If you read Parts 1 and 2 of this “Understanding Trauma” series, you might be wondering how you can tell if you’ve experienced a stressful event as simply stressful or if it was experienced as traumatic. Everyone experiences stress, and we are now realizing that many people also experience trauma to varying degrees. Again, the most important factor in identifying trauma is a feeling of being out of control and powerless. 

As we’ve been exploring, trauma has a significant and distinct impact on the body, mind, and emotions. Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., one of the leading voices in the field of trauma and the author of The Body Keeps the Score,  writes that “Trauma…almost always makes it difficult to engage in intimate relationships…affects the imagination…It changes not only how we think and what we think about, but also our very capacity to think.” Trauma can impact our ability to make decisions, access rational thought, create, play, and feel fully alive. 

The four trauma responses, which was discussed briefly in Part 1, are fight, flight, freeze, and fawn (definitions below are found in the article “Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn: What This Response Means” by  Mia Belle Frothingham). 

“Fight” is defined as facing a perceived threat with aggression. In our example of the encounter with the snake in Parts 1 and 2, a fight response might look like attacking the snake with a stick or trying to kill the snake in some way. Frothingham writes that a fight response can take the following forms: tight jaw or grinding of the teeth; urge to punch someone or something; feeling intense anger or killing someone, even yourself; desire to stomp or kick; crying; glaring at people; upset stomach (feels like knots or burning); and attacking the source of the danger.

“Flight” is defined as running away from the danger. Frothingham writes that the following emotional and physiological responses indicate you may be in flight mode: excessively exercising, feeling fidgety or tense or trapped, restless body that will not stop moving, sensation of numbness in extremities, and dilated or darting eyes.

“Freeze” is defined as being unable to move or act against a threat. Frothingham identifies the following indicators that you may be having a freeze response: pale skin; sense of dread; feeling stiff, heavy, cold, numb; loud, pounding heart; and decreasing heart rate. This is also where dissociation, a very common trauma response, comes in. Dissociation is defined as disconnecting from one’s thoughts, feelings, memory, or sense of identity. Dissociation may have developed if you were in a traumatic situation that you were unable to escape (such as an abusive home, repeated sexual assault(s), or a tragic accident). In the moment, you may have used dissociation as a very adaptive coping mechanism to prevent yourself from needing to be present within the experience. However, just like all trauma responses, what began as an adaptive response that likely saved your life, when utilized over and over again when a threat isn’t actually present, can become unhelpful and even harmful. Dissociation may have helped you survive the traumatic event (or series of events in the case of complex trauma), however, when it is utilized too often, it creates a sense of disconnect from the people and world around you, and yourself, which prevents you from living life to its fullest and developing new memories.

“Fawn” is defined as immediately acting to try to please in order to avoid a conflict or threat. The fawn response is often found in people who grew up in abusive families or in individuals who experienced complex trauma. Frothingham writes, “If you are an abused child with narcissistic parents, the only hope of survival would probably be agreement and helpfulness.” You may recognize a fawn response in yourself by noticing that, despite being treated poorly by a person, you continue to prioritize their needs over your own.

Frothingham describes that when the fight/flight/freeze/fawn response has been activated, the following physiological symptoms may occur (remember from Part 1, this is the sympathetic nervous system kicking into high gear):

• Eyes: the pupils dilate. Allowing your eyes to take in more light improves your eyesight so that more attention can be dedicated to danger. You might notice a "tunnel vision" or realize that your vision becomes "sharper."

• Ears: the same concept for the eyes applies to the ears. You will notice that your ears essentially "perk up" and your hearing can become "sharper."

• Heart: heart rate increases, and there is a dilation of coronary blood vessels. A faster heart can feed more blood, oxygen, and energy into the body, enhancing your power to run away or fight.

• Lungs: breathing quickens and becomes shallower. Again, this quicker breathing takes in more oxygen for your muscles.

• Skin: you become pale, and your face gets flushed. Blood vessels in the skin contract, directing more blood where it is needed - the muscles, brain, legs, and arms. Your hands and feet get cold because of this too.

• Muscles: your muscles tense up all over the body, becoming primed for action. Because of this, your muscles might shake or tremble, particularly if you are not moving.

• Stomach: you may get nausea or "butterflies" - blood is diverted away from the digestive system, which can cause these feelings.

• Mind: thoughts begin to race. This quicker thinking can help you evaluate your environment and make rapid decisions, if necessary. Hence, it can be challenging to concentrate on anything other than the danger you perceive. You may also feel dizzy or lightheaded if one does not actually run or fight under the trigger.

• Pain: your perception of pain temporarily reduces while under the fight or flight or freeze or fawn trigger.

Trauma can lead to both serious mental health conditions as well as serious physical health conditions. Trauma can sometimes, but not always, lead to a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which includes specific criteria such as flashbacks and/or nightmares. Trauma can also be a contributing factor in the development of personality disorders, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, depression, mood disorders, behavioral difficulties, and many other mental health conditions. People who experience trauma may use substances or other addictive things (such as gambling, video games, food) to cope. These things in and of themselves are not inherently bad, but when an individual becomes addicted, it can lead to substance use (and other addictive) disorders. Individuals who experience trauma may also try to cope with self-harming behaviors and suicide. If you are experiencing self-injurious behavior or are having suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 800-273-8255 or go to your nearest emergency room.

Trauma can also be experienced more directly in the physical body. The following are not necessarily always caused by trauma, but, if you suffer from one or more of the following, it may be interesting to explore whether or not you have experienced some sort of trauma that could have had a long-term impact on your body. Chronic pain, high blood pressure, migraine disorder, fibromyalgia, frequent colds, and autoimmune disorders (just to name a few) can be caused by or exacerbated by trauma.

Next week, we will explore how you can begin healing from trauma.

If you are seeing yourself or your experiences in any of what was described above, please reach out to a trauma therapist for support. If you would like to explore whether or not I would be a good fit for you, please reach out to schedule a free consultation.

To read the previous posts in this series:

Part 1

Part 2