Beyond Fight or Flight
Understanding the Freeze Response
The freeze response is complex and can linger in unexpected ways. People can unknowingly be in a chronic frozen state and can even be misdiagnosed as having depression. Freezing happens when a person or animal becomes unable to fight or flee and resorts to a numbness. The body accepts that it cannot fight back and releases as much natural 'anethesia' as it can to prepare for death. Freezing has also been observed in a more chronic form in people who have childhood trauma or are currently trapped in a traumatic pattern in their life. These patterns are extremely hard to break because once the pleasant numbness wears off, a person much undergo the full spectrum of their emotions. What's important is identifying when and if freezing is happening and consuting with a therapist with experience treating trauma.