Many of you will have heard me say that we are designed to survive. This is one of the most amazing components of our brain/body connection and the complex work of our nervous system. We have all heard of Fight/Flight response in which the body’s autonomic nervous system kicks into gear and does what it is designed to do… to keep us safe.
But did you know we can also respond with Freeze, Submit or Cry for Help?
- If we freeze, we may be able to pause to assess the danger or it may go away
- If we submit, that can be our safest and smartest option at the time (even though it could seem counterintuitive- but think about it)
- To cry out for help is a strategy to bring attention, reinforcements and increase the alert.
There are many strategies and theories on the neurobiology of the threat response (and it gets pretty complex), the important message of them all is that we have a variety of responses available and our brain/body connection chooses the smartest one for us at the time with what we know, perceive and are capable of.