4 trauma responses aka the 4 Fs

The 4 Fs: Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn.
In the 1920s, a physiologist named Walter Cannon described what he called the acute stress response. It was called fight or flight for many years. However, it has continued to be built upon & refined and now we are aware that there are more reactions to threatening situations expanding the original 2 instinctive responses to fight, flight, freeze, and fawn.
•
I’ll be going more in depth over the next few days, but here’s a quick synopsis:
FIGHT is to confront the threat aggressively.
FLIGHT means you run from the danger.
FREEZE you’re unable to move or act against the threat, like a deer in headlights.
FAWN is complying with the attacker to save yourself.
•
Both physiological and psychological stress shift our bodies and minds into survival mode. These responses have served an essential purpose for ALL creatures throughout history. They give us a chance to overcome danger or escape it so we can stay alive. We are still very primal creatures.
•
I want to leave you with this. Please know & believe that if you’re reading this right now, your instinctive response very well saved your life! Your response can also have been based on your age. Most children freeze or fawn. Don’t judge yourself, don’t let others judge you or make you feel bad about how you responded. I lived with guilt and shame for so many years because my response was to freeze. Only hearing about fight and flight growing up, I beat myself up for a long time that I didn’t “do” anything to stop what happened to me. I was only 7 when my sexual abuse began and I did do something, I survived. Always remember, I believe you & you are loved.