Understanding Freeze, Flight, Fight & Fawn and why mixed states matter for healing and leadership
Introduction
Most people think of the nervous system as linear:
“First I freeze . . . then I flight . . . then I fight . . . then I fawn . . .”
But the truth is far more complex and far more compassionate.
Your nervous system does not move in neat boxes or predictable order. It is constantly scanning your environment for cues of danger or safety, and in moments of overwhelm, it can activate multiple survival responses at the same time.
This is not a malfunction.
It is high intelligence.
It is your system doing everything it can to keep you safe.
When we understand this, we stop judging ourselves for “overreacting,” “getting emotional,” or “not coping.” Instead, we learn to work with the body’s wisdom and this is where healing, integration, and leadership begin.
Let’s explore how and why these states overlap.
🌬️ Why Multiple Responses Can Activate at Once
Your nervous system isn’t linear.
It doesn’t say:
“I’m freezing . . . okay done . . . now I’ll fight.”
Instead, it can activate:
Freeze (dorsal vagal shutdown)
Flight (mobilisation to escape)
Fight (mobilisation to confront)
Fawn (appeasement to restore safety)
These are not separate categories, they are adaptive survival strategies that can blend, cycle, stack, or fire simultaneously.
🔄 How They Blend or Cycle
You might not consciously feel all four, but your system might be:
👉 Freeze + Flight
Feeling stuck and panicky inside
→ “I can’t move, but I need to get out of here.”
👉 Freeze + Fawn
Shut down internally while automatically appeasing
→ “I’m not okay, but I’ll smile and agree.”
👉 Fight + Fawn
Feeling angry but trying to stay pleasant
→ “I want to yell, but I’m being overly accommodating.”
👉 Flight + Fight
High adrenaline without direction
→ irritability, pacing, snapping
👉 Freeze + Flight + Fawn
One of the most common trauma responses
→ “My system is overwhelmed, my body is stiff, my mind wants to run, but my mouth is saying ‘it’s fine.’”
🔥 Can All Four Be Activated? Absolutely.
In moments of shock or overwhelm, your system can spike into a mixed state where:
Part of you wants to shut down (freeze)
Part of you wants to run (flight)
Part of you wants to protect or confront (fight)
Part of you wants to appease (fawn)
This can look like:
dissociated but hyper-alert
smiling or accommodating while internally panicked
body frozen with heart racing
irritability layered on top of collapse
wanting to escape while trying to keep the peace
emotional chaos with no single direction
This is sometimes called:
✨ mixed state activation
✨ fragmented survival energy
It is especially common when:
you’ve experienced chronic stress
you’ve navigated trauma
you’ve grown up with unpredictable emotional environments
your system has had to “scan” for safety often
It does not mean you’re broken.
It means your body is doing too many jobs at once.
🌱 Why This Matters for Healing
Feeling “all over the place” doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means multiple protective strategies are firing simultaneously.
Your system is trying to:
keep you safe
predict danger
reduce conflict
mobilise energy
shut down overwhelm
The work is not to force your body into calm.
The work is to support it back into coherence.
Healing looks like:
returning to safety
completing stuck survival responses
integrating fragmented impulses
coming back into a single, unified state
re-learning to trust your own sensations
This is the foundation of regulation, intuition, and embodied leadership.
🌟 The Four Survival Responses (Clear Breakdown)
Below is a simplified guide to help you recognise each response in real time.
🔹 1. FREEZE
State: Immobilisation / shutdown
System: Dorsal vagal
⭐ In the Body
Heavy
Numb
Foggy
Hard to move or speak
Blank mind
Feeling “far away”
⭐ Emotionally
Overwhelm
Numbness
Hopelessness
⭐ Behaviourally
Overthinking without action
Staring into space
Indecision
Disconnecting
🔹 2. FLIGHT
State: Mobilisation to escape
System: Sympathetic
⭐ In the Body
Racing heart
Adrenaline
Restlessness
Tight chest
⭐ Emotionally
Anxiety
Fear
Urgency
⭐ Behaviourally
Overworking
Busyness
Avoidance
Leaving situations quickly
🔹 3. FIGHT
State: Mobilisation to confront
System: Sympathetic
⭐ In the Body
Heat rising
Tight jaw
Tension everywhere
Surging energy
⭐ Emotionally
Anger
Irritation
Defensiveness
⭐ Behaviourally
Snapping
Arguing
Controlling
Raising voice
🔹 4. FAWN
State: Appeasement to restore safety
System: Social engagement + fear
⭐ In the Body
Softening
Fake smile
Tight throat
Hyper-awareness of others
⭐ Emotionally
Shame
Fear of conflict
Worry about being liked
⭐ Behaviourally
Over-apologising
Agreeing to things you don’t want
Minimising your needs
Self-shrinking
🔥 HOW TO TELL WHEN IT’S A MIXED STATE
This is where most people get confused.
You might feel:
panicked but frozen
angry but overly nice
collapsed but hyper-aware
dissociated but busy
wanting to run but unable to move
Mixed states = multiple instincts firing at once.
They are normal and they unwind beautifully with awareness.
✨ HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR CURRENT STATE (Fast Self-Check)
Ask your body:
1. Is my energy going up or down?
Up = fight/flight
Down = freeze
2. Do I want to move toward, away, or disappear?
Toward = fight
Away = flight
Disappear = freeze
3. Am I changing myself to keep someone else calm?
Yes = fawn
4. Is my body tight or collapsed?
Tight = fight/flight
Collapsed = freeze/fawn
5. Is my voice natural, forced, or gone?
Forced sweet tone = fawn
Quiet/flat = freeze
Sharp = fight
Fast = flight
Conclusion: You Are Not Broken, You Are Brilliantly Wired
When multiple survival responses activate at the same time, the mind often says:
“What’s wrong with me?”
But the truth is:
Nothing is wrong with you.
Your body is doing its job.
Understanding these states gives you:
✨ compassion
✨ clarity
✨ regulation
✨ leadership power
✨ spiritual resilience
And most importantly, it brings you back to a coherent relationship with yourself.
If you want support identifying your patterns or learning how to unwind mixed states gently, I’d be honoured to guide you.
Your body is not your enemy.
It is your greatest ally.
And it always tells the truth.
