![]() And this is where problems can arise in our day to day functioning.Įach of us will usually default to one or two of the trauma responses. In humans, brain chemicals and hormones can become ‘stuck’ leaving the survivor in a permanent ‘reactive’ state. The difference between us and other animals, is that when the danger has subsided, other mammals can ‘shake’ their trauma response off. But the same trauma responses have stayed with us, to ensure our survival. In modern day society, however, it is unlikely that we will be faced with fleeing a wooly mammoth. The brain’s last bid attempt at survival. The main can quickly assess whether it is best to fight back (if we have a ‘fighting’ chance) to run (when we haven’t a fighting chance) to literally freeze and ‘play dead’ (many predators only kill have they have hunted their prey), to friend (find help in a ‘friend’ or ‘safe’ person), or to flop (when all other trauma responses haven’t worked, the brain and body can literally shut down, and go into a floppy state, complying with a predator, to try to stay alive. The trauma response depends on the situation. When confronted with a threat, an animal’s brain automatically switches to ‘survival’ mode. They act as if they unconsciously believe that the price of admission to any relationship is the forfeiture of all their needs, rights, preferences and boundaries.In the ancient past, it was useful for our ancestors to respond quickly to danger, or predators and escape with a quick action (a trauma response).įight, Flight, Freeze, Friend (Fawn), Flop O n his website he wrote:įawn types seek safety by merging with the wishes, needs and demands of others. What Is the Fawn Response?įawning is perhaps best understood as “people-pleasing.” According to Walker, who coined the term “fawn” as it relates to trauma, people with the fawn response are so accommodating of others’ needs that they often find themselves in codependent relationships. “Freeze looks like spacing out or feeling unreal, isolating from the outside world, being a couch potato … difficulty making and acting on decisions,” Walden said. The freeze response may also refer to feeling physically or mentally “frozen” as a result of trauma, which people may experience as dissociation. Survivors who tend toward the freeze response are often mistrustful of others and generally find comfort in solitude. “Fight looks like self-preservation at all costs,” Walden told The Mighty, adding that this trauma response can manifest in explosive outbursts of temper, aggressive behavior, demanding perfection from others or being “unfair” in interpersonal confrontations. Survivors who tend toward the fight response innately believe power will guarantee the security and control they lacked in childhood. If you find yourself “stuck” in one of the stress responses, and it’s affecting your quality of life, we encourage you to seek the help of a trauma-informed specialist. With the help of trauma-informed treatment specialist, Patrick Walden, LICSW, we’ve defined each below.Īs a note, most trauma survivors tend to lean toward one stress response. It’s important to remember no one response is “better” or “worse” than the others. Before we get too deep into the fawn trauma response, let’s make sure we have a good grasp on the other three commonly-recognized trauma responses: fight, flight and freeze.
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