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The Group Guide
Connecting people to community
Client and Family Education
What to know about

Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn

When your brain senses danger, it picks a move before you can think. Fight: get big and loud. Flight: get out. Freeze: go still and quiet. Fawn: please the threat so it goes away. All four kept our ancestors alive. The trouble starts when the alarm fires at things that are not dangerous, like a text, a tone of voice, or a crowded room. This page names the four moves so you can catch yours.

This page is for

Anyone who reacts to stress faster and bigger than the moment calls for, and feels bad about it after.
People who go quiet, go along, or say yes to everything and wonder why.

Safety first

If you are in danger from someone now, this page comes second. Call 911. In crisis, call or text 988.

What each one looks like

Fight and flight. Heart races, muscles tense, voice sharpens. You argue, slam a door, or leave. Fast and hot.
Freeze. You go blank. Can't speak, can't move, can't decide. People call it "shutting down." The body is playing dead.
Fawn. You smile, agree, apologize, and fix it for the other person. It looks like kindness. It is fear, wearing a nice coat.
What this means for you
1It is a reflex, not a flaw. Nobody chooses to freeze. The brain picked the move that worked once. It can learn new ones.
2The body comes first. You cannot talk yourself out of an alarm. Slow the body (long breath out, feet on the floor) and the thinking comes back.
3Fawn is the one people miss. If you are always the easy one, ask who taught you that being easy was safe.

What the research says, in plain words.

Researchers describe the body's responses to threat as a set sequence: freeze, flight, fight, fright, faint. Which one fires depends on how close and how big the threat feels.1
After trauma, the alarm can stay stuck on. Shutdown and numbing are part of the same system, not a separate problem.2
A review of group treatments for PTSD found they cut symptoms compared with waiting, and worked across many kinds of trauma.3
Making the most of it
Spot your default. Most people have one go-to move. Name it. "I'm a freezer." That alone takes some of its power.
Build a 90-second plan. The alarm chemical peaks and fades in about 90 seconds if you do not feed it. Breathe out slow, count ten things you see.
Tell the people close to you. "When I go quiet, I'm not ignoring you. Give me five minutes." It changes the fight.
Questions to ask a group before you go
1Does the group teach body-based skills, not just talking?
2Do I have to share my story to take part?
3Is the leader trained in trauma?

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In crisis? Call or text 988 (US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 24/7).

The Group Guide is a directory, not a clinic. This handout is general education, not medical or mental health advice. Listings are written by group leaders and are not endorsements. Confirm details, cost, and fit with any group you contact. Sources on page 2.

The Group Guide
Connecting people to community
Client and Family Education

Sources

Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn · references keyed to the numbers on page 1.

1Bracha, H. S. Freeze, flight, fight, fright, faint: adaptationist perspectives on the acute stress response spectrum. CNS Spectrums (2004), 9(9), 679–685.

2Schauer, M., & Elbert, T. Dissociation following traumatic stress: etiology and treatment. Zeitschrift für Psychologie (2010), 218(2), 109–127.

3Sloan, D. M., Feinstein, B. A., Gallagher, M. W., Beck, J. G., & Keane, T. M. Efficacy of group treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: a meta-analysis. Psychological Trauma (2013), 5(2), 176–183.

In crisis? Call or text 988 (US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 24/7).

The Group Guide is a directory, not a clinic. This handout is general education, not medical or mental health advice. Listings are written by group leaders and are not endorsements. Confirm details, cost, and fit with any group you contact.