Understanding Fight, Flight, and Freeze: How the Body’s Response to Trauma Shapes Anxiety and Depression

The fight, flight, and freeze responses are the body’s innate survival mechanisms, hardwired to protect us from danger. These responses are orchestrated by the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which activates different pathways based on perceived threat levels. When the body experiences trauma, these survival responses can become dysregulated, leading to long-term physical and emotional symptoms like anxiety and depression. The body’s endogenous opioid system, a network of naturally occurring painkillers, plays a significant role in modulating these responses, particularly in dissociative experiences. Understanding how these mechanisms interact provides valuable insights into trauma, highlighting why symptoms of anxiety and depression often arise as the body tries to process and release trapped trauma.

The Fight, Flight, and Freeze Responses

1. Fight Response:The fight response is activated when we feel capable of confronting the perceived threat. This response is primarily governed by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which prepares the body for action. When the fight response is activated, adrenaline and cortisol are released, increasing heart rate, blood flow to muscles, and alertness. The body is effectively primed to "stand and fight."

In a traumatic situation, however, the fight response might not resolve successfully. Imagine a child facing bullying. Their body prepares to defend them, but if they can’t physically resist, the unspent energy becomes stored as tension, frustration, or anger. If this response is chronically suppressed, as is often the case in situations where fighting back isn’t an option, it can lead to anxiety, irritability, or even aggressive behavior. The body constantly prepares to fight even when there is no immediate danger, resulting in chronic stress and hyper-vigilance.

2. Flight Response:The flight response is another SNS-driven reaction that occurs when we decide fleeing is the best way to escape the threat. This is often accompanied by a surge of energy, increased heart rate, and heightened awareness. This response is most useful when we can physically distance ourselves from danger.

In trauma, however, the flight response may be activated without an opportunity to escape. Consider someone in an emotionally abusive relationship who feels the need to leave but can’t due to fear, financial constraints, or psychological attachment. The body remains primed for escape but can’t act, resulting in pent-up energy and feelings of helplessness. Over time, this unexpressed energy can contribute to symptoms like panic attacks, chronic restlessness, and avoidance behaviors, where the body attempts to “run away” from reminders of the trauma.

3. Freeze Response:The freeze response is a more complex reaction that occurs when neither fight nor flight seems possible. This response involves a state of immobilization and dissociation, where the body and mind become detached from the immediate reality. Often associated with the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), this response is the body’s last-ditch effort to protect itself by “shutting down.”

In cases of severe trauma, such as during childhood abuse or assault, the freeze response can lead to dissociative states. For example, a person might “numb out” or feel like they’re watching themselves from a distance during a traumatic event. This shutdown reaction is mediated by the body’s endogenous opioid system, which releases endorphins to numb physical and emotional pain. This numbing can create an analgesic effect that protects individuals from the immediate impact of trauma, but if prolonged, it contributes to chronic dissociation, detachment, and depression as the body continues to avoid fully processing the trauma.

The Endogenous Opioid System and Dissociation

The body’s endogenous opioid system plays a pivotal role in modulating the freeze response and dissociation. During extreme stress, endorphins (the body’s natural opioids) flood the system, creating a protective barrier against intense emotional and physical pain. While this helps us survive immediate trauma, prolonged activation of the endogenous opioid system can lead to chronic dissociative symptoms, where the body remains in a numb or detached state even long after the trauma has passed.

For example, a child who experiences neglect may unconsciously rely on the freeze response to cope with feelings of abandonment. The body’s release of endorphins during these moments can make it easier to “numb out,” leading to a lifelong pattern of dissociation and avoidance of emotions. Although this numbing was adaptive in the traumatic environment, it becomes maladaptive in adulthood, often leading to symptoms of depression and chronic disconnection from one’s own feelings and body.

Anxiety and Depression as Symptoms of Unprocessed Trauma

Anxiety and depression often emerge as symptoms of unresolved trauma, signaling the body’s attempts to process and release unexpressed survival energy. These symptoms are not merely “mental” conditions but are deeply rooted in the body’s physiological response to trauma. Understanding anxiety and depression through this lens allows us to see these conditions not as isolated issues but as signs that the body is actively attempting to resolve the trauma.

Anxiety:
Anxiety often reflects the body’s constant preparation for fight or flight, even in situations that don’t require it. Trauma creates a state of hyper-vigilance, where the body is always “on guard.” This constant SNS activation without release can manifest as generalized anxiety, panic attacks, and hyper-vigilance. Essentially, the body is in a state of anticipatory fear, trying to move the unresolved trauma out but without the appropriate outlet.

For example, a person who experienced a car accident may develop anxiety symptoms when hearing loud noises or seeing similar environments. Their body reacts as though the trauma is happening again, reinforcing the anxiety cycle. The stored energy from the original trauma remains locked, driving an overactive state that perpetuates anxiety.

Depression:
Depression, on the other hand, can be seen as a result of the freeze response or chronic dissociation. When trauma results in the inability to fight or flee, the body may “shut down” emotionally, leading to numbness and withdrawal. Prolonged freeze states and dissociation reduce physical and emotional engagement with life, resulting in symptoms of fatigue, disinterest, and low mood.

Someone who has experienced repeated trauma, like childhood neglect, may carry the freeze response into adulthood. Their body has adapted to a baseline of numbness and dissociation, which feels like depression. This emotional shutdown is the body’s way of avoiding pain by suppressing emotions, but it also dampens joy and motivation.

The Body’s Role in Releasing Trauma

The body, with its complex responses and innate survival instincts, has a powerful ability to help process and release trauma. Somatic therapies and body-focused techniques (like breathwork, movement, and Psychedelic Somatic Interactional Psychotherapy or PSIP) address the physical manifestations of trauma, helping individuals reconnect with the emotions and survival energy stored in the body.

Through somatic approaches, individuals can release the fight, flight, and freeze responses that have remained locked within. For example, a person dealing with chronic anxiety might engage in grounding exercises, allowing them to slowly release the accumulated energy of the fight-or-flight response. Someone struggling with depression might benefit from body-awareness techniques that help release numbness and bring them back into connection with their emotions.

At OmTerra, the approach of Psychedelic Somatic Interactional Psychotherapy (PSIP) works by helping individuals focus on bodily sensations, using the altered state of psychedelics to deepen awareness of the body’s trauma responses. This practice can help dissolve dissociative barriers, providing clients with an opportunity to release deeply held survival energy and move towards a more balanced, embodied state.

Conclusion

The fight, flight, and freeze responses are essential survival mechanisms that can become dysregulated when trauma is left unresolved. The body’s endogenous opioid system, particularly during dissociative experiences, serves as a temporary shield against pain but can lead to chronic symptoms of anxiety and depression if not processed. Anxiety often reflects the body’s attempts to release unprocessed energy, while depression can be a lingering effect of the freeze response.

Through approaches like somatic therapy and PSIP at OmTerra, individuals can reconnect with their bodies as partners in healing, allowing trauma to be released in a safe, supportive environment. By understanding that the body itself holds the key to processing trauma, individuals can embark on a transformative journey towards healing, ultimately breaking free from the cycles of anxiety, depression, and dissociation that often arise from unprocessed trauma.

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© 2024 Steve Elfrink. All rights reserved.

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