The body and mind instinctively react to shield us from harsh or life-threatening situations, which is called a trauma response. It is an automatic, powerful survival strategy that may continue to remain long after a threat dissipates. Although trauma responses are instinctual, there is a risk of them becoming disruptive to life, relationships, and emotional well-being if unattended to.
Recognizing the trauma responses in yourself or in someone you care about is the foundation of healing. This article aims to explain the common types of trauma responses, their origins, their impacts on us, and the most effective steps we can use to self-regulate and recover.
Contents
- 1 What Is a Trauma Response?
- 2 Four Main Trauma Responses
- 3 What Causes a Trauma Response?
- 4 How Trauma Responses Affect Daily Life
- 5 Trauma Responses in Children vs. Adults
- 6 How Many Different Trauma Responses Can You Have?
- 7 Overcoming Responses to Trauma
- 8 Tips for Managing Trauma Responses in Relationships
- 9 Final Thoughts
What Is a Trauma Response?
The perception of a potential danger triggers a trauma response, and the body reacts. Such actions are not voluntary decisions since they are encoded into our nervous system. The moment the brain detects real or imaginary danger, it triggers the autonomic nervous system, which sets off a protective physiological response cascade.
Though these responses are protective in the short term, the predicament sets in when trauma is longstanding or unresolved. A perpetual protective response can paradoxically lead to anxiety, emotional numbness, or reckless behavior.
Four Main Trauma Responses
You might have heard of “fight or flight”, but actually, there are four main trauma responses. Each Response fulfills a different survival function, and people may lean towards one or another based on their personality, childhood, or the type of trauma they went through.
1. Fight Response
This Response centers around self-preservation through battling. It can be shown as:
- Explosive anger or irritability
- Manipulative, domineering tendencies
- Provoked defensiveness or hostility
- An unremitting urge to feel fully in command
People displaying a dominant fight response tend to act aggressively, but in reality, they fear being vulnerable or powerless.
2. Flight Response
Perceived danger activates the fight-or-flight response, which is focused on escaping. Examples include:
- Restlessness or hyperactivity
- Overworking or perfectionism
- Constantly being busy as a form of distraction
- Avoiding emotional and conflict-laden discussions
Flight does not physically require you to run away; you can check out mentally, or keep yourself in motion as a way to avoid being still.
3. Freeze Response
This is an automatic mental and physical reaction to an extreme threat or stimulus. Symptoms include:
- Numbness or disconnection
- Inability to speak or physically respond
- Loss of interest in social contact or withdrawing
- Stagnation, fogginess, or dissociation
Individuals who tend to default to freeze often struggle with motivation or feel as if they’re “watching life” from the outside.
4. Fawn Response
Fawn is the least discussed and equally unjustifiably overlooked form of trauma response. It centers on conflict avoidance by attempting to please others. It can be recognized through:
- People-pleasing behavior
- Over-apologizing or avoidance of confrontation
- Putting aside personal needs or desires to maintain harmony
- Merging self-identities with other people for a sense of security
Fawn responses are common for emotionally abused individuals who learned to comply for safety during inconsistent caregiving.
What Causes a Trauma Response?
The experience that is too much for your nervous system to handle will always trigger a trauma response. Thus, distressing memories that linger are not necessarily violent or dramatic, but enough to fundamentally impact your mind and body.
Let’s look at some of the common causes further below.
- Childhood emotional neglect or abuse
- Witnessing domestic violence
- Sudden loss or abandonment
- Physical or sexual assault
- Bullying or prolonged stress
- Accidents, surgeries, or natural disasters
We should note that trauma is highly subjective. Everyone experiences trauma differently.
How Trauma Responses Affect Daily Life
Triggers don’t have to be obvious; the impacts of trauma can seep into behaviors, habits, and even relationships without one’s awareness.
For example:
- The fight response can manifest in difficulty with anger management and relationship conflicts.
- The flight response can manifest as overworked, anxious individuals who risk burnout.
- The freeze response leads to procrastination and chronic inactivity, and in some cases, dissociation.
- The fawn response leads individuals to become overly codependent so that they lose their sense of identity and feel deep resentment.
These patterns can repeat for years without awareness, which in turn, gradually erode one’s emotional well-being and overall life satisfaction.
Trauma Responses in Children vs. Adults
Both adults and children will respond to trauma, but the ways in which they respond will be different and more distinct for the age group.
In Children:
- Fighting: Outbursts of aggression and other forms of violence.
- Flight: Overactive excitability or excessive anxiousness.
- Freeze: Silent withdrawal or zoning out.
- Fawn: Over-adaptation to comply with adults.
Children’s symptoms are often misinterpreted and labeled as behavioral issues due to the lack of vocabulary children have to describe trauma.
In Adults:
- Lifelong unhealthy relationships.
- Emotional avoidance/Withdrawal from life:
- Stress-related, ongoing chronic illnesses.
- Something emotionally distressing can result in numbness or emotional outbursts.
The unwitnessed damage done by unprocessed trauma leads to changing emotional responses and rationalizing those emotions.
How Many Different Trauma Responses Can You Have?
Most individuals blend several trauma responses. For instance, under job-related pressure, one may switch to work freeze mode, but flourish in romantic relationships. These approaches vary from person to person and are shaped by one’s past.
The right guidance and strategies help you identify the situation where a trauma response is triggered, enabling you to respond differently.
Overcoming Responses to Trauma
Your nervous system can be retrained, and new empowering responses can be built to replace old disempowering ones. The positive news here is that trauma responses can be undone, but consistent work and the right professional guidance are needed.
1. Therapy
Some trauma-informed therapies, like EMDR, somatic experiencing, and internal family systems, focus on helping individuals gently process and release trauma stored in the body and mind.
2. Mindfulness and Grounding
Techniques like meditation, deep breathing, and sensing awareness can bring an individual back to the present moment, where safety and control can be regained and reestablished.
3. Body Movement
Gentle forms of exercise, including yoga and walking, along with body movement, can help calm the nervous system and alleviate stress built up due to traumatic memories.
4. Journaling and Self-Reflection
Writing about triggered situations can increase self-awareness, and responding to those emotions can lead to introspection. You may identify emotions you experienced and how you wish to respond in the future.
5. Support Networks
Certain groups, such as trusted friends, family members, and therapists, can help provide validation. Healing happens much quicker when done with the support of others.
Tips for Managing Trauma Responses in Relationships
Navigating relationships with someone who has trauma responses can feel complicated, almost like a dance with many hidden traps. Here’s how to foster healthier relationships:
- Explore each other’s triggers with understanding, not blame.
- Use “I” statements to describe feelings to maintain calm.
- Allow space when necessary—not as a form of punishment, but as a reset for all parties involved.
- Acknowledge each other’s realities without offering solutions.
- Support shared development for both individuals instead of constructive criticism.
Empathy paired with sincere dialogue fosters a trauma-informed relationship.
Final Thoughts
Recognizing your distinctive trauma response allows you better to manage your thoughts, emotions, and actions. It’s not about self-condemnation; rather, it’s understanding the coping mechanisms you’ve cultivated and learning how to respond in ways that are more beneficial for your present circumstances.
Not addressing the responses to trauma may hinder your potential to flourish. But knowing the right information and having the right support all make healing attainable.
If you or your loved ones are having a hard time trying to figure out trauma responses, have peace of mind knowing that there is help available. At the Mental Health Center of San Diego, our kind and skilled staff focuses on trauma-informed care that promotes sustainable healing, emotional stabilization, and personal self-empowerment to enable lasting change.
