--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And then just as suddenly, I felt…" description: "\"“And then just as suddenly, I felt absolutely nothing. It was like a door quickly opened, showing me what horrible feelings I had inside, and then slam..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9c/augusten-burroughs-603_feelings_and-then-just-as-suddenly-i-felt-absolut_1248374.jpg" --- # And then just as suddenly, I felt absolutely nothing. It… ![“And then just as suddenly, I felt absolutely nothing. It was like a door quickly opened, showing me what horrible feelings I had inside, and then slammed shut again so I wouldn't have to actually face them. In many ways I felt I was living the life of a doctor in the ER. I was learning to block…” quote by Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9c/augusten-burroughs-603_feelings_and-then-just-as-suddenly-i-felt-absolut_1248374.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9c/augusten-burroughs-603_feelings_and-then-just-as-suddenly-i-felt-absolut_1248374.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9c/augusten-burroughs-603_feelings_and-then-just-as-suddenly-i-felt-absolut_1248374.jpg) > ““And then just as suddenly, I felt absolutely nothing. It was like a door quickly opened, showing me what horrible feelings I had inside, and then slammed shut again so I wouldn't have to actually face them. In many ways I felt I was living the life of a doctor in the ER. I was learning to block out all emotions in order to deal with the situation.”” [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator describes emotional numbness as a coping mechanism, likening it to a door that briefly opens then shuts to avoid confronting pain. **In simple terms:** He blocks feelings to function. Key Takeaway Allow yourself safe spaces to process emotions. Themes mental health coping emotional numbness self‑protection Mood introspective somber hopeful Type psychological personal narrative When to use this quote - therapy - high‑stress jobs - personal growth Key Concepts psychology trauma response avoidance Questions to Reflect On - What emotions are you avoiding? - How can you safely face them? A Different Perspective Numbness can hinder authentic healing and connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Feelings Inside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings-inside-322561/) [Felt Absolutely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-absolutely-2940186/) [Horrible Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horrible-feelings-1172770/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Living the life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-the-life/) [Suddenly Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suddenly-felt-282429/) ## Related quotes > [“I felt absolutely nothing. 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It's about having all of these uncomfortable feelings inside you and not knowing how to express them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-donahue/it-s-about-more-than-just-being-beautiful-it-s-about-having-all-of/) [Hope Donahue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-donahue/) ## More by Augusten Burroughs > [There is nothing about myself that I wouldn't reveal or write about. I don't care how horrendous or ridiculous I may appear in person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/there-is-nothing-about-myself-that-i-wouldn-t-reveal-or-write-about-i/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“We were alone together, we were an us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/we-were-alone-together-we-were-an-us/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [Like every child, I adored her. 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On Roid Rage days, it made me want to stomp down to the highway, pull drivers out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/on-typical-days-dust-is-simply-irritating-on-roid-rage-days-it-made/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [I'm like the guy who prepares your taxes or a dentist. I'm very conservative and boring in a lot of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-m-like-the-guy-who-prepares-your-taxes-or-a-dentist-i-m-very/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“Nothing surprises me now," I tell him. I am stoic. I am Joan of Arc, with liver damage and an unused penis.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/nothing-surprises-me-now-i-tell-him-i-am-stoic-i-am-joan-of-arc-with/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“It's not that I was an outright nitwit of a child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/it-s-not-that-i-was-an-outright-nitwit-of-a-child/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [What I really want is to sit next to someone under an L.L. bean blanket on the beach in the fall and drink coffee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/what-i-really-want-is-to-sit-next-to-someone-under-an-l-l-bean/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“My worth depended on where exactly the decimal was placed among the zeroes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/my-worth-depended-on-where-exactly-the-decimal-was-placed-among-the/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“Bookman isn't a stable man. He has a lot of problems that run very, very deep." But he was really good at giving head.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/bookman-isn-t-a-stable-man-he-has-a-lot-of-problems-that-run-very/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) [Explore all 448 Augusten Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) ## More Feelings quotes > [I have a strong feeling about this quick movement and changing of society and populations growing - something scary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/i-have-a-strong-feeling-about-this-quick-movement-and-changing-of/) [Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. 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It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) [Browse all 21,172 Feelings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And then just as suddenly, I felt absolutely nothing. It was like a door quickly opened, showing me what horrible feelings I had inside, and then slammed shut again so I wouldn't have to actually face them. In many ways I felt I was living the life of a doctor in the ER. 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