The 4 F’s of Trauma

I’ve been studying trauma these past few weeks. Having an understanding of trauma-informed care is an essential component of my mental health advocacy work. Few people understand the implications of trauma and think trauma is only something that people with horrific pasts get. However, people can have trauma from all different adverse life experiences. Understanding various ways we can respond to these experiences and what different reactions look like is helpful.

Have you ever heard of fight, flight, freeze, or fawn? You may have heard of it and wondered what your response is. If you haven’t heard of them, it will make sense when you read this. People may exhibit more than one, but you will likely find one you relate to the most. Here’s a brief introduction to the 4 F’s of trauma.

Fight:

This trauma response looks like anger, rage, conflict, and aggression. People who have this trauma response feel if they amp up their power, they will defeat the threat. They might resort to yelling, fighting, kicking, and even the desire to punch. People with a fight response need to be in control and scream through what terrifies them.

Flight:

This trauma response is explained as the urge to get away and flee from the threat. People with the flight response appear anxious, restless, hyperactive, and obsessive. They worry, try to be productive, and exhibit perfectionism in the face of adversity. They may panic and try to hide away. It becomes challenging for them to relax.

Freeze:

This one is when people disassociate from the trauma. Disassociation is a topic a lot of people don’t understand. It can be a terrifying experience. These people don’t feel connected with themselves or the world. However, this is another trauma response, and it’s the mind’s way of keeping itself safe. People with the freeze response may feel stuck, numb, and heavy. To an outsider, it looks like the trauma doesn’t impact them, but they are shutting down in response to the trauma they’re experiencing.

Fawn:

The last one is the fawn response. People who exhibit this response often behave in a people-pleasing manner. They may apologize frequently and neglect their own needs to please others. They may also have difficulty saying “no” and setting boundaries to avoid conflict.

I hope this helped you understand different trauma responses. This is a complex field, but understanding yourself and the world can help you solve some of these issues on your healing journey. We need to know that trauma can present itself in a lot of different ways. As a mental health advocate, I always encourage people to continue to work and grow their issues in life. Keep an open mind and heart for ways to understand YOU better!