The Freeze or Fawn Responses

When you feel there is no escape

Photo by Ümit Bulut on Unsplash

Often, people who live with complex post-traumatic stress disorder experience emotional pain caused by traumatic events.

By now, most of you have heard of the four trauma responses: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. These four essential reactions are caused when you feel stressed, traumatized, or in danger.

This article will focus on the freeze or fawn responses related to codependency and ways to counteract them.

What are the Freeze and Fawn Responses

Freeze is your body’s biological reaction to a situation that you cannot escape, which causes you to shut down and literally freeze. The freeze response causes symptoms like the following:

· Your heart rate decreases.

· You dissociate to detach from what is happening.

· You may feel numb.

· You are immobilized where you feel you cannot move your legs or arms.

· You may find you are holding your breath.

· You feel confused.

· You have problems speaking.

· You are not able to act or decide.