Why Did I Freeze?

Why didn’t I scream? Why didn’t I fight back? Why didn’t I run away? Why didn’t I do anything? Why did I just freeze? These are common questions that survivors of sexual assault ask themselves.

Many of us believe that if ever in a situation where we could be potentially sexually violated, that we would know exactly what to do. We would know exactly how we would react. It is this mindset that leads survivors to blame themselves after an assault, where they neither ran nor fought back. When things don’t go according to how we planned, they go in our minds; we, oftentimes perceive our reactions as the wrong reaction. But, what we fail to understand is that, as much as we would like to think that we have control over any given situation, the truth of the matter is we don’t.

When a person is faced with an overtly traumatic experience the mind and body have instinctive responses, similar to reflexes. In relation to sexual trauma, many of us are familiar with the fight or flight responses. With these responses, the person either fights back or flees. Unfortunately, in most cases, in fact, over 50% of the time, neither of these responses occurs. Instead, the freeze response, better known as tonic immobility, occurs. It is during this response that the body pretty much shuts down as a survival action, and our conscious brain is no longer in control. In a sense, your working brain is no longer working. It is this response that is most common in sexual assault cases and explains why a victim may not have ran or fought back.

But what is causing this freeze?

Here is a simple explanation. Every thought, movement, emotion, and behavioral action is directly related to our brains, whether it be voluntary or involuntary. So, our responses to trauma are also controlled by our brains. Within the brain’s limbic system, there is the amygdala. One of the vital functions of the amygdala is regulating survival behaviors and emotional expression. The limbic system has an intimate relationship with the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for the body’s exertion of energy and rest. It is in the autonomic nervous system that both involuntary and automatic actions are carried out.  It is the limbic system’s responsibility first to assess a particular situation to determine whether there is any threat or danger. It then signals to the autonomic nervous system how it should respond. Within the autonomic nervous system, there are two different branches: the sympathetic branch, which is primarily aroused in states of effort and stress, and the parasympathetic branch, which is primarily aroused in states of rest and relaxation. In extreme cases of stress or trauma, both the sympathetic and the parasympathetic branches can be activated simultaneously. When this happens, the body gets confused as to whether it should exert energy or rest. It is this discombobulation that results in the body just freezing or essentially playing dead.

It has been said that during this response, the victim of trauma enters an almost altered state of reality, where they are physically present but not necessarily mentally present. During this altered reality, time slows down and there is no fear or pain. You can think of it as disassociation. In this state, if harm or death does occur, it is thought that the pain is not felt as intensely. In knowing this, it is crucial for a survivor of sexual trauma to understand that these responses are instantaneous and instinctive responses to any form of perceived threat. In such moments, our conscious minds are not in control, and how we respond is not a chosen response.

Whether the response is fight, flight, or freeze, there is no right or wrong way to respond to being sexually violated. Our brain and body choose the best survival action for us, contrary to how we consciously believe we should have reacted. Knowing this can help alleviate the shame, blame, and guilt that survivors of sexual violence place on themselves by thinking they did the wrong thing. The most important thing to remember is that you survived and that in no way was your attack your fault.