Fight, Flight or Freeze#

Consider these scenarios:#

Example 1#

Maria is out walking their dog. They take their normal route through the housing estate, towards the fields where they can let their dog off the lead.

As they approach the field, they see a man with a dog that is looking out of control; it is twisting and jumping off the lead, and he’s having trouble holding it. The dog is barking and snarling, and Maria feels alarmed.

Maria’s heart starts to beat faster and they are aware of a fluttering in their stomach. Maria’s focus narrows as they scan the field. They sense their mouth feeling dry and their palms feeling sweaty.

They pick up their dog and walk quickly in the opposite direction, glancing over their shoulder. They are breathing faster as they hurry away from perceived danger.

This is the flight response.

Example 2#

Joe is walking home from the pub. It’s almost midnight so he decides to call his boyfriend; he answers the phone and they chat whilst he walks.

Suddenly, and out of nowhere, someone pushes Joe and grabs his phone. They run off at speed, but Joe is a good athlete and he takes chase. His muscles tense and his vision narrows. He feels a surge of adrenaline, annoyed that his phone has been stolen. He runs fast, chasing the assailant, but he gets away.

In that split second, his fight response kicks in. He didn’t stop to consider whether it may be a dangerous situation, he just took flight; he wanted his phone back and he’d give that thief a piece of his mind!