The 4 Trauma Responses

The four trauma responses also known as the “4 F’s” are instinctual reactions that individuals may exhibit when facing overwhelming and threatening situations. Trauma can activate the body’s stress response system, triggering these survival mechanisms.

~ Fight: the fight response involves a readiness to confront and combat the threat. This can manifest as aggression, hands in fists, defensive, bullying, yelling or screaming, feeling easily agitated, feelings of anger or rage, flexed/tight jaw, grinding teeth, increased heart rate, or rush of adrenaline.

~ Flight: the flight response is related to a strong impulse to escape or avoid the threat. This can involve physically fleeing from the danger, or in non-physical threats, avoiding situations or people associated with the perceived threat. The flight response is also linked to the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, preparing the body for rapid movement. Flight responses can also look like: anxious racing thoughts, chronic sorry, wanting to flee or avoid situations, constant feelings of fear, needing to stay busy all the time, difficulty sitting still, or perfectionism.

~Freeze: the freeze response involves a state of immobility or stillness in response to a real or perceived threat. This can include a temporary paralysis or a sense of being “stuck” in the face of danger. The freeze response is thought to be associated with the dorsal vagal complex, a branch of the parasympathetic nervous system that promotes immobilization as a survival strategy. Freeze can look like: dissociation (spaced out, leaving the body, or physically present but mentally not), shutting down, exhaustion, sleeping more, isolating, numbing out, difficulty making decisions, or feeling stuck.

~Fawn: the fawn response is a tendency to seek appeasement or please others as a way to mitigate the threat. This response involves a strong desire to cooperate, submit, or comply with others in order to gain protection or avoid harm. The fawn response is often associated with social or relational threats and may be connected to aspects of the ventral vagal complex, another branch of the parasympathetic nervous system involved in social engagement.