Heart racing. Rapid breathing. Stomach gurgling. Pupils dilated.
Trauma is a deeply distressing experience that triggers our body’s stress response: fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. When we are launched into a trauma response, our bodies go into survival mode. Below are some examples of how someone’s stress responses may look:
- Fight: While jogging, an aggressive dog approaches. Your jaw tightens, fists clench, and you stand taller, ready to confront the danger.
- Flight: You’re hiking alone in the woods and suddenly hear a loud, unexpected crashing sound in the underbrush nearby. You can’t see what caused it, but it startles you. Your heart immediately races, your breathing quickens, and you feel a jolt of adrenaline. You instinctively step back from the area where the sound originated, looking for a clear path to escape the immediate vicinity. You might even start to walk or run briskly away from the disturbance, seeking a more open and visible area where you feel safer.
- Freeze: Walking home late at night, you hear a gunshot-like sound. You freeze, heart pounding until you realize it was just a firework.
- Fawn: In a new relationship, your partner comments on your weight. Instead of responding, you joke about it and promise to lose weight.
These are normal stress responses. However, children who experience profound and chronic stress early in life can have heightened sensitivity in their body’s stress response, even when there’s no real danger present. This trauma, such as abuse or neglect, early in childhood can significantly impact their brain development.
As caregivers of children who have experienced early childhood trauma, it can be confusing when a child’s stress response is activated, and you have no clue what triggered it. Our children often don’t know how and cannot self-regulate during these moments. It’s essential that we, as adults, help them to manage their emotions and stress responses. We can do this by creating felt safety, connection, and co-regulation (working with our children to regulate their emotions).
Healing happens in creating trusting relationships and connections. The Coalition is here to support your family every step of the way.
Recommended Resources:
From the Resource Library
- Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors, by Robyn Gobbel
- Riley the Brave, by Jessica Sinarski
Tip Sheet
Training From Champion Classrooms
