The 7 F Trauma Responses of the Nervous System

For years, we thought our nervous system only reacted to danger in two ways: fight or flight. But trauma science and somatic psychology now show us a fuller picture — revealing seven different "F" responses that our bodies and minds may develop in the face of real or perceived threat.

These are not weaknesses.
They are adaptive survival strategies — shaped by our past and wired into our nervous system.

But when they stay active long after the threat is gone, they become invisible cages: shaping how we relate, how we feel, how we avoid, and how we disconnect from ourselves.

Here they are, in depth:

1. 🥊 FIGHT – Confront

When we sense threat, the fight response kicks in to defend us physically or emotionally.

Signs of a fight response:

• Irritability, anger, quick temper

• Controlling or aggressive behavior

• Tension in the body (clenched fists, jaw, shoulders)

• A tendency to argue or dominate conversations

⚡ Underneath it all: the body is trying to protect you by saying, “Don’t let them hurt you again.”

2. 🏃 FLIGHT – Escape

If fighting isn’t safe, your system may choose to flee — not just physically, but mentally or emotionally.

Signs of a flight response:

• Anxiety, restlessness, panic

• Overworking, over-scheduling, perfectionism

• Avoiding people, emotions, or commitments

• Feeling like you can never stop or relax

🌀 Flight often looks like productivity… but is really fear in disguise.

3. ❄️ FREEZE – Shut Down

When neither fight nor flight are possible, the body may freeze. This is a protective shutdown — a survival mechanism.

Signs of freeze:

• Feeling emotionally numb or spaced out

• Difficulty moving, speaking, or making decisions

• Procrastination, disconnection, fatigue

• Feeling "stuck" or unable to respond

🧊 The body numbs itself to survive what the mind can’t process.

4. 🙏 FAWN – Please

Fawning is the trauma response of people-pleasing. It often arises in chaotic, abusive, or emotionally unsafe environments — especially in childhood.

Signs of fawn:

• Over-apologizing or avoiding conflict at all costs

• Saying “yes” when you mean “no”

• Prioritizing others’ needs and abandoning your own

• Being overly nice or accommodating to feel safe

🌪 This isn’t just kindness — it’s survival through self-erasure.

5. 🌊 FLOOD – Overwhelm

Flooding happens when the nervous system is hit with too much, too fast — often due to trauma triggers. It leads to emotional overflow.

Signs of flooding:

• Sudden panic, fear, shame or sadness

• Feeling overstimulated and emotionally overwhelmed

• Shutting down or isolating to avoid emotional overload

• Difficulty thinking clearly or responding

🌧 The nervous system screams: “This is too much!”

6. 🫥 FLOP – Collapse

This is the body’s total shutdown response — deeper than freeze. It may feel like giving up, going numb, or being unable to cope.

Signs of flop:

• Feeling limp, tired, heavy or unresponsive

• Emotional numbness, detachment, dissociation

• Sleepiness or fainting in high-stress moments

• Apathy, hopelessness, or a deep sense of giving up

💤 It's a survival instinct seen in animals playing dead — and in humans after chronic trauma.

7. 🫂 FLOCK – Seek Belonging

Flocking is the instinct to attach to groups or others for safety, even if it means conforming or losing authenticity.

Signs of flock:

• Fear of being alone

• Over-adapting to others to fit in

• Staying in toxic environments to avoid rejection

• Feeling disconnected from your true self

🤝 “Better to belong than to be abandoned” — even if it costs your voice.

🌬️ What Now?

If you recognize yourself in one or more of these trauma responses, you are not broken.
Your nervous system did its best to protect you — and it still is.

But healing is possible.
Through conscious breathing, regulation practices, somatic awareness and presence, we can begin to retrain the body to feel safe again.

💫 This is why I created RespiroFLOW

Because I've lived through every one of these responses.
Because breathwork helped me reconnect, re-regulate, and recover parts of myself I thought were lost forever.
And because I believe:

Healing is possible. Regulation is possible.
And it all begins with a breath.

👉 Join my free Masterclass on how to regulate your nervous system through conscious breathing
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