Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn: How We Respond to Stress
Winter has brought frigid temperatures to many parts of the country, even snow to places unaccustomed to it. In colder regions, people hunker down, doing what’s necessary to stay warm. For me, that often means heading to yoga and strategically placing my mat beneath the heating vent. One frosty morning, on my way to class, I passed a familiar sight: a beautiful fountain, frozen solid.
Every winter, this fountain catches my attention. Its frozen state creates intricate, beautiful formations of ice, a stark contrast to its lively flow in the summer, when I hardly notice it. It’s a striking reminder that even in stillness, beauty can be found. As I stopped to snap a photo, I noticed something remarkable: despite the ice, water continued to bubble quietly at the top. Even amidst apparent stillness, subtle movement persists—an apt metaphor for the unconscious patterns that shape our lives.
Understanding the 4 F Responses
When I look at that frozen fountain, it reminds me of how I respond to stress. While I’ve experienced all four “F” responses at different times—Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn—I’ve found that I most often default to Freeze. In moments of stress, I’ve frequently felt stuck, my mind going blank. For instance, when faced with verbal aggression, I’m often so stunned that I can’t respond until later, replaying the scenario and thinking of all the things I wish I had said.
Psychologists explain that we each tend to favor one of these responses, shaped by our unique experiences, culture, and upbringing. While these survival mechanisms are essential in genuine emergencies, they can become problematic when they morph into unconscious, habitual behaviors.
Here’s a quick refresher on the 4 Fs:
Fight: Aggressively confronting the perceived threat.
Flight: Escaping the threat as quickly as possible.
Freeze: Remaining still and quiet until the threat passes.
Fawn: Attempting to appease the source of fear to avoid conflict.
These responses are triggered by the amygdala, the part of the brain that processes fear and signals the hypothalamus to activate the sympathetic nervous system. This survival system serves us well in true emergencies, but when it’s chronically activated by non-threatening situations, it can cause problems like anxiety, depression, and difficulty in relationships.
Breaking Free from Unconscious Patterns
The good news is that we can break free from these automatic responses. Awareness is the first step. Notice your default reaction in stressful situations. Do you lash out, withdraw, freeze, or try to please? Once you recognize the pattern, you can begin to shift it.
One of the most effective ways to move from a stress response to a state of calm is to engage the parasympathetic nervous system—the system responsible for “rest and digest.” Practices like yoga, meditation, breathwork, hypnosis and Yoga Nidra are powerful tools for de-escalating the nervous system and rewiring habitual behaviors.
Yoga Nidra and Hypnotherapy: Tools for Transformation
Yoga Nidra, often called “yogic sleep,” is a deeply restorative practice that allows you to access a meditative state between wakefulness and sleep. In this state, the mind becomes highly receptive to new ideas and patterns. Hypnotherapy works similarly, helping to access the subconscious mind, where these habitual patterns are stored, and replace them with healthier, more adaptive responses.
Both Yoga Nidra and hypnotherapy can help you:
Regulate your nervous system, shifting from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest.
Develop greater self-awareness of your unconscious habits.
Rewire your brain to respond more mindfully to stress.
The RAIN Method
A helpful technique for processing stress responses is RAIN:
Recognize what you’re feeling.
Accept the experience without judgment.
Investigate the root cause of the response.
Navigate a healthier path forward.
By slowing down and observing your responses, you can gradually replace old patterns with new, more constructive ones. Remember, our brains crave familiarity. While change may feel uncomfortable at first, it’s a necessary step toward greater freedom and fulfillment.
Take the First Step
Imagine melting the frozen patterns of your mind, like the thawing fountain. With the gentle warmth of awareness and practice, your natural flow can return, bringing clarity, peace, and resilience. If you’re ready to move beyond fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, consider exploring Yoga Nidra or hypnotherapy as a pathway to transformation.
Let’s work together to help you break free from old habits and uncover the vibrant flow that lies beneath. Reach out today to learn more or schedule a session.
