Trauma Responses
Fight, Flight, Shutdown, Fawn, and Functional Freeze.
Practices for Trauma Response
Click the trauma response to learn more.
Fight Response
The Fight response is marked by defensiveness, explosiveness, and irritability, which manifest as anger, rage, or frustration. This reaction often acts as a defense mechanism when an individual feels threatened or cornered. Physically, it may lead to increased muscle tension, elevated heartbeat, and a surge in adrenaline, which are the body's ways of preparing to confront a perceived threat.
Cat-Cow Stretch (Seated or Traditional Hand/Knees)
How to: Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position with your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. As you inhale, arch your back, lowering your abdomen toward the floor, lifting your head and tailbone towards the ceiling (Cow Pose). As you exhale, round your spine towards the ceiling, tuck your tailbone in, and drop your head to look towards your navel (Cat Pose).
How to (Seated): Sit comfortably on a chair with your feet flat on the ground. Place your hands on your thighs/knees. Movement same as above.
Benefits: This exercise enhances spinal flexibility and stimulates the nervous system, which can be particularly beneficial in counteracting the emotional and physical stagnation associated with the shutdown response. It also promotes an emotional connection by encouraging awareness of bodily sensations and breath, helping to alleviate feelings of disconnection.
Gentle Marching in Place
How to: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, or sit on a sturdy chair. Slowly lift one knee as high as comfortable and then lower it back down, alternating legs at a gentle pace. Swing your arms in opposition to your legs if standing to maintain balance, or rest your hands on your thighs if seated.
Benefits: This movement increases blood flow and re-energizes the body. It helps reconnect with the present moment and lifts the mood by breaking the cycle of lethargy and emotional numbness.
Supported Child's Pose
How to : Kneel on a mat with a pillow or bolster placed between your thighs. Sit back on your heels and fold forward, extending your arms in front of you or letting them rest alongside your body, laying your torso over the pillow and resting your forehead on it.
Benefits: Offers a profound sense of security and grounding. It reduces feelings of being overwhelmed and promotes deep relaxation by creating a nurturing, confined space for calm and introspection.
Flight Response
The Flight response is marked by restlessness, overthinking, anxiety, perfectionism, and a constant need to stay busy. This trauma response often stems from a subconscious urge to escape perceived danger or discomfort (physically, mentally, or emotionally). While it may present as high productivity or intense focus, it often masks deeper patterns of fear and emotional avoidance.
Standing and Shifting Body Weight
How to: Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Slowly begin to shift your weight from one foot to the other. As you transfer your weight side to side, let your arms hang or sway gently with the movement. You can soften your knees and breathe deeply as you move, staying present with the sensations in your legs and feet.
Benefits: This gentle movement helps ground the nervous system by bringing awareness into the lower body. It interrupts racing thoughts, anchors you in the present, and reduces the feeling of needing to “run.” A steady rhythm in the body sends a signal of safety to the brain.
Butter Fly Hugs
How to: Cross your arms over your chest and place your hands on the opposite shoulders or upper arms. Begin gently holding, tapping, squeezing, or moving like a butterfly flapping its wings. Breathe slowly and deeply as you tap, allowing your body to soften with each breath.
Benefits: This bilateral stimulation technique is widely used in trauma healing to help calm anxiety and bring the nervous system back into regulation. It soothes the body while giving the brain a sense of containment and safety, especially helpful when spiraling into anxious or avoidant thoughts.
Tree Pose (Modified for Ease and Accessibility)
How to: Stand near a wall or chair for support. Shift your weight onto one leg and place the sole of your other foot gently onto your ankle or inner calf—avoid the knee joint. Bring your hands to your heart or rest them gently by your sides. Gaze softly ahead and breathe. Switch sides after a few breaths.
Benefits: Tree Pose builds balance, focus, and inner stillness—qualities that counteract the scattered, frantic energy of the Flight response. It encourages steadiness and teaches the body how to be rooted even when the mind is racing.
Shutdown Response
Shutdown response is characterized by feeling spaced out, “lazy”, exhausted, and isolated, which can lead to feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, shame, and depression. This response often manifests when an individual feels overwhelmed by stress or trauma, leading the body to conserve energy by reducing emotional and physical activity.
Cat-Cow Stretch (Seated or Traditional Hand/Knees)
How to: Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position with your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. As you inhale, arch your back, lowering your abdomen toward the floor, lifting your head and tailbone towards the ceiling (Cow Pose). As you exhale, round your spine towards the ceiling, tuck your tailbone in, and drop your head to look towards your navel (Cat Pose).
How to (Seated): Sit comfortably on a chair with your feet flat on the ground. Place your hands on your thighs/knees. Movement same as above.
Benefits: This exercise enhances spinal flexibility and stimulates the nervous system, which can be particularly beneficial in counteracting the emotional and physical stagnation associated with the shutdown response. It also promotes an emotional connection by encouraging awareness of bodily sensations and breath, helping to alleviate feelings of disconnection.
Gentle Marching in Place
How to: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, or sit on a sturdy chair. Slowly lift one knee as high as comfortable and then lower it back down, alternating legs at a gentle pace. Swing your arms in opposition to your legs if standing to maintain balance, or rest your hands on your thighs if seated.
Benefits: This movement increases blood flow and re-energizes the body. It helps reconnect with the present moment and lifts the mood by breaking the cycle of lethargy and emotional numbness.
Supported Child's Pose
How to : Kneel on a mat with a pillow or bolster placed between your thighs. Sit back on your heels and fold forward, extending your arms in front of you or letting them rest alongside your body, laying your torso over the pillow and resting your forehead on it.
Benefits: Offers a profound sense of security and grounding. It reduces feelings of being overwhelmed and promotes deep relaxation by creating a nurturing, confined space for calm and introspection.
Fawn Response
The Fawn response is characterized by a high tendency to people-please, being overly agreeable, and lacking personal boundaries, often driven by fear, anxiety, insecurity, and shame. This adaptive behavior typically develops as a way to maintain safety and approval in interpersonal dynamics. Individuals exhibiting the fawn response may struggle to assert their needs and often prioritize others' desires at the expense of their own well-being.
Mountain Pose (Tadasana) with Deep Breathing
How to: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes pointing forward. Distribute your weight evenly across both feet. Engage your leg muscles gently and tuck your tailbone slightly to align your spine. Let your arms hang naturally at your sides or join your hands in prayer position at your heart. Close your eyes and take deep, slow breaths, filling your abdomen and chest with air and then releasing it fully.
Benefits: This pose promotes a sense of stability, self-assurance, and presence. It helps ground the individual, reinforcing a physical and mental foundation that supports assertiveness and personal integrity. Deep breathing enhances this effect by calming the nervous system and fostering a stronger sense of inner peace.
Hand on Heart and Belly
How to: Sit or stand comfortably. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Close your eyes and focus on taking deep, soothing breaths. Feel the rise and fall of your chest and belly under your hands, and try to sync your breathing to a slow, steady rhythm.
Benefits: This exercise promotes emotional calm and reassures a feeling of safe personal space. By focusing on the physical sensations of breathing and the warmth of the hands, individuals can reconnect with their internal emotional landscape, facilitating a more nurtured and protected sense of self.
Boundary Setting Movement
How to: Stand with your feet firmly planted. Extend your arms straight out to your sides or in front of you, palms facing outward, as if pushing against an invisible barrier. As you extend your arms, verbalize a firm “no” or “stop,” using a clear and assertive tone. Hold the position for a few moments, feeling the strength in your arms and the clarity of your boundary.
Benefits: This movement physically and emotionally reinforces personal boundaries and boosts confidence. It acts as a powerful physical metaphor for setting limits, helping to build the psychological and emotional fortitude needed to assert oneself in relationships and interactions.
Functional Freeze
The Functional Freeze response is characterized by a calm exterior while internally the person feels emotionally numb and on autopilot. This response often surfaces in situations where neither fight, flight, nor fawn strategies seem viable. Individuals in this state may appear composed but are often disengaged from their emotions and surroundings, functioning mechanically.
Shaking for Nervous System Release
How to: Begin standing with your feet hip-width apart and knees softly bent. Start by gently shaking your legs, allowing the movement to travel upward through your hips, torso, arms, shoulders, and hands. Let the shaking be organic, small or large, fast or slow, without forcing or controlling it. Keep your breath natural and steady. If standing feels like too much, this can also be done seated, allowing the arms, shoulders, and legs to shake lightly. Continue for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, listening to your body’s cues.
Benefits: Shaking helps discharge excess adrenaline and stored stress from the nervous system, supporting emotional release and regulation. It allows the body to complete natural survival responses that may have been interrupted by trauma. This practice often creates a sense of relief, grounding, and renewed vitality, helping the nervous system return to a state of calm presence and safety.
Rubbing Palms and Place on the Body
How to: Bring your palms together in front of you and rub them vigorously against each other until you feel a significant amount of heat. Once warm, place your palms gently over your eyes or cheeks, feeling the warmth seep into your skin.
Benefits: Rubbing the palms generates warmth and sensory awareness, crucial for rekindling physical sensations that can be dulled during a freeze state. This simple act of generating and transferring heat can help stimulate nerve endings and awaken sensory pathways, aiding in emotional re-engagement.
Jumping with Modifications
How to: Begin standing with your feet hip-width apart. If full jumping feels accessible, start with gentle, rhythmic hops, allowing your heels to lift and land softly. Keep your knees slightly bent and your arms relaxed at your sides or swinging naturally. If jumping feels too intense, modify by rising onto the balls of your feet and lowering back down, or by performing small heel lifts with a subtle bounce. This can also be done seated by lifting the heels and lightly bouncing through the legs. Maintain steady breathing throughout, exhaling on the downward motion.
Benefits: Jumping activates the lower body and helps discharge excess nervous system energy, making it especially supportive for releasing agitation, restlessness, or fight-or-flight activation. The rhythmic impact supports grounding, improves circulation, and encourages the body to feel present and stable. This practice can create a sense of aliveness and confidence while helping the nervous system reorient toward safety and balance.
