What is trauma response?

Our brains are designed to protect us. That’s especially true during stressful or frightening life events—including traumatic experiences. 

A trauma response is your mind’s immediate emotional response to a traumatic event. There are both immediate and long-term trauma responses. Some of the immediate characteristics might be shock or confusion. Long-term responses can include flashbacks or physical issues like headaches and muscle pain. 

However, the mental health community has identified four types of trauma responses: Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn.

Let’s take a closer look at these common responses, what they look like, and what they mean for you as you work to overcome your trauma. 

The Fight Trauma Response

The fight trauma response focuses on self-preservation and defending yourself at all costs. It can be great if someone is trying to attack you physically or verbally. For example, if someone insults you, a fighting response might be, “I won’t allow you to speak to me that way.”

In those cases, the fight response is healthy and appropriate. However, when you’ve experienced trauma, the fight response can lead to controlling behaviors, bullying, and even feelings of entitlement. These are still defense mechanisms. You might feel like you always have to be on high alert and ready to “fight.” You might even become angry with yourself and bring the fight inward, which can create even more emotional turmoil.

The Flight Response

Most people assume the flight response means running away from a dangerous situation. In some cases, that’s true. If you risk getting harmed, quickly leaving the situation is paramount.

As a trauma response, however, an unhealthy flight response can cause panic, fear, and an underlying need to stay busy all the time. You might become a perfectionist and feel like you can never sit still. This is in an effort to “outrun” your trauma and fear, but it can also cause you to feel anxious, and you’re likely to burn out quickly.

The Freeze Response

You’ve probably heard the term “playing possum” before. It’s used to describe the way a possum (and other animals) react when they’re in a dangerous situation—they freeze. 

As humans, we use the freeze response, too. Instead of running away or fighting back, sometimes the best way to react to a threatening situation is to be still and fully present and aware in the moment.

When it comes to “freeze” as a trauma response, however, it can cause problems like dissociation, isolation, and brain fog. You might have a hard time making decisions, and you might zone out frequently, which can impact your personal and professional lives. While freezing might allow you to disconnect from the trauma, it’s not an effective long-term solution. 

The Fawn Response

The fawn response is probably the least well-known of the various trauma responses. It’s related to people-pleasing. The idea is that you can neutralize the danger by going over the top to appease someone.

When you have a fawn trauma response, you’re more likely to empathize deeply with others. You can be a source of comfort and provide a personal “safe haven” for people who are struggling. You can even use the fawn response as a way to maintain your own emotional safety. However, it’s usually not sustainable. 

Do any of these responses sound familiar? If you’ve been through a traumatic experience, your mind and body want to keep you safe and protected. While these responses can work in some situations, they can also lead to negative long-term issues. 

The best thing you can do to overcome your trauma is to talk to a professional. A therapist can help you get to the core of your traumatic experience(s) and teach you the necessary skills to process what you went through while learning to move forward and take control. If you’re interested in talking through your past traumas with a therapist, do not hesitate to reach out to schedule a consult.