Self-care and the Freeze/Fawn Response
If We Don’t Care for Ourselves, Who Will
Most people who have been through complex trauma know what it is like to experience the freeze/fawn response, even if they do not know it. We downplay our needs to complete the needs of others and find we cannot suppress our pain. Both freeze and fawn are trauma responses.
In this article, we will explore together how to care for yourself when you experience the freeze/fawn responses.
A Review: What is the Freeze/Fawn Response
Have you ever wondered why you respond to the needs of others the way you do? Perhaps you do more for other people than you do for yourself. The freeze/fawn response causes this behavior.
First, let’s look at the freeze response. The freeze response occurs when you find you are in a position where you cannot fight or flee. Also known as the camouflage response, the freeze response keeps one from responding to a threat normally. With freeze, you cannot react and feel frozen in fear, like you cannot move or are numb.
When an intimate partner wishes to gain power over you and control you and the relationship, they may use abuse tactics such as emotional, psychological, or physical abuse. The fear reaction that results is the freeze response, where you shut down to…
