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Addressing Learned Fight Flight Freeze Fawn Responses

Why This Is Important for Your Health

Stress responses like fight, flight, freeze, and fawn are evolutionary mechanisms designed to protect us from danger. However, if these responses are triggered too often or inappropriately, they can contribute to anxiety, chronic stress, and other health issues. According to various studies, a significant portion of adults will experience some form of trauma or high stress at least once in their lives. Learning to understand and update these automatic responses can lead to improved mental and physical well-being, as well as healthier relationships.

Many people—whether dealing with past trauma, ongoing anxiety, or everyday stress—can benefit from working on these responses.

  • Reduced stress-related health problems (e.g., high blood pressure, poor sleep).
  • Greater emotional regulation and clearer thinking under pressure.
  • Healthier coping strategies and interpersonal interactions.

How We Process Sensory Information

When our senses pick up potential threats, the body decides how to respond. Below is a Mermaid flowchart illustrating the pathway from sensory input to the resulting stress response:

flowchart TB
    A["All Senses (Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, Touch)"] --> B["Thalamus"]
    B --> C["Amygdala (Initial Threat Assessment)"]

    C -->|OK/No Threat| D["Prefrontal Cortex (Rational Thought)"]
    C -->|Threat Detected| E["Hypothalamus + Sympathetic Activation\n(Hyperarousal)"]
    C -->|Overwhelming Threat| F["Primitive Response (Freeze/Fawn)\n(Hypoarousal)"]

    D --> G["Normal Metabolic State (Homeostasis)"]

    E --> H["Adrenal Glands (Adrenaline/Cortisol)"]
    H --> I["Increased HR, BP & Metabolism (Fight/Flight)"]

    F --> J["Reduced Rational Processing,\nAutomatic Survival Response"]

Quick Explanation

  1. Senses → Thalamus → Amygdala
  2. Thalamus relays incoming data.
  3. Amygdala evaluates signals for threat vs. safety.
  4. Threat or No Threat
  5. OK/No Threat: Prefrontal Cortex remains engaged, allowing rational decisions.
  6. Threat Detected: Hypothalamus and the Sympathetic Nervous System prepare for fight/flight.
  7. Overwhelming Threat: Body may default to freeze/fawn.
  8. Rational vs. Survival Response
  9. Prefrontal Cortex supports reason in safe contexts.
  10. Sympathetic activation boosts HR, BP, and metabolism (fight/flight).
  11. Freeze/fawn reduces rational thought, driven by survival instincts.

Learned Scripts and Threat Detection

Beyond raw sensory input, our minds use learned scripts (schemas or mental rules) to interpret what we see, hear, or feel. These scripts are influenced by past experiences, emotions, and social conditioning.

  1. Storage and Formation
  2. Amygdala tags emotional intensity.
  3. Hippocampus stores contextual details and episodic memory.
  4. Prefrontal Cortex encodes more complex or abstract rules.
  5. Why Scripts Matter
  6. Hypervigilance: Individuals with traumatic histories may over-detect threats.
  7. Resilience: Positive or healing experiences can shift scripts toward safety and confidence.
  8. Automation: Scripts often run faster than conscious thought, guiding immediate responses.

Updating or Fixing Personal Scripts

We can change these learned patterns through the brain’s natural ability for neuroplasticity—the ongoing process of forming new neural connections.

  1. Identifying Maladaptive Scripts
  2. Notice recurring anxiety or overreactions.
  3. Recognize beliefs like “I’m always unsafe” in everyday situations.
  4. Neuroplasticity in Action
  5. Synaptic Plasticity: Repeatedly practicing new interpretations (e.g., reframing “danger” as “stress signal”) strengthens new pathways.
  6. Experiential Learning: Safe, gradual exposure to triggers can desensitize old threat scripts.
  7. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Helps challenge and replace unhelpful thoughts.
  8. Practical Approaches
  9. Mindfulness & Body-Based Techniques: Calm the nervous system through breathwork, movement, or grounding exercises.
  10. Gradual Exposure: Step-by-step facing previously overwhelming triggers.
  11. Therapeutic Support: Work with a mental health professional to process trauma and build healthier responses.

In Short

  • Fight/Flight/Freeze/Fawn responses are essential survival mechanisms but can become maladaptive.
  • Learned scripts from past experiences shape how quickly we interpret something as threatening.
  • Neuroplasticity allows us to rewire these responses, leading to improved mental and physical health.

Additional Resources

  • van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score. Penguin Books. Link
  • Herman, J. L. (2015). Trauma and Recovery. BasicBooks. Link
  • Perry, B. D., & Szalavitz, M. (2017). The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog. BasicBooks. Link
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