Types of Trauma Responses

Everyone is likely to experience trauma at some point in their lives. In many ways, it contributes to the development of who we are and how we behave. Trauma affects us deeply, and it can shape our personalities and decision making whether we are aware of it or not. Trauma can unfortunately become a heavy burden that people must carry throughout their lives if it is ignored and left untreated. 

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Although we are all likely to experience trauma, there are a number of different ways that we respond to it. Let’s take a deeper look at what trauma is and the different ways that people respond to it. 

Understanding Trauma

Trauma presents itself uniquely in different individuals, and there are many different ways in which it can occur. It forms when someone experiences extremely stressful or threatening events. Trauma can have a lasting impact on someone’s mental health, and it can affect how someone responds to stressful events.

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Some common sources of trauma include: 

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• Abuse
• Neglect
• Terrifying situations
• Living in extremely stressful environments

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Trauma can have a lasting impact on how the victim views themselves too. There are many different emotions that a trauma victim will experience long after the trauma occurred. Trauma can cause a victim to feel:

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• Threatened
• Humiliated
• Invalidated
• Unsafe
• Powerless

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When someone experiences a traumatic event, there's a series of reactions that they will exhibit to respond to the trauma. 

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To learn more about how trauma is formed and its impacts, read our full guide: Trauma: Definition, Effects, & Types

Four Types of Trauma Responses

The four main trauma responses are typically experienced in a consecutive series. These responses are ingrained in us biologically as a means to protect ourselves from a potential threat. If any one of these trauma responses prove to be particularly successful to someone, it can manifest itself in the behaviors they exhibit when they encounter any level of stress. 

Freeze

This is the first trauma response that occurs when you experience a potential threat. This response causes someone to stop or “freeze” against their will to assess the situation. The goal of this stage is to turn your attention to the threat to determine the level of risk. 

Biological Response

During this stage, your pupils will dilate and you will normally turn and face the potential danger. Then, you will briefly feel as if your body is immobilized. The freeze response is typically over very quickly.

Freeze Response in Behavior

This stage can be seen in someone’s go-to reaction to any level of stress. When encountering a stressful situation, it can cause someone to experience brain fog, zoning out, and difficulty taking action. 

Flight

After you have assessed the level of threat, your nervous system will push you towards fleeing the danger. Physically, this phase will allow you to run away from a dangerous situation. Socially, the flight response will help you remove yourself from unhealthy relationships, situations and conversations. 

Biological Response

During this stage, you will have increased blood flow to your heart and limbs. Also, your breathing will get deeper and quicker to get more oxygen into your body. 

Flight Response in Behavior

Someone who uses the flight response as a reaction to stress can appear to be panicky and compulsive. Additionally they may be a perfectionist that needs to stay busy at all times as a way to prevent stressful situations from occurring in the first place.

Fight

If you can’t flee a threatening situation, your body will prepare you to face it head on. The ultimate goal of this trauma response is self-preservation as a last resort. Physically, it can help you find courage and protect yourself. Socially, it will help you set boundaries and be assertive.

Biological Response

During the fight stage, you will feel a burst of energy as a result of increased cortisol and adrenaline. Your inhibitions will be lower to give you the courage to take on the threat.

Fight Response in Behavior

If someone responds to stress with the fight response, they will be controlling and resort to bullying. Feelings of entitlement are also associated with this trauma response.

Fawn

This response occurs when someone attempts to save themselves by appeasing the threat. Fawning can commonly be seen in people that come from abusive relationships. Someone who displays this response is normally very attuned to other’s emotions. 

Fawn Response in Behavior

This response can be seen as excessive people pleasing. Self neglect and low self esteem typically accompany someone who uses fawning as a response to a threatening or toxic person. 

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Although these are the main trauma responses, psychologists have identified additional responses that a person could go through during threatening or dangerous situations.

Additional Trauma Responses

When the four main trauma responses fail to provide relief from the threat, you may experience an additional series of responses to dissociate from the threat . The additional trauma responses include:

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• Fright: During this stage, your two nervous systems fire back and forth and dissociation begins. The symptoms experienced during this stage are panic, dizziness, and tingling
• Flag: Dissociation is strongest during this phase, and you could experience difficulty speaking, numbness, and blurry vision
• Faint or Flop: This is the final trauma response, and the symptoms of this stage are nausea, vomiting, and fainting

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The purpose of these three trauma responses is to separate your consciousness from reality. While the main trauma responses attempt to protect your body, these final three responses protect your consciousness.

The Role of Our Nervous System

Our autonomic nervous system is responsible for the involuntary processes of our body, such as respiration, blood pressure, and heart rate. There are two main components of this system that contribute to our trauma responses:

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• Sympathetic nervous system: This system releases chemicals like cortisol and adrenaline into the body to help combat stress and trauma. It is responsible for the rush of energy that you may feel during stressful situations
• Parasympathetic nervous system: This system returns you back to a relaxed state where regular body functions can occur again. It also contributes towards disassociation

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Repeated trauma can disrupt the regulations of these two systems in our body and lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This can cause someone to be conditioned to respond to stressful events through the fight or flight method or through dissociation. The fight or flight response to stress causes anxiety and sensitivity, while dissociation leads to lethargy and numbness.

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For a better understanding of how we involuntarily react to stress and trauma, consider reading our other article on  The Polyvagal Theory Ladder.

Relief From Trauma

The lasting effects of trauma can feel like a heavy burden that influences how we think and behave. Fortunately, professionally-trained therapists can help us understand how trauma affects us and provide us the invaluable tools needed to free us from trauma.

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If you’re on the fence about whether or not you could benefit from trauma therapy, check out our other guide Do I Need Trauma Therapy? to see if it could be beneficial for you.

If you’re seeking relief from trauma, schedule a visit with one of our therapists that specializes in understanding and relieving trauma.