The 4 Trauma Responses and How to Recognize Them in Yourself
Category: Trauma
Understanding the trauma responses known as the 4Fs – fight, flight, freeze, or fawn – can help you be stronger and more present for whatever life throws at you next.
Topic Of Discussion
In life, we all deal with forms of trauma, and these individual traumas – no matter their nature – affect our physical responses to perceived danger or threats. In simpler terms: as humans, we all, at one time or another, have experienced at least one of the 4Fs: fight, flight, freeze, or fawn – and that’s a good thing! These physical responses to stressful situations are meant to keep us safe. Read on to learn more about each of the 4Fs…and hopefully more about yourself!
The 4Fs for Beginners
Fight: Are you the type of person who runs towards a fire instead of away from it? If so, you’ve experienced a fight reaction. You face danger head on…even if it might get you into trouble.
Flight: Are you the person who runs away from the fire? That’s a flight reaction, when you cope with threats by getting far away from them as fast as you can…even if you might not need to.
Freeze: Do you stand still in the face of fire, unable to run? You’re having a freeze reaction. Unfortunately, when you’ve frozen physically, you’ve probably frozen emotionally too, making it extra challenging to process the danger at hand (or past traumas the danger might have triggered.)
Fawn: If you look at the person who started the fire and wait for them to tell you what to do, you’re people-pleasing yourself into a fawn reaction. Your instinct is to avoid a threat by doing whatever will appease the person who likely posed the threat to you in the first place.
Wrapping it up
By being able to recognize trauma responses in ourselves, we’re better equipped to recognize if our responses are proportionate to the threat at hand or if we might be experiencing a trigger (a reaction to a past trauma in the present moment).
If you’re finding that you’re often triggered or even just generally struggling to regulate your everyday responses to stressors and threats, therapy might be a helpful tool. Our therapists at Tri-Star Counseling are ready to listen and start helping you to recognize what’s at the root of your trauma responses so you can be stronger and present for whatever life throws at you next.
Identify Your Trauma Learn Methods to Help Heal Start Your Healing Journey Today!
The UNSTUCK workbook is designed to help you move beyond trauma by answering key questions like, Can you get stuck at the age your trauma happened? Through guided exercises, you’ll explore different types of trauma and break free from patterns holding you back. Take the next step in your healing journey today!
