Feigning Death

If you are a trauma survivor you are likely to know this experience very well. It is the reaction of freezing up, not being able to do anything to get away or fight back. Maybe you just "went along" with whatever was happening, you stared off in shock, felt you were helpless to do anything to stop what was happening.... Trauma survivors usually struggle with the idea of why they couldn't move, couldn't fight back, couldn't stop what was happening. "Why didn't I try to get away or fight back?" is a common question. The answer is that your body went into it's last line of defense - Feigning Death. This is the actual medical term for it. Sometimes it has also been referred to as, "fear paralysis," "playing possum," "frozen," "frozen in terror," or "stopped dead in my tracks." I am sure you can also come up with other words for it that fit your particular situation.

This experience doesn't happen because you were weak or cowardly; it happens because your body took over in an effort to survive the traumatic event. You weren't in control over this consciously. Your body does this despite what you may be thinking. This is your body's way of ensuring you won't die! 

Sexual abuse survivors often struggle with this. A common experience my clients have reported is being molested or raped, not being able to move and remaining frozen for a few moments after the assault. In movies you see a person who is just about to get into a car wreck. The person freezes in shock watching helplessly as their car crashes. There are many examples of this and I am sure you can think of many!

Physiologically, "Feigning Death" happens when your body's first line of defense, "Fight or Flight," fails. If you are not able to realistically fight your way out of a situation or run away, your body's survival response failed. Its last line of defense is to "play dead." Some people have even been known to go into a coma or even die! They were literally scared to death! Your body sends all its energy in slowing all body functions down, blood moves to vital organs. That is why you may feel paralyzed. Body slows things down significantly. You may even experience a sensation of leaving your body or things happening as though it is slow motion in a movie. It may feel like it isn't really happening.

Researchers now think that many PTSD symptoms are caused by the failure of one's fight/flight survival response that leads to the body's last line of defense, "Feigning Death." During the "Feigning Death" response, blood is moved to the critical areas of the brain. Other areas may be deprived or not as active. The critical life functioning areas are prioritized. Thus PTSD symptoms are created. Memory and verbal functions are not prioritized. The emotional centers of the brain are highly activated; emotions are a part of the body's survival response - emotions are the body's guides and alarm system. Your higher brain functions of conscious thought are not prioritized. So a person later experiences emotional triggers, nightmares, panic attacks, anxiety, depression, etc.

Also during "Feigning Death," people typically experience many dissociative symptoms. You may experience a floating sensation, not feel like what is happening is actually happening, not feel what is happening in your body or to your body, and even the sensation of your body not being your body. Your memory may be either extremely vivid but not consistent. Memories are like snapshots of events. Alternatively, a person may have amnesia for parts or the entire event. Some people experience a split of their sense of self. For example, some people experience floating above their body watching what is happening during a traumatic event. For children experiencing severe abuse during a key developmental period, feigning death may even cause a complete split in their sense of self. A child's mind, in desperation can create another imaginary person who will experience the trauma - an extreme way of coping. Some people learn to create separate "personalities" this way to cope with multiple incidents of repeated traumas.

Traumatic emotions get "stuck" in your mind and body. This becomes significantly disruptive in your life.