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Understanding Trauma and Survival Responses

Learn about common responses and the difference between trauma and survival responses

Responses to danger, harm, and stress are unconscious and save the lives of survivors. It’s important to know the differences between trauma and survival responses.

Survival responses are those that happen in the moment when we are faced with threat or danger, and trauma responses are responses to reminders of past dangers. The response someone had during an experience of harm is often the same response they may have afterwards when they experience triggers of that harm, but it might differ as well (remember, trauma responses are unconscious – our brains act before we have a chance to think about it as an evolutionary strategy to keep us as safe as possible in the face of harm).

We’ve gone into details on four common trauma/survival responses (though there are others): freeze, fawn, flight, and fight. Survivors are often questioned about their actions when they have had unspeakable harm perpetrated against them, but it’s important to educate folks on how these responses are normal, unconscious responses our brains make behind the scenes. The brain, in survival mode, makes the decision to use whichever strategy will keep us the safest… it is not a conscious choice, and survivors should never be blamed for how they kept themselves safe.

This information is also important for the safety of survivors after they have experienced sexual violence – survival responses save lives. When survivors experience triggers and experience trauma responses, they’re often told that they’re “panicking for no reason” and that it’s “just a trigger they need to get over”. However, this puts survivors at more risk because if they encounter a situation where there truly is danger/threat of danger, if others have told them to ignore their instincts and what their body is telling them, they may have a greater chance of experiencing harm again.

There needs to be more education on how to navigate working through triggers to still be able to live daily life to the fullest, while also teaching survivors to trust their gut instincts and what their bodies tell them.

Title reads "Understanding Trauma and Survival Responses". Below is four pictures of animals; a deer, a dog, a parrot, and a buffalo.

Survival Response: response to an immediate danger or threat that keeps us as safe as possible in the moment Trauma Response: a response to a reminder of past danger we’ve experienced It’s important to note that people will often have the same physiological responses to reminders of dangers that they did to the danger they experienced (triggers). We are using the term “survival response” to describe these four common methods (but not the only methods) of response to danger, but please note that responses to triggers and flashbacks will also fall into these categories and will come with the same/similar physiological responses. People may also experience both survival responses and trauma responses at the same time, as they may experience triggers from things that are not just reminders of threats but are real threats. This distinction is important because oftentimes survivors have been told they’re being “paranoid” about triggers when there is no real danger... but this then means survivors may ignore their gut feelings and may be more likely to experience more harm.

Text reads: One of the most common responses during experiences of sexual assault. Despite freezing looking like a lack of action, it does NOT equate to someone “not doing anything” - the brain is still incredibly active during moments of freezing. Use of shutting down and “invisibility” to survive. Like all of the responses, freeze is an involuntary response - your brain subconsciously opts for the best option to keep you safe. Freezing is often the safest for folks experiencing sexual violence. A Freeze Response Might Look Like: Dissociation, feeling a sense of dread, emotional and/or physical numbness, forgetting to breathe, feeling incredibly overwhelmed and unable to think straight. On the left side of the page there is a photo of a deer in the upper corner and a photo of a femme-presenting person hugging their knees and looking sad.

Text reads: One of the lesser-discussed survival responses, but an incredibly common one, especially for survivors of ongoing sexual, domestic, and gender-based violence. Pleasing and appeasing with the danger/abuser to avoid conflict and maintain safety. In situations of abuse, a woman and her children are most at risk of being killed by a partner when she leaves them. We can never judge someone for not leaving an abusive relationship - fawning/appeasing may literally be saving their life. A Fawn Response Might Look Like: Staying with an abusive partner/returning to them, difficulties with boundaries, apologizing when you are not at fault, prioritizing the feelings of others. On the right side of the page there is a photo of a femme-presenting person looking sad and hugging a male-presenting person from behind their shoulders, and below it is a photo of a dog looking scared.

Text reads: Use of escape to avoid the danger and find safety. This can involve both fleeing to physical safety (getting out of a dangerous situation/isolating), or mentally fleeing (finding ways to avoid certain feelings or repressing emotions). A Flight Response Might Look Like: Self-isolation, physically escaping the dangerous situation, physical and social isolation from others, staying busy to avoid difficult feelings, avoiding situations where they may face a potential trigger/reminder of their harm. On the left side of the page there is a photo of a flying parrot in the top corner, and below is a photo of a femme-presenting person peering out of blinds and looking nervous.

Text reads: Use of control, power and/or confronting the danger to be safe. Despite the word “fight”, it does not have to mean physical altercation with danger - it’s more about facing the danger head-on and trying to take control. Although everyone is different and will respond to traumatic situations differently, fight is often not the go-to defense for folks experiencing sexual assault. A Fight Response Might Look Like: Feelings of anger, rage, and irritability, yelling or being verbally assertive, physically protecting yourself, addressing a conflict with someone immediately, becoming easily reactive. On the right side of the page there is a photo of someone's hand on the shoulder of a femme-presenting person who looks annoyed, and below is a photo of a buffalo.

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