What Is a Trauma Response?

We’ve all had moments where our reactions seem disproportionate to what’s happening. Maybe someone raises their voice, and your heart starts pounding. Or you freeze up during a confrontation, even if it’s not particularly intense. These types of reactions may be signs of a trauma response. Understanding trauma responses can help us recognize what’s really happening inside of us and take steps toward healing from trauma.

What Is a Trauma Response?

A trauma response is the way our mind and body react to perceived threats that remind us of a past traumatic event. These reactions are automatic and unconscious; they’re wired into our nervous systems to keep us safe. When someone has a traumatic experience, their nervous system may become hypervigilant, constantly scanning the environment for danger. Even when the threat is no longer present, the body may continue to react as if it is. This is why trauma responses are often out of proportion to the current situation.

Types of Trauma Responses

Fight

This response might look like anger, irritability, or aggression. The person’s body is preparing to defend itself by confronting the threat head-on. It can manifest physically (with violence) or emotionally (with anger or assertiveness).

Flight

Here, the instinct is to escape. Someone in flight mode may feel restless, anxious, or overwhelmed, seeking distractions or physically removing themselves from situations. They might even turn to substances to numb that feeling of needing to escape. Flight responses are typically isolating.

Freeze

In this response, a person may become immobile or dissociate. They may feel stuck, numb, or unable to take action. This is the body’s way of “playing dead” to avoid danger. It’s also a response that may precede others since the mind takes the freeze as an opportunity to evaluate the situation.

Fawn

This lesser-known response involves people-pleasing or appeasing behavior. The person tries to maintain safety by avoiding conflict, agreeing with others, or placing their own needs aside. Those who fawn often over-apologize, over-explain, and over-work themselves. It can also show up in codependent relationships.

None of these responses are “bad” or wrong. In fact, they’re all adaptive survival strategies that helped the person survive a previous traumatic experience. However, over time, these automatic reactions can interfere with relationships and daily functioning. They can also put a wedge between your conscious mind and its ability to understand your emotions.

How Trauma Responses Show Up

Trauma responses can manifest in both subtle and obvious ways. Here are a few examples:

• A person whose parent was an emotionally volatile alcoholic might automatically fawn in relationships. They do everything to appease their partner, even going so far as to neglect their own needs to avoid rejection.

• A veteran who experienced physical violence during their time in the military might go into fight mode when they feel cornered, even if the situation is not actually dangerous. It affects their relationships at work and at home; everyone else feels like they need to walk on eggshells around them.

• A person who went through a car accident might experience a freeze response when they’re back behind the wheel. The fear of another accident paralyzes them, even if they’re driving somewhere just a few blocks away.

Healing from Trauma

If you’re struggling to cope in your daily life after a traumatic experience, you’re not alone. Through therapy, healing is possible. Several therapeutic approaches are research-backed treatments for trauma, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and internal family systems (IFS) therapy. Contact us today to discuss your therapeutic plan. Together, we can safely explore the roots of your responses and develop tools for healing your nervous system.

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