Beyond Fight or Flight: The Psychology of Freezing and Fawning

We’ve all probably heard of two of the four stress responses; fight or flight—the body’s instinctive reactions to danger. But have you ever been in a situation where your body seems to betray you instead? 

Maybe, you freeze up during a presentation, your mind going blank. Or perhaps, in a simple interaction with a teacher, you try to smile, but your face feels tense—and you’re now stuck with an award smile plastered on your face, eye twitching.

That’s your nervous system in dysregulation.

While fight or flight are well known, the other two responses—freeze and fawn—are equally important. They reveal how our bodies and minds learn to cope with threat, and they shape how we respond to stress, trauma, and even our relationships with others. 

The “Freeze” Response

The freeze response is a biological survival mechanism that causes you to feel stuck in place, and it’s when our body immobilises when neither fighting nor fleeing is possible.  

Real life manifestations of the freeze response include:

• Pale skin

• Feeling stiff, cold

• Loud, pounding heart

• Feeling detached

• Emotional numbness

The freeze response is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which manages how our body reacts to stress without us thinking about it. When a threat feels too overwhelming to fight or escape, the body may enter a “shutdown” mode; a state sometimes called dorsal vagal shutdown. 

In this state, our system slows down to protect us; as mentioned in the “real life manifestations of the freeze response” section, we might feel numb, disconnected, or unable to move or speak. This reaction helps us cope in the moment by reducing pain or fear, but if it happens repeatedly, it can lead to chronic dissociation—feeling detached from reality or from one’s own emotions.

The “Fawn” Response

The fawn response on the other hand, is a trauma response where a person seeks safety through appeasement or people-pleasing—and it is often rooted in childhood trauma or environments where love and approval depend on compliance.

Real life manifestations of the fawn response include:

• Lack of boundaries

• Excessive empathy

• Overdependence on the opinions of others

• Avoiding conflict

• Vulnerability to narcissists

The fawn response is also guided by the autonomic nervous system, but instead of shutting down, the body tries to create safety through connection. This is known as the social engagement system; our instinct to calm a threat by pleasing or appeasing others.

When someone fawns, they might try to keep the peace, agree quickly, or put others’ needs first even at their own expense. Over time, especially in unsafe or unpredictable environments, this pattern can develop into learned helplessness; the belief that one’s safety depends on compliance.

Comparing Freeze and Fawn

Both freezing and fawning are non-confrontational survival strategies that involve nervous system shutdown or submission, but they manifest in opposite ways. In the freeze response, the body immobilises—leading to detachment or emotional numbness. In contrast, the fawn response pushes the person toward over-engagement and compliance, as they seek safety by pleasing others. 

At their psychological core, both arise from the same root: fear of a perceived threat. The difference as mentioned above, lies in expression; one withdraws from connection, while the other overextends to maintain it.

Healing and Recovery

Healing from the freeze and fawn responses begins with regulating the nervous system—learning to recognise when the body is in survival mode and gently guiding it back to safety. Through practices like mindfulness, grounding, and trauma-informed therapy, we can rebuild a sense of control and connection.

It’s important to remember that these responses are not personality flaws, but learned survival tools; the body’s way of protecting itself when danger feels inescapable.

Freeze and fawn are the less acknowledged yet valid trauma responses: adaptive in the moment, but potentially maladaptive when they become our default way of coping. Healing begins not when we fight harder, but when we finally feel safe enough to stop surviving. 

Reference List

Coursey, M. (2025). Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn: Understanding Survival Responses - RAINN. [online] RAINN. Available at: https://rainn.org/mental-health-therapy-support-after-sexual-violence/fight-flight-freeze-and-fawn-understanding-survival-responses/ [Accessed 31 Oct. 2025].

Simply Psychology. (2025). Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn: How We Respond to Threats. [online] Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/fight-flight-freeze-fawn.html [Accessed 31 Oct. 2025].

Taylor, M. (2022). What Does Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn Mean? [online] WebMD. Available at: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-does-fight-flight-freeze-fawn-mean [Accessed 31 Oct. 2025].