Understanding and Navigating Trauma Responses: Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn
When we experience stress or danger, our bodies instinctively react to protect us, often in ways we once deemed necessary for survival. If we’ve experienced trauma, these responses—known as trauma responses—can shape how we deal with future challenges in life.
Understanding trauma responses allows us to be more curious about who we are, and why we are the way we are. This blog explores the four primary trauma responses—fight, flight, freeze, and fawn—and discusses how you can recognize and challenge these patterns if you feel like they are no longer serving you.
Fight
Having a fight trauma response often stems from experiencing previous moments in which you did not feel like you had control. Because of this, when you perceive something to be threatening, your response may be driven by an internal belief that you need to defend yourself, in order for things to be okay.
Signs of a Fight Response:
Strong bursts of energy
Struggling to move on from conflict
Confrontational tendencies
Aggressive (verbal or physical) behaviors
Having a hard time accepting criticism
If you relate to these patterns and feel like they are no longer serving you, you can challenge them. To do so, focus on trying to create feelings and moments of safety in your everyday routine. This could be by practicing emotional regulation through self-soothing techniques, or grounding practices. Likewise, see if you can create an outlet to let out and express your anger, in a manner that may feel more constructive for you. This could be in the form of physical movement, journalling, or tapping into your creative side.
Flight
Having a flight trauma response may stem from experiencing strong discomfort in situations that feel overwhelming or require you to utilize your emotional battery. You may fear conflict and vulnerability, what it represents, or the potential outcomes of it. Because of this, your instinct may be to try and escape situations or feelings (internally or externally) that take you out of your comfort zone.
Signs of a Flight Response:
Fear of commitment
Patterns of avoidance
Procrastinating
Distracting yourself
Having a difficult time opening up to others
Disassociating
To manage some of these behaviors, it could be helpful to focus on developing coping skills. By doing this, you can go into difficult situations knowing that you have the skills and tools to handle any stressors. Likewise, it could be beneficial to challenge specific perfectionism tendencies. The flight trauma response is often connected to the desire for things to flow seamlessly. By challenging the idea that things have to work out a “perfect way” for you to be okay, you can learn to acknowledge your emotions (as opposed to escaping or numbing them), in ways that align more with your authentic self.
Freeze
Having a freeze trauma response can be characterized by an inability to respond or react when faced with a stressful situation. This may stem from feelings of helplessness, or lack of confidence in your ability to cope. You may feel stuck, and unsure how to move forward, when obstacles arise.
Signs of a freeze response:
Having a hard time making decisions
Not trusting your intuition
Feeling sadness
A sense of powerlessness
Feeling disconnected from yourself and others
To address the freeze response, it’s important to begin by getting to know yourself more deeply. This self-awareness can help you reconnect with your emotions and needs. Reflecting on your fears and identifying what is holding you back allows you to understand the root causes of specific behaviors. By gradually challenging and exposing yourself to these situations that may feel scary for you you can also build confidence and regain a sense of control.
Fawn
A fawn response to trauma comes from the desire to keep peace in situations. This may have been because you took the role of a mediator as a child. Or, you may have felt that pleasing other people allowed you to feel more accepted, or liked. You may fear making other people upset and thus have a hard time prioritizing your own needs.
Signs of a Fawn Response:
Difficulty in setting boundaries
Over-stretching yourself
Constantly putting other people’s needs before your own
Struggling to express your feelings
Seeking validation
Low satisfaction in relationships
With a fawn response, your fear of conflict or rejection may be holding you back from truly looking after yourself. Learning to communicate your feelings and assert your needs can help you build relationships that may feel more meaningful for you. Likewise, learning to set boundaries, and say ‘NO’, could be a step you can take towards healing.
Trauma is a deeply personal experience and everyone’s response to trauma is different, but completely valid. And you may identify with more than one trauma response throughout different periods of your life. Understanding these responses can heighten self-awareness. Therapy can also be a great tool in further unpacking, and challenging unhealthy coping mechanisms.
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