Fight. Flight. Freeze. These are the three basic survival states we have as humans. Also sometimes called the ‘trauma response’, it is what happens when your body detects a threat. Your brain is operating a continual surveillance system and once the alarm is raised physiological changes immediately take place. The brain puts you in one of the three survival states to help protect you from potential danger.
These states are perfectly healthy when we are in them for a short time.But if you find yourself in a survival stage for a prolonged period, it can lead to physical and mental health problems.
There are some typical personality characteristic that we often see alongside each survival state.
FIGHT.
When the sympathetic nervous system has activated the ‘fight’ state,reactions can be dramatic. You may feel anger, rage, frustration and irritation. The fight response can make you confrontational and intolerant of others. You may see more easily how a situation is unfair and be ready to challenge it. In this state you can also feel anxious and be fearful or avoidant. It’s difficult to relax the body in this state, so you’ll find it hard to wind down and switch off because your thoughts are usually racing.
You’ll also find you have an increased awareness of your surroundings as you’re always on the lookout for potential danger.
FLIGHT.
When the sympathetic nervous system has activated the ‘flight’ state, negativity can creep in to what you say or do. In this state you might find yourself avoiding things, ruminating on your thoughts or striving for perfection. Sometimes the state provokes a strong desire to fix and solve problems, so you always keep busy or you’re always thinking of what to do next. This mindset is often a common trait of workaholics. It’s easy to overthink everything in this state, be frightened of your own thoughts or feel disconnected from your body.
FREEZE.
It’s not you being lazy. When the sympathetic nervous system has activated a freeze, or shutdown, response.The freeze response can make you feel stuck. It’s often clouded with feelings of shame, and it can make you feel spaced out and almost separate from your body. In this state, it can be difficult to physically move and motivate yourself.
Together with the feelings of shame or not being good enough, you can find yourself overwhelmed and fatigued, as being in this state consumes lots of energy. As with the other two states, you can find yourself hyper-vigilant to your surroundings, but also of your bodily sensations. This is a consequence of constantly being on the lookout for potential danger.
Knowing the state you are in can, from a nervous system perspective, help you understand some of the influences for your feelings and behaviours. It’s possible to regulate the nervous system and to take it out of the constantly activated states I have discussed. I work with the nervous system in therapy sessions with clients to teach ways of recognising when they are in a survival stage and how they can bring themselves out of it.
As The Mind & Body Guide, my approach to therapy is to help you to understand yourself mentally and physically.
I have decades of experience in health care, including years spent working as a senior physiotherapist in the NHS. I’ve taught Pilates to hundreds of people. And I’m a qualified psychotherapist with a suite of therapy skills to draw on.
By working together, we can plot your pathway to a healthier, happier life.
