What would be your threat response....fight, flight or freeze?

[FuckKnowsMate]

Just curious about what other people think their body's response to threat would be?
I recall experiencing something when I was on medication and struggling to sleep and think I may have had an episode of 'exploding head syndrome'. I remember very vividly hearing loud knocking on my windows (I was downstairs at the time) and thought the house was about to get burgled and my immediate response was to completely freeze, rooted to the sofa without daring to breathe but could feel my heart through my chest! After calming down, I realised I was actually just experiencing something in the transition state between sleep and awake, however in that moment it felt SO real and I genuinely thought I was in danger......anyway, its now made me think I would be an absolute shitbag in any real danger situation and my response would be to freeze which is pretty useless :(

If you was in danger, do you think you would fight or flight or freeze like me :D

Fight - have stood in front of men with weapons to shout at them, broke up fights between strangers, attacked some man who startled me,
fought off an attacker. There are loads more- all involving blokes.

It was freeze when I was a child though. I don’t know when it changed but it worries me that I flare ao quickly and am working on being less reactive.

I always thought flight

Then someone attacked my dh (then dp, was 25 years ago) in a pub and fight mode absolutely kicked in (not that he needed it!) - but the adrenaline - wow

I was shocked at how aggressive I suddenly was, but think it was because it wasn't a threat to me, but someone I cared about

I don't think you can really know until you are in the situation, but I imagine I would have the same reaction now if someone threatened my kids

Freeze. My toddler went missing once when out in public. Probably for 5 minutes but felt like an eternity. I froze rioted to the spot. I couldn't even speak.

😂@Lamelie , "Also when we were being rushed out due to a bomb scare I faffed about with phones, car keys, blankets.", maybe cfaff should be another one of the "f's"!

I know that I'm a fighter then flighter, Some years a go a man tried to abduct me, I was SO angry I would have fought to the death, I got away and ran with a plan already in my mind as to where I was running to ( a garage that I knew was full of mechanics working). As I get older my response to danger to myself or others hasn't really changed.

I fight - I’ve been in a couple of situations to trigger the response (including accidentally getting caught up in a riot!) and I got quite fighty/ aggressive - not to the point of throwing punches though!

have also done things where I’ve deal with people with serious injuries / injuries threatening to life and I surprised myself by being very calm and methodical and getting on with what needed to be done. As soon as they were handed over to hospital / paramedics I fell appart and became a shaking mess, but in the moment I was very very calm.

@FrenchFancie Im like that too, I can remain calm and useful in a crisis, will always try and help but have a good old cry afterwards.

Faff! Yes the sixth f- river dance faffing.

Years and years ago when I witnessed my dad being beaten up by 3 yobs my response was appease. I remember desperately trying to break the fight up, but everyone involved seemed to have the "red mist" and I was just shoved aside/ignored.

I also remember thinking very clearly that if I were to get involved I could get into trouble or get beaten up. My over riding concern was if I punched one of these idiots then I am going to get done for assault. It was very odd...like my brain wouldn't let me get involved and was trying to protect me. One of them did actually ram into me and I shoved him hard away (fight), he started threatening me and my response was to put my hands up and say "my mistake ...sorry, ...make your friends stop this!"

So when witnessing something or given a choice I think I appease, but when directly involved I fight.

Well a massive dog ran up to me and jumped on me yesterday, I was terrified and I screamed and froze.

My natural instinct is to fight. I've only ever been in one situation where I've had to.

I could tell the person was going to hit me, so I did it first. No way I was going to let myself be hurt by them.

Everything so far points to fight.

I did fight back (was grabbed so couldn’t run, and freezing/appeasing clearly wasn’t going to work).

All that happed was he hit me back, harder, then tried to strangle me to shut me up. I don’t really recommend it.

Historically, it seems to have been ‘fight’. I tend to turn fear/shock into anger automatically. A drink guy grabbed my ass going past in a cycle rickshaw on a pedestrian street a few years back and I swung around with my fist and broke his nose. Not that I’m advocating this, and it could have been dangerous, obviously, in other circumstances, but it was automatic. I saw red and hit. In front of a policeman.

Fight. It's why I moved from a city. Like others the adrenaline kicks in.

A guy was pestering me outside a pub last summer. Appease did not work. He would not stop. It was like "no" was "yes". Then he put his arm round me. Big mistake. I was off the chair with my fist back before you could say snap. I was ready, and he knew it, to punch his game show host veneers down his throat. He backed off but was all Billy Brave bollocks from a distance. The manager threw him out.

I'm 50 and very Boden. I don't like being touched.

Freeze, from quite a few experiences

I fought/ran during two attempted sexual assault and during the third I froze. I wasn't able to say a word or scream. I was saved by my neighbour's dog barking.

Depends on the threat.

I've done all typical 3 responses which varied due to the type of incident. It's an instinct at the time.

I honestly have no idea. I've never been in that position.

I have been known to fight after a temporary freeze while I processed the situation. It was a brilliant kick, and I hope it hurt his neck and taught him to keep his hands to himself and not take advantage of sleeping women.

I'm a runner although this occasion was on my bike. There was a man who was very starey, and unsettled me. I fled peddling hard up hill and glad that I was on my bike not on foot.

I'm generally pretty clear headed in unexpected situations and the usual fog of "why am I here" lifts.

I wouldn't swear that I'd react in a uniform way everytime. Freeze reactions are about not antagonising or increasing danger. Never punish yourself for a stress response.

Yes fawn/tend and befriend is my coping mechanism. I do try and rationalise it but it can make you feel bad, for example laughing off sexual harassment in the hopes that you don't make them angry and provoke worse, or seeking other men out to protect you.

But remembering that it is a genuinely psychologically wound in reaction does help me cope better.

In awe of the Riverdance reaction - 4th option: baffle them?

I'm a screamer. Not a decision, just some kind of blind instinct. I was mugged once and shouted my head off, and he ran away.

I was walking my dog deep in a forest and all of a sudden a pack of blokes on motorbikes wearing balaclavas appeared.

I definitely had a good ten seconds to hide behind a tree or in a bush but I completely froze. To the point they had to manoeuvre around me. I was rooted to the spot with fear.

Afterwards I was really surprised at my response.

This thread makes depressing reading (I hope everyone who has shared their story is doing ok/better now ) and just highlights how important it is that women/girl only spaces need to be fiercely protected. All the ones I've read so far have been men as the attackers and we've bugger all way of knowing who the bad ones are.

Take care everyone x