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The Void Is Not a Diagnosis — It's a State

There’s a way some people describe their experience that doesn’t quite match any diagnosis — even if they’ve collected a few.

They say things like: “I’m doing everything, but nothing is working.” “It’s like something in me has shut down — I can’t feel myself anymore.”


These words come from people with wildly different medical histories — long COVID, trauma, depression, POTS, chronic fatigue, perimenopause, anxiety, metabolic dysfunction — or sometimes no diagnosis at all.

But underneath, I often see the same core experience: a profound disconnection from self, energy, and life.

In my practice, we call this the void.

But let me be clear: The void is not a diagnosis. We name it to offer something different — a way to understand what’s happening without further pathologizing it.

Why It’s Called The Void

I named it the void because that’s exactly what it feels like: a hollow, suspended state. A place where energy and vitality seem out of reach and the capacity to integrate positive change is difficult.

The void is a name I began using after the pandemic to recognize a specific pattern I kept seeing across clients.  A collection of symptoms and subtle signals that point to deeper foundational imbalances. Not just physical — but energetic, emotional, and neurological.

It often shows up as:

  • Emotional numbness or lack of motivation

  • Pain or fatigue that worsens with exercise

  • A sense of “going through the motions”

  • Feeling cut off from your own body or intuition

  • Symptoms that linger despite doing all the “right” things

The void is a state of chronic dis-integration — when the nervous system is stuck in survival mode, and the body’s energy systems are no longer in sync. It involves disruptions to:

  • Life force and energetic flow

  • The body's ability to process and release stress

  • Emotional access and self-awareness

  • Making choices that benefit the self

  • Movement, posture, and proprioception

  • Responsiveness to treatment or integration of change

It’s not resistance or a lack of trying. In fact most people in this state are trying really hard!

It’s a system-wide stall that often gets missed — or misdiagnosed — because it doesn’t fit cleanly into a medical box.

A State, Not an Identity

Here’s the most important part: The void is a state. Not a fixed condition. Not an identity.

That distinction matters deeply.

In our current system, diagnoses often become identities. They feel permanent. They define how people see themselves, how they’re treated, and what they expect from their future.

But states are different. States are dynamic. They are changeable. States respond to the right kind of support. States can shift — sometimes subtly, sometimes radically.


States are more like weather: They respond to pressure systems, to sunlight, to season, to movement. They can feel endless — until the sky clears.

Photograph by Thomas Kinto
Photograph by Thomas Kinto

And just like weather, the internal climate of your body and mind can change, sometimes rapidly, when the right conditions are in place.


A foggy day doesn’t mean the sun is gone. A diagnosis is a forecast, not a definite fate.


When we learn to work with the body the way we would work with nature — with respect and deep listening, and when we stop confusing a diagnosis with who we are — when we learn to read the body’s state instead of attaching to a label — we create the possibility for real change.

And this is why I care so deeply about teaching people to think in terms of states.

Because I’ve watched people shift out of states that had defined them for years — even decades — when their system was finally given what it truly needed.

So Why Do We Cling to Diagnoses?

That’s a good question.

On one hand, diagnosis can be helpful. It can name a pattern, give us some explanation, point to needed support, and can offer a moment of validation: “Yes, what you’re going through is real.”

But diagnosis can also limit. It can trick us into thinking healing is linear, slow, or unlikely. It can become a box people don’t know how to climb out of or a forecast that never changes. In many cases, it keeps people chasing symptoms instead of listening to their own energy and inner guidance.

I envision a world where people take diagnoses with a grain of salt —not in denial, but with perspective. Where they ask not just “What is this called?” but “What state am I in?” and “What would help me shift?”

Because when we understand the body’s brilliance — how quickly energy can rebalance, how adaptable the nervous system is, how resilient the human spirit truly is — we start to trust something deeper.

We remember that we are dynamic, living systems capable of healing. That our bodies are not broken — they are brilliant. Every cell, every organ, every system is working tirelessly on our behalf. If we only knew how miraculous, wise, and endlessly supportive our bodies were — we would treat them very differently. We would listen more closely. We would push less and partner more. We would stop trying to fix and start learning how to follow.


What Might the Void Be Hiding Behind?

The void often exists beneath or within many diagnoses or life transitions, including:

  • Long COVID

  • Chronic fatigue (CFS/ME)

  • Depression and anxiety

  • PTSD and trauma

  • Perimenopause, Hashimoto’s, and hormonal disruption

  • POTS or autonomic dysfunction

  • Metabolic imbalance

  • Burnout and adrenal fatigue

  • Sleep disorders (insomnia, non-restorative sleep)

  • Emotional numbness or overwhelm

  • Prolonged or atypical grief

  • Postpartum depletion

Beneath the names are familiar patterns — stalled energy, survival physiology, and disconnection from the body’s innate rhythm.

How HigherCx Helps

HigherCx was developed to gently support people out of the void — not by addressing symptoms, but by listening to the body’s unique order of healing through client-led muscle response feedback. It’s a trauma-informed, movement-integrated, energy-aware process that restores connection and helps people integrate change again.

It’s not about “fixing” — it’s about reconnection.

Clients often say:

“I feel like myself again.” “Something came back online in me.” “I feel lighter and a steady energy I haven’t felt for a long time.”

That’s the shift out of the void that becomes possible when we stop asking “What’s wrong with me?” and start asking with curiosity, “What state am I in — and what needs to shift?”

If this speaks to you — or describes someone you love — I invite you to explore more about the work we’re doing with HigherCx, including our research study on long COVID and persistent recovery states.

  Sara McRae | Creator of HigherCx™

Wellness practitioner, teacher of Touch for Health, and guide for recovery from Long COVID, trauma, and the Void State.

Exploring resilience, energy, and conscious integration.



 
 
 

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