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I have a character whose daily work relies immensely on her agility and mobility, and whose favourite passtime is running around and climbing the local terrain.

I'll be writing a story arc very soon wherein she loses the majority of her legs' total length. Sitting in bed, trying to comprehend and deal with the sudden change in her life, she'll feel numbed by the shock of not only the change in her life, but also the haunting knowledge that she has no idea how to move forward.

Is there a word for that particular kind of numbness? The oppressive, daunting knowledge that nothing will ever be the same, that brings with it an inability to process much else in your moment-to-moment life?

I'm hoping to find a noun that embodies the emotion that involves numb, mechanical 'oh, right, I should eat/drink/etc' thoughts that people experience after life-changing physical trauma. The emotion that is somewhat of a lasting shock state.

I'm not looking for a word for the/a life-changing event. I'm after a word that describes the emotion--or state--of long-term shock as detailed above.

'Lassitude'--a condition characterized by lack of interest, energy, or spirit--is the closest I've found to what I'm looking for, but I'm wondering if there's something better.

If I were looking for a word or term I already knew, I wouldn't be asking here. I'm looking for an obscure noun.

Thank you all in advance!

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    "writing an arc [?] wherein she loses the majority [?] of her legs"? She has more than two??
    – Lambie
    Commented Dec 8, 2023 at 16:18
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    Is she in shock?
    – Yosef Baskin
    Commented Dec 8, 2023 at 16:29
  • @Lambie maybe it's a continuous measure of the total length of her two legs?
    – Mitch
    Commented Dec 8, 2023 at 16:48
  • @Mitch Mitchie, hi. I have no idea at all what you mean. :)
    – Lambie
    Commented Dec 8, 2023 at 16:49
  • @Lambie eg losing up to above the knee on one leg, just below the knee on the other? That's roughly half of all her leg substance. a majority could be an entire leg up to the hip, and then above the knee on the other? I really don't know what the options are for 'losing'.
    – Mitch
    Commented Dec 8, 2023 at 16:51

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The word trauma covers physical effects of extreme shock as well as the shock itself:

trauma [noun]

c: an emotional upset

  • the personal trauma of an executive who is not living up to his own expectations —Karen W. Arensontrauma

b: a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury

[Merriam-Webster; obviously re-ordered]

trauma [noun] [non-count or count]

C2 severe and lasting emotional shock and pain caused by an extremely upsetting experience

[Cambridge Dictionary]

trauma

Trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape, or natural disaster. Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical. Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships, and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea.

[American Psychological Association]

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