A psychological response to traumatic events, characterized by decreased responsiveness to and a feeling of detachment from the external environment and a reduction in the ability to acknowledge and express emotion.
Origin
1960s.
Definition of psychic numbing in US English:
psychic numbing
noun
Psychology
A psychological response to traumatic events, characterized by decreased responsiveness to and a feeling of detachment from the external environment and a reduction in the ability to acknowledge and express emotion.