Module Definitions

Mindfulness is balancing emotion mind and wise mind.Distress Tolerance is when you have a problem you cannot solve, but you don't want to make it worse.Emotion Regulation is having less negative emotions and vulnerability, and more positive emotional experiences.Interpersonal Effectiveness is asking for what you want and saying no effectively.

Distress Tolerance and Polyvagal theory

 Note: Freeze can either mean being stuck in a still position to evaluate a novelty cue, or being stuck in a flooded position that is immobilizing. But it has also been elsewhere used to refer to the fold/flag/faint kind of ongoing frozen stance, avoiding movement.


Some definitions:
  • "Freeze: Like a deer caught in the headlights, freeze involves the orienting reflex, an inborn impulse to turn your sensory organs towards a source of stimulation. Here the goal is to “stop, look, and listen” to better understand the situation and to determine if there is a threat. Your pupils will dilate as you turn your head towards the sound or sights that sparked your interest or concern. Most importantly, freeze occurs in preparation for action and is short lived.
  • Flight and Fight: maintained by the sympathetic nervous system in which you are mobilized into flight or fight responses. This process involves initial attempts to flee danger; however, if it is impossible to escape you will resort to fight. The sympathetic nervous system increases blood flow to the heart and muscles of the arms and legs accompanied by faster and deeper breathing. Simultaneously, skin will grow cold and digestion is inhibited.
  • Fright: As we look further into the progression of trauma responses, we see that ...when flight or fight do not restore safety. When there is no escape a “fright” takes over with feelings of panic dizziness, nausea, lightheadedness, tingling, and numbing. According to Schauer & Elbert (2010), this stage is considered to have “dual autonomic activation” seen in abrupt and disjointed alternations between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system actions. It is in this stage that we see the initial symptoms of dissociation.
  • Flag [or Fold]: If there is still no resolution of the threatening situation you will progress into the fifth stage, “flag,” which is the collapse, helplessness, and despair that signals parasympathetic based nervous system shut-down and immobilization. Dissociative reactions dominate this phase. Voluntary movements including speech become more difficult, sounds become distant, vision blurs, and numbness prevails. The heart rate and blood pressure drop, sometimes rapidly, which in some cases leads to the sixth stage, “faint.”
  • Faint: The “faint” response appears to serve several purposes from an evolutionary and survival perspective. When the body succumbs to a horizontal position blood supply increases to the brain. Furthermore, fainting is connected to disgust; an emotional response which rejects toxic or poisonous material. According to Schauer & Elbert, experiencing or even witnessing horrific events such as forced physical or sexual violence can trigger vasovagal syncope (vagus nerve dysregulation) which promotes nausea, loss of bowel control, vomiting, and fainting."
https://drarielleschwartz.com/the-neurobiology-of-trauma-dr-arielle-schwartz/#.Xzdil-hKjIU

Also
"Fawn types seek safety by merging with the wishes, needs and demands of others. They act as if they unconsciously believe that the price of admission to any relationship is the forfeiture of all their needs, rights, preferences and boundaries."

"The ‘please’ or ‘fawn’ response is an often overlooked survival mechanism to a traumatic situation, experience or circumstance. Nonetheless, the ‘please’ response is a prevalent one especially with complex trauma or CPTSD and is acted out as a result of the high-stress situations that have often been drawn out."  https://rolandbal.com/fight-flight-freeze-fawn/

 Here's another list:

The six responses to stress include:

  1. Fight: Fighting a threat 
  2. Flight: Fleeing a threat
  3. Freeze: Freezing and not doing anything in response to a threat
  4. Flooding: Being flooded with emotions in response to a threat
  5. Fawn: Cooperating or submitting to one's threat or captor
  6. Fatigue: Feeling tired and/or sleeping in response to a threat

Here's the bell curve another way!

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-freeze-flight-fight-fright-flag-faint-defense-cascade-Reproduced-with-permission_fig1_303747900

http://trauma-recovery.ca/


"Fight

The fight response happens when you feel you're in danger, but you believe you can overpower the threat. Your brain sends messages to your body to quickly prepare you for the physical demands of fighting. Some signs you're in fight mode include:

  • You cry
  • You feel like punching someone or something
  • Your jaw is tight, or you grind your teeth
  • You glare at people or talk to them with anger in your voice
  • You feel like stomping or kicking
  • You feel intense anger
  • You feel like killing someone, perhaps even yourself
  • Your stomach feels tied in knots, or you have a burning feeling in your stomach

You'll also know if you're in fight mode because you'll attack the source of the danger. The fight response can be extremely beneficial under certain circumstances.

Flight

When you believe you can overcome the danger by running away, your brain prepares your body for flight. Sometimes, running away is your best option. After all, unless you're a firefighter, you probably want to run out of a burning building. Here are some of the emotional and physical flight responses:

  • Your legs are restless
  • You feel numbness in your extremities
  • Your eyes dilate and dart around
  • You constantly move your legs and feet
  • You're fidgety
  • You're tense
  • You feel trapped
  • You exercise excessively

Source: unsplash.com

Freeze

When you feel neither running nor fighting is the best choice, you can freeze instead. The following freeze responses can keep you stuck:

  • You feel cold
  • You have numbness in your body
  • Your skin is pale
  • You feel stiff or heavy
  • You have a sense of dread
  • Your heart is pounding
  • Your heart rate may decrease
  • You feel yourself tolerating the stress

Fawn

When you've tried fight, flight, or freeze several times without success, you may find yourself using the fawn response. People who tend to fawn typically come from abusive families or situations.

For example, if you're the abused child of a narcissistic parent, your only hope of survival might be compliance and helpfulness. You can recognize this if you notice that no matter how poorly someone treats you, you are more concerned about making them happy than about doing what's right for you.

the main four response patterns are fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. Other patterns are combinations of these basic patterns. Common hybrid patterns include:

  • Fawn-fight: controlling threats in coercive and manipulative ways
  • Fawn-flight: avoiding the threat by becoming invaluable in the situation
  • Fawn-freeze: surrendering to the threat by taking on the victim role
  • Flight-freeze: avoiding threats by focusing on other situations

Some disorders tend to be associated with certain stress response patterns. Here are a few of the ones that have been identified:

  1. Fight type: Narcissism
  2. Flight type: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  3. Freeze type: Dissociative Disorders
  4. Fawn type: Codependency

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