The Stress Responses Part 2: Freeze-Fawn

Welcome to Part 2 of our mini-series on the stress responses. Last week we discussed fight and flight - the primary stress responses that exist to keep us safe/help us survive. This week we're shining the light on freeze and fawn - the underdiscussed other sides of the stress response.Freezing and fawning are more often seen in people who have experienced stressors or traumas that they couldn't fight or flee their way out of. This may be due to experiencing persistent stressors/traumas like abuse and addiction.Typically, the freeze response is associated with dissociation, in which the body runs on autopilot while the mind focuses elsewhere, sometimes with a sense of leaving the body entirely. Just like fight and flight, the freeze response can become an automatic response to any stressor, even those that are not actually dangerous. It takes great patience and persistence to develop the ability to be integrated and embodied - the opposites of being dissociated/frozen. Finally, the fawn response is another interpersonal dynamic in which the person experiencing the stressor or the trauma tries to please or pacify the person causing the stress/trauma as a means of lessening the level of stress or to get it to stop altogether. This can develop into a pattern of people-pleasing in other relationships.Karen shares openly and widely about her personal lived experiences with these stress responses. We hope that through this sharing, others who experience freezing and fawning know they are seen, heard, and not alone.Is there something you're struggling with? Or something you'd like to hear us discuss?Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at [email protected] check out our other episodes and tell a friend!Remember -  The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness…Like, Follow, Share 🧩Get a copy of Tim's book, Never Underestimate the Power of You by clicking the link below:Send us Fan Mailhttps://a.co/d/h7AQf91