What Is Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn?

What Is Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn?

The fight or flight response was coined by Walter Canon in the 1920’s based on animal studies exploring the stress response. The fight, flight, freeze, and recently included, fawn, are activated by experiencing situations that elicit stress. When a person experiences stress, the autonomic system makes a split decision to engage in either fight, flight, freeze or fawn. A person’s access to resources and support after experiencing a threat can impact whether it gets stored in the mind as traumatic or not.

Fight

When our fight response is activated we respond to a threat aggressively. The fight response is often engaged as our last resort or when our autonomic response system believes we are capable of overpowering our adversary.

Signs and symptoms of a fight response include:

• Urge to punch something
• More hostile
• Tension in jaw or grinding teeth
• Desire to stomp or kick
• Attacking the threat
• Feeling hot or a burning sensation
• Crying

Flight

The flight response is activated when the brain thinks the threat can be avoided by running away. If a soccer ball is kicked at you, your instinct is to duck or move out of the way. If you smell smoke or your house is on fire, your instinct might be to get out and avoid it.

Signs and symptoms of a flight response include:

• Dilated eyes
• Darting eyes
• Fidgeting
• Restlessness
• Numbness in hands or feet
• Increased heart rate

Freeze

The freeze response, also known as tonic immobility, is when we become rigid, alert and on guard during situations where we might feel there is no escape or when attempting to escape might lead to increased damage. During this response, we involuntarily become imobile and feel like we are frozen. When we become frozen, our mind and body are working to conserve resources until we see a possible moment of escape. Research shows that individuals with higher levels of anxiety-related traits are more likely to experience immobility when perceiving a threat.¹

Signs and symptoms of a freeze response include:¹

• Feeling stiff or heavy
• Imobility
• Heart rate fluctuations
• Tunnel vision
• Dissociation
• Alert/hypervigilant

Fawn

The fawn response, also known as appeasement, is when a person responds to a threat by attempting to pacify it. This often occurs in situations when a person gives into the emotions or wants of the aggressor, despite their emotions and thoughts toward them. This response is common in someone that experienced abuse within a relationship where there is a power imbalance. This is common between a child and their caregiver, a female and their partner, or in sexual assault or coercive situations.⁵

Signs and symptoms of a fawn response include:⁵

• Being overly helpful
• Being agreeable
• Submissive
• Smiling/laughing
• Flattery
• Seeking approval
• Dissociation

Acute Stress Response

The acute stress response is another term for the sympathetic nervous system and how it impacts the body due to a perceived threat. It interacts with hormones and the organs to  prepare the body to defend itself. The acute stress response occurs when we experience short-term stressors throughout our day. For example, giving a presentation, arguing with your spouse, or when an unfamiliar dog races towards you.

Signs and symptoms of an acute stress response include:

• Circulation: Vasoconstriction occurs when the Acute Stress response is activated which is when blood vessels are constricted in certain areas in order to decrease blood flow to the digestive system and increase blood flow to skeletal muscles and other organs.² This impacts and alters blood circulation throughout the body.
• Eyes: We can experience tunnel-vision or blurred vision due to the release of stress hormones. During this time the pupils become dilated to allow in more light.⁶
• Ears: While experiencing a threat our hearing can become heightened, especially if our eye sight is impaired. Long term stress has been linked to hearing loss and tinnitus.⁷
• Heart: When activated, the heart rate fluctuates and can cause palpitations.
• Liver: The liver works to produce glucose to provide more energy.⁹ The liver is also responsible for managing levels of adrenaline in the body and if it is unable to keep up due to the individual experiencing prolonged and frequent life stressors it can impact the person’s ability to regulate emotions.⁷
• Lungs: The body works to open up the airways to receive more oxygen causing rapid breathing.⁹
• Mind: When our warning system, the amygdala, senses a potential threat, it activates the sympathetic nervous system which then shuts down the frontal lobe where cognitive functioning happens. The idea is that rational thought isn’t quick enough to make potentially life saving decisions, especially when a threat is not anticipated.
• Muscles: Blood flow is either increased or decreased to the skeletal muscles in order to cause immobility or prepare for running away or fighting back.
• Pain: Due to the increase in adrenaline and other chemicals that are released, the body is less likely to feel pain until after the trauma is over.
• Skin:Skin turns pale in response to stress as blood is redirected to other organs to prepare for fight, flight or freeze.⁹

Why Is the Fight Flight Freeze Fawn Response Important?

Imagine you are in the woods and you hear an unfamiliar rustling sound. The warning system in your brain becomes activated and you freeze, becoming alert and imobile to avoid any movement that might notify whatever is causing the rustling of your presence or cause it to attack. And then imagine you see a snake coming quickly your way and before you know it, your body has already made the decision to flee because it did all the calculations and decided that would be the safest form of defense.

And then imagine the snake has you backed up against a tree and your last resort is to find a stick and fight back. Our fight, flight, freeze, fawn response is crucial to our survival in that it automatically responds to potential threats before we are even cognitively aware that we are being threatened. Our acute stress response is constantly analyzing our environment to ensure our survival.

As we receive small doses of stress throughout our childhood, paired with appropriate support and guidance, we learn how to handle difficult situations and how to respond to them. This is a healthy cycle that prepares us for the roller coaster of life.

How Can the Fight Flight Freeze Fawn Response Be Harmful?

Even though our fight, flight, freeze, fawn response is part of how we survive and protect ourselves, it can also be very harmful. When a person goes through childhood trauma or is in an abusive relationship, their defenses can become overactive and cause them to be constantly alert and on edge. This makes sense when they are in an environment where there is an imminent threat and need to be prepared to protect themselves. Unfortunately, when our stress response is dysregulated and we aren’t provided support or taught ways to regulate it, it can turn into toxic stress, a constant cycle of “wear and tear.”⁴

When we are constantly exposed to high levels of stress, our nervous system adapts to this. Constant high stress levels cause us to carry this hypervigilance into adulthood where even when we are feeling safe and secure in our environment and/or relationships, it can feel like we are still always waiting for the other shoe to drop or for there to be a threat lurking around every corner. Having this form of acute stress can lead to anxiety disorders, phobias and panic disorder. Studies show that the freeze response, or tonic immobility, that is often experienced during sexual abuse, is predictive of adult depressive and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms.³ Toxic stress can also contribute to medical issues like heart disease, autoimmune disease, and liver cancer.⁴

How to Calm Down After the Fight Flight Freeze Fawn Response

The fight, flight, freeze, fawn response is essential to our survival and when we learn to regulate it in order to prevent it from becoming overactive, we ensure that our defense mechanisms don’t become or continue to be detrimental to our mental and physical health.

Here are 10 ways to calm the body after the fight flight freeze fawn response:

1. Grounding techniques: grounding techniques are when we bring our attention to our five senses and notice our immediate surroundings. Being mindful of what we smell, what we hear, and the colors we can see. They help us by getting us out of our mammalian brain (where our automatic responses are) and into our cognitive functioning that allows us to be present. Some examples are the 333 rule and the 54321 method.
2. Journaling: Journaling for mental health allows us to get things out of our mind and can offer a different perspective.
3. Holding a frozen orange or ice pack: The cold sensation can snap us out of being stuck in our defense mechanisms and bring us back into the moment. This one can be helpful when we are feeling dissociative or slipping into our freeze response.
4. Splashing water on your face: Cold water cools us down, promotes regulation, and allows us to bring our attention back to the here and now. It can be particularly helpful for the fight response when we are feeling angry.
5. Seeking connection: Reaching out to people we trust and care about promotes oxytocin which is our love hormone and an antidote to the stress hormone, cortisol. When we are with people we trust, it allows our nervous system to feel safe.
6. Sipping on water: When our autonomic stress responses are activated, our digestive system is shut down to conserve energy for when we need to run or fight. Sipping on water, chewing gum, or biting into something sour, can activate our salivary glands and our digestive system, letting our body know that it is safe to rest.
7. Butterfly tapping: Cross your arms, interlocking your thumbs with your fingers fanned out facing towards your chin and then begin alternating tapping back and forth on your chest. The butterfly tapping technique promotes grounding and relaxation.
8. Yoga: Yoga promotes relaxation, connection, and grounding. Practicing yoga encourages staying present in the moment while also listening to and being aware of your body.
9. Progressive muscle relaxation: The progressive muscle relaxation technique that encourages tensing and relaxing each muscle in your body individually to release tension, teaches your body how to relax each muscle, and also promotes grounding.
10. Square Breathing or deep breathing: When we engage in deep mindful breathing and intentionally extend our exhale, we are tapping into our parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for down regulating our body.

When to Seek Professional Support

If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms recurring, have experienced trauma, or have already been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, reaching out to a trained clinician can help you manage and even alleviate symptoms.

Consider seeking support if you are noticing an overactive stress response and are worried that it is impacting your ability to function in your day to day life. Look into an online therapist directory to find a clinician that specializes in trauma and any other occurring mental health condition, such as anxiety disorders, depression, or phobias, amongst others. Online support can offer a convenient and more accessible form of relief. There are even  online psychiatrist options.

In My Experience

In my experience, the fight, flight, freeze, fawn response is necessary in protecting us from danger and a normal part of our physiology. However, almost all of us have some form of trauma that is weighing on us. These traumas can impact and lay the foundation for how our acute stress response reacts to our environments and relationships into adulthood. Fortunately, our brains and bodies are resilient and, thanks to neuroplasticity, we are able to unpack our traumas and lay a new foundation that can support a more authentic, fulfilling life.