PTSD and Anxiety Responses In complex PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), anxiety is a predominant theme When anxiety takes hold typically one of the following 4 responses are displayed ⚠️ Fight ⚠️ Flight ⚠️ Freeze ⚠️ Fawn These responses are typical in complex PTSD but also extremely relevant with all anxiety disorders. When people experience trauma or absent parenting, especially in childhood, it can hard-wire their brains to react to stress (or things that are incorrectly perceived as ‘stressful’ or threatening) in a detrimental, ‘abnormal’ way, even as adults. Did you knon complex PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), anxiety is a predominant theme. When anxiety takes hold typically one of the following 4 responses are displayed ⚠️ Fight ⚠️ Flight ⚠️ Freeze ⚠️ Fawn These responses are typical in complex PTSD but also extremely relevant with all anxiety disorders. When people experience trauma or absent parenting, especially in childhood, it can hard-wire their brains to react to stress (or things that are incorrectly perceived as ‘stressful’ or threatening) in a detrimental, ‘abnormal’ way, even as adults. Did you know that your main stress response mode was set as a child? Once you realised that fighting / running away / numbing the pain / keeping danger away by keeping others happy seemed to work best for your particular circumstance, that becomes your default stress response! It is likely even in the absence of PTSD that we have all experienced one of these responses. This might serve useful to help begin to work out what ‘stress response’ is your most dominant way of responding to life’s difficult challenges, stresses and people. Many thanks to Rachel Page, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, for this post. Rachel established her clinic “Teens Matter 2” mental health and support for children and young adults in 2015 in Brisbane. Melissa Plumb
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October 2021
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