by Beth

Ice On The Siene at Bennecourt by Claude Monet

Most of us are familiar with the term “fight or flight” as a response to stress. However, there is another response currently being researched: the freeze response. Think of a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. In human terms you might imagine the following situations:

  1. You wake up from a sound sleep to see a stranger standing over your bed.
  2. You are trapped in your house by a natural disaster like a tornado or a category five hurricane.

In each case your safety and survival are at risk but the way forward, at least for a time—seconds or milliseconds—is not clear. Neither “fight” nor “flight” may be realistic and no one is around to rescue you. What mélange of emotions might we feel while frozen? Paralyzing fear, panic, and a sense of helplessness will surely top the list.

On the other hand, there are many non-life threatening situations where the freeze response can be experienced as well. I’ve personally experienced both of the following scenarios:

  1. A relative says something so outrageous and offensive that you freeze in disbelief not knowing how to respond. This happened to me at a family Thanksgiving dinner. After my stunned freeze moment, I elected for flight, excused myself from the table, and engaged in silent fuming in the upstairs hallway. Flight/withdrawal tends to be my go-to response to avoid interpersonal conflict that I know from experience cannot peacefully be resolved.
  2. You come home after work to discover that your house has been broken into and ransacked. After this freeze moment passed, I went into fight/action mode, which included calling the police, installing an alarm system, and getting a dog.

In non-life threatening situations as well, the path forward may not immediately be apparent. As far as the mélange of emotions we can feel while frozen, anxiety, confusion, irritability, and panic, along with a sense of being stunned and momentarily helplessness come to mind.

Stress researchers now add the word “freeze” to the list of responses to stress, especially in traumatic situations. Leon Seltzer, Ph.D., clinical psychologist writes about the freeze response in his article, “Trauma and the Freeze Response: Good, Bad, or Both?”

“Before deciding to take flight or fight, most mammals freeze for a few milliseconds to assess the situation before making a next move. Sometimes staying frozen in place is the best defense, sometimes it’s not… One problem with the freeze response in daily life is that it can cause people to become paralyzed by fear.” 

In terms of using the freeze response as an adaptive best defense in a life-threatening situation, Seltzer says:

“Being physically, mentally, and emotionally immobilized by your consternation permits you not to feel the harrowing enormity of what’s happening to you, which in your hyperaroused state might threaten your very sanity. In such instances some of the chemicals (i.e., endorphins) you thereby secrete function as an analgesic, so the pain of any injury (to your body or psyche) is experienced with far less intensity.”

Examples of this can be found in stories of soldiers wounded in battle who feel no pain and are surprised to discover their wound after the danger is over. Another example is the story of a man who survived a grizzly bear attack. He froze and played dead. The bear lost interest and left. Apparently, the freeze response enabled him to bear the pain of the attack and “numb out” until the bear left.

According to Seltzer, the after affects of traumatic experiences can result in psycho-emotional difficulties:

“— such “paralyzing” psychological phenomena as phobias, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, and various anxiety states can frequently be understood as symptoms of a freeze response that never had the chance to “let go” or “thaw out” once the original experience was over. And many features of post-traumatic stress disorder directly relate to this kind of unrectified trauma.”

After a traumatic experience, the ability to move on with life often depends on how resilient someone is and how willing or able they are to confront the original trauma. Resilience can be defined as the ability to rebound quickly from a crisis, tragedy, trauma, or a serious case of “stress mess.” According to the article, “The Secrets of Resilient People, ”by Beth Howard that appeared in the AARP Magazine November/December 2009:

“Highly resilient people don’t fall apart or if they do, it’s not for long. They call on their inner strength and recruit outside resources to keep moving forward. And they ‘tweak’ their future expectations to fit a new reality be it the loss of a loved one, a life-changing diagnosis or a devastating financial blow.”

She points to the fact that scientists agree that resiliency varies from person to person, that there is a genetic component, and that, like any skill, resiliency can be learned. 

A yoga practice is a way to build resiliency skills and wipe our mental slate clean of attachment and connection to the emotions and experiences that have caused us suffering (dukha), stress, and pain. However, it does take time and will require dedication and effort both on and off the mat. As Swami Saraswati says in the “Samkhya Darshan, Yogic Perspectives on Theories of Realism”:

“Then you may start erasing, but you cannot wipe the entire blackboard clean in one sweep, because the blackboard is always bigger than the duster.”

For some “hows” and “whys” to increase the efficacy of your “duster,” check out these two posts from Nina Proof of the Effectiveness of Reducing Chronic Stress and Six Ways to Bust Stress with Yoga and this one by me Kriya Yoga: A Contemporary View. 

As long as we are consistent with our chosen practices, we become more resilient and better able to manage our stress events and stories, whether they stem from long-term trauma or upsetting life situations that cause us to fight, flee, or freeze. 

 

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