When survival mode is activated, our alarm system (the amygdala) prioritises keeping us safe in one of six ways.When this survival response occurs, you are no longer properly in control.
At this point, this is a state of overwhelm and questions or requests to ‘Use your words’ to explain what is going on will make things worse. If asked what is going on or how to help, the response is very likely to be ‘I don’t know.’
As the overwhelm increases, more and more control is lost, until at full meltdown, all control belongs to the amygdala and the amygdala only.
Survival mode is an extremely unpleasant experience, it is terrifying and often painful. It is not a conscious choice.
Fight
The brain thinks it can fight off or scare off the threat.
Blaming, deflecting responsibility
Demanding, controlling
Irritable, aggressive
Yelling, screaming, using mean words
Hitting, kicking, biting
Flight
The brain thinks it can flee the scene to get to safety, either physically or mentally
Running away / Escaping / eloping
Wanting to escape/ run away
Hiding in safe space
Unfocused, hard to pay attention, restless
Preoccupied, busy with everything else
‘Silly’ behaviours, messing around
Demand avoidant
Ignores the situation
Flood
The brain thinks that by showing extreme distress it can persuade someone to act as a protector
Extreme emotional display, can feel like having ALL the emotions at once at full volume
Can start small, with flushing face and imminent tears - the effort of restraining the emotional display can increase the overwhelm and speed up meltdown
Heavy crying, although the sensation is often frustration or anger not sadness
Girls are likely to do this as told you are not allowed to 'act out' due to societal expectations
Fawn
The brain seeks to placate the threat and aims to avoid conflict through extreme people pleasing behaviour
Extreme People pleasing
Struggling with defending own boundaries
Feeling overwhelmed
Difficulty saying no
Prioritising other's needs to the detriment of your own
Submissive
Joking, trying to get others to laugh
Actively seeking praise and affirmation
Echolalia - repeating what someone else has just said
Flop
The brain seeks to avoid conflict or appearing threatening so the threat will give up and go away
Feeling weak
Feeling sleepy
Exhaustion
Submissive / passively following instruction
Zoning out / Daydreaming
Disconnected / Ignoring outside attempts at connection
Echolalia - repeating what has been said around you
Freeze
The brain chooses to disconnect the body to ‘play dead’ until the threat gives up and goes away or to disconnect the body and cognitive brain to prevent severe damage from mental overload
Shutting down, mind goes blank - can feel like a switch turning the lights off and everything becomes peaceful
Unable to move or speak, feeling stuck
Ignoring others
Catatonia
Notes to mention:
The behaviours we describe above can happen outside of a survival situation in addition to within a survival situation.
Someone may yell when they are having fun.
Someone might run away for fun, rather than because they are under threat.
We can cry because we are genuinely hurt or upset.
We can people please because we enjoy making others happy.
Daydreaming can be a very enjoyable pastime as well as a survival mechanism.
Getting into flow and getting absorbed into what we are doing is a natural and healthy way of being.
We can disconnect because our brain is tired and we just need to zone out for a bit.
The important thing to remember is context and consistency.
If a parent is reporting high anxiety and meltdowns at home, but in class you are seeing an eager class helper or a daydreamer, then it is very likely you are seeing a high stress response in a context where fight or flight aren’t options.
If someone is regularly exhibiting these behaviours, especially if there seems to be no reason or only a minor reason, then there is likely to be unseen stressors that are being missed.
Survival response chart
Comments