11/11/2023 0 Comments Fight flight ze fawn percentage![]() In this state, breathing slows, one may have a blunted facial expression, and one’s eyes may look spaced out or fixed. ![]() This freezing can occur both during and after the traumatic experience, where individuals may dissociate or shut down in order to cope with the experience. This is common with sexual assault survivors who may become still and wait for the danger to pass. Humans may also do this when faced with a threat or traumatic experience in hopes the threat will leave them alone. Some predators may not want to eat an animal that is already dead. In the wild, animals will often “play dead” to protect themselves from further harm. Digestion may also slow, and our bodies may tremble or shake. We may also avoid or deny perhaps, we even make our schedules incredibly busy to escape from uncomfortable feelings. Just like the gazelle, we may seek safety by escaping or leaving the situation. However, speed is the gazelle’s strength and its greatest chance of survival. A gazelle cannot win in a fight against a lion’s claws and teeth. Sometimes when fighting seems too dangerous or risky, we opt to flee. It can also look like fast breathing, dilated pupils, sweating, tense muscles, flushed skin, and our hearts hammering in our chests. We may puff out our chests, stand tall, blame, insult, or confront. Even if we feel fearful or anxious, we don’t back down. While this can sometimes manifest as actual physical or verbal fighting, it can also be in our body language, our subtle actions, or our willingness to say what we believe. We stand our ground, especially if we believe we have the tools necessary to win. Often when we feel threatened, our initial response is to fight back. Keep reading to find out more about four common trauma responses. The hypothalamus then triggers the autonomic nervous system, part of the brain’s limbic system that is hard-wired for survival no matter the cost. This is all thanks to your amygdala, the part of your brain that reacts to perceived fear and sends signals to the hypothalamus. In fact, your trauma response in one situation can look completely different than it does in another situation. Just as our experiences and trauma symptoms differ, our responses to trauma are also varied. In addition, not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a mental health condition that develops when a person has difficulty coping after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Nevertheless, trauma can manifest differently in each person. Trauma can include a host of experiences such as living through a natural disaster, experiencing racial trauma, losing a loved one, or surviving abuse. According to the National Council, seventy percent of US adults have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lives. “What we don’t need in the midst of struggle is shame for being human.” This quote by Brene Brown illustrates the shame or guilt that may sometimes accompany our responses to traumatic experiences. Threat and danger signals may include real threats such as possible assault or physical harm, but they can also be as simple as humming fluorescent lights, the whir of a fan, or the popping sound coming from a car engine, causing individuals to automatically feel unsafe.Trauma Responses: Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn ![]() In humans, freeze reactions may include psychological dissociation. If it is not possible to escape or fight, the limbic system then engages the parasympathetic nervous system to initiate a freeze or collapse response in the body, resulting in immobilization, restricted breathing, and decreased metabolism. This means that the mid-brain goes on high alert and signals the sympathetic nervous system to release chemicals to prepare the body for fight or flight. One widely accepted concept is that the thinking brain (neo-cortex) is often automatically dominated by the mid-brain (in particular, the amygdala) during moments of fear. Trauma specialists define these reactions as neurobiological responses to threat. Responses to danger are physiological reactions traditionally known as fight, flight and freeze (sometimes called collapse) (Cannon, 1932). Source: © 2020 Courtesy of Cathy Malchiodi, PhD
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