Being With People Without Feeling With Them

This is "structural distance" within "social proximity." In the Meaning Density Model™, your body is here, but your "integrator" is focused elsewhere or is simply full. Naming this experience removes the "broken connection" narrative. It is a neutral state where your Narrative system isn't currently synchronizing with the other person’s. Accepting this distance as a temporary structural reality prevents the panic that often triggers the Threat system and makes the distance feel permanent.

Yes. Emotional immersion is an expensive pursuit loop. There are times when your system simply cannot afford the energy required for empathy or shared resonance. By acknowledging "distance" as a valid state, you stop the pursuit of a feeling that isn't there. This closure allows you to remain socially present without the exhaustion of "faking" a connection, preserving your internal resources for actual regulation and future meaning density.