Trauma, Mental Health
Trauma Response and Complex PTSD: Fight, Flight, Freeze, Appease
What these really look like, and how to get help when you’re overwhelmed.
You’ve probably heard of the three classic trauma/fear responses: fight, flight, and freeze. Another response has been delineated recently: appease. We’ll look at that one in a minute.
These responses are triggered by a cascade of hormones in our brains when we are put in potentially dangerous situations. This flash of hormones evolved from our earliest exposure as a species to predatory threats and enabled us to act immediately to save ourselves from harm.
Problems arise when the everyday stresses of modern life trigger those same hormonal cascades that are meant to prepare our bodies for life-and-death confrontations.
In her article Everything I Know About Fight or Flight, Aurora Eliam gives a succinct description of how these hormonal cascades work. As individuals, the emotions that accompany the confusion and helplessness we feel when we experience fear or trauma will vary. That said, the response to the particular emotion tends to be similar:
- If you feel anger or frustration when afraid, your likely response will be fight
