Key points
- There is a third state of stress reaction that exists between fight, flight, and freeze: Withdrawal.
- Withdrawal is a predictable instinct to overwhelming encounters with danger and stress.
- In the short term, withdrawal is a helpful reaction that helps a survivor regroup and recuperate after trauma.
- In the long term, withdrawal becomes a prolonged and complex response that takes over and impedes trauma survivors’ entire life.
Source: Fight-Flight-Freeze and Withdrawal | Psychology Today United Kingdom
