate for individuals with certain pre-existing mental health conditions or trauma histories. It is advisable to seek guidance from a licensed therapist or counselor who can provide personalized support, guidance, and treatment tailored to your specific needs.
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When my scam ended 3 mos ago, I was numbed. I didn’t know if this was a real thing or not. The aftermath of my trauma was compounded by 3 more weeks of harassment, threat, and intense emotional and psychological abuse by the criminals. They pulled out all the stops. Anything to keep me engaged in their fraudulent scheme. I needed help to regain my stability and balance in the midst of my numbness. Through therapy and support from SCARS I am able to begin processing my trauma, reconnecting with my emotions and making a conscious effort to stay connected with family and friends. I have quite a ways to go on my healing journey, I just take one day at a time. But time waits for no one, getting help when I felt numb was the best investment I made for myself.