12/31/2023 0 Comments Fight flight ze fawn cartoonWhen you encounter a perceived threat, your brain thinks you are in danger and attempts to keep you safe through a fight-flight-freeze response. This fear results from conditioning, when an event or object has been associated with a negative experience. “While the fight-flight-freeze response causes physiological reactions, it’s triggered by a psychological fear” (Nunez, 2020). Once the perceived threat is over, the parasympathetic system begins to dampen the stress response. Skin may get cold or sweat, as can hands and feet.Ongoing perception of threat leads to further release of adrenaline and cortisol.More blood sugar (glucose) and fats are released into the bloodstream to supply extra energy.Pupils may dilate to let in additional light, and hearing improves. Increased oxygen to the brain leads to increased alertness and sharpened senses.During a freeze response, breathing may be interrupted or restricted. Breathing speeds up to get more oxygen into the blood.During a freeze response, heart rate may slow. Heartbeat speeds up, pushing more blood and oxygen to the muscles and other vital organs.When the hypothalamus sends its distress signal through the autonomic nerves to the adrenal glands, the hormone epinephrine (adrenaline) is pumped into the bloodstream, resulting in the following (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020 Nunez, 2020): On the other hand, the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in when the danger has passed, calming the body when it’s safe to do so. The sympathetic nervous system provides the body with the burst of energy needed to take action in response to the perceived threat. The amygdala also contributes to emotional processing, sending distress signals to the hypothalamus.įrom here, messages are sent to the rest of the body through the autonomic nervous system, made up of the parasympathetic and sympathetic systems, and we respond by choosing to fight, run, or freeze (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020). Here’s an example: when we realize we have stepped in front of an oncoming car, information from our eyes and ears arrives at the amygdala, where images and sounds are processed. Parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems Overbreathing (breathing out too much carbon dioxide).Science has long known that long-term chronic stress – the repeated activation of the stress response – takes a profound toll on psychological and physical health, both directly and indirectly, with some of the following results (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020 Khazan, 2019): According to Harvard Health Publishing (2020), chronic activation of this survival mechanism is commonplace and damaging to our physical and mental wellness. 180).įor much of our 21st-century life, fight and flight responses are becoming less helpful, albeit still common. The freeze response “involves being rendered immobile when confronted with a potential threat” with fight and flight on hold (McCabe & Milosevic, 2015, p. Our fight, flight, and freeze responses help us to face up to perceived threats, run away, or stop moving. Our need to survive has shaped how we respond to the environment and the threats we face. What Is the Fight, Flight, or Freeze Response?
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