Fight, Flight & Freeze: A Different Way to Look at Depression and Anxiety [Transcript]
Typically when we talk about depression and anxiety we think about their differences. Individuals who are in a depressed state may have low energy, feel hopeless, and generally slowed down. Anxiety, on the other hand, is characterized by high stress, panic, racing thoughts, and feeling generally keyed up. And while these may seem like opposite experiences, the truth is that more than 60% of people with depression also report some symptoms of anxiety. So, instead, it might be helpful to think of these experiences, not as two separate states, but as two sides of the same coin. One way to do that is to look at depression and anxiety on a neurobiological level, especially the ways that your brain and body communicate with each other to protect you during times of stress.
Read more: Understanding your body’s response to anxiety
Sympathetic Response
The experiences of depression and anxiety are explained by some theorists as reactions to an overwhelmed nervous system. So, when you are under any kind of stress, your body may perceive your environment as unsafe. Our bodies have built-in systems to deal with danger and one of those systems is the fight-and-flight, or sympathetic, response. You may have heard about fight-and-flight: it is an activated state in which your body prepares to take immediate action in the face of a threat. From an evolutionary standpoint, this is very useful. Our early human ancestors encountered all sorts of life-or-death situations, such as predators or inclement weather, and in those situations, they had to literally either fight danger or flee from danger. That’s where the sympathetic response kicks in and, with this response, your heart rate increases, your muscles tense, your breathing may quicken, all in preparation to run or to fight. Even though we may very rarely experience the same level of danger as our early human ancestors, we still have this response and each of these sympathetic features (feeling activated, tense, quick shallowing breathing) are all symptoms associated with anxiety.
Parasympathetic Response
We also have other built-in responses, including our parasympathetic, or freeze, response. This is a state that gets triggered when there seems to be no use in running or fighting and is a somewhat paralyzing response, sort of like an animal “playing dead” when a predator is nearby. In the freeze response, you may have reduced movement, feel dissociated or outside of your body, and feel generally numb. These are also all common symptoms of depression.
So, we have the fight-and-flight response, which looks a lot like anxiety, and the freeze response, which looks a lot like depression. Usually, if you learn these concepts in a biology class, this is the point where you stop. However, there is one more element of this nervous system process called social engagement. Social engagement occurs when you perceive your environment as safe, you are able to reach out to others to get your needs met, and are able to engage with the world around you in a positive way. You might think of this as the times in which you feel you are at your very best and, if you struggle with anxiety and depression, this is likely the state that you are trying to get back to.
Why is it important to understand these concepts? One of the common features of both anxiety and depression is a tendency toward self-blame. But, by understanding this essential concept, you will be better able to remember the most essential truth of all: that it is not your fault. Whatever the reason, whether stress or trauma or a biological predisposition, you are feeling unsafe and your body is doing whatever it can to protect you. That means that what you are going through makes a lot of sense.
Watch: Understanding and Coping with Depression
Along with that, it is important to remember that fight-and-flight and freeze are not the only possible outcomes for you. Social engagement, the optimal functioning where you feel most like yourself, is an essential part of your nervous system too. With some help and support along the way, it is entirely possible to live a life that feels safer. Knowing about fight-and-flight and freeze can give you a different way for you to think about your experiences with depression and anxiety. By considering your distress with a sense of curiosity and acceptance, rather than self-blame and judgment, you will likely be better able to work towards finding relief.
The ideas shared in this blog post are based in Dr. Stephen Porges’s Polyvagal Theory. For more on this subject, you can read Dr. Porges’s article, Neuroception: A Subconscious System for Detecting Threats and Safety.
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8 comments
Christy is an amazing video! I especially love the part when you talk about self-compassion, which I think is extremely important.
This is such an informative and helpful video, Christy! Since people so often feel shame around depression and anxiety, it is so helpful to understand the ways that these conditions are linked to systems that are just trying to keep us alive. Thanks for this insight!
It’s important to know our body’s response to our emotions. It makes us feel more in tune with our mind and body. More importantly, this video shows us the similarities between depression and anxiety and makes us look at them in a different light.
Great resource and a good reminder to extend compassion to ourselves, rather than judgment when anxiety/depression show up in our lives
Hey Christy,
I really like this topic. Coming back to the science and facts is always helpful to debunk some self blame and shame surrounding our bodies natural response to stress. Thank you for breaking it down so eloquently!
Thanks Christy for a great informative topic. Normalizing body responses and how that relates to anxiety and depression as instinctive cues helps me understand mood shifts differently.
My thoughts exactly, and you are the only other person I’ve heard specifically say it. I recently emailed Stephen Porges about this view of anxiety and depression. I was elated that he replied and that he said I was on the right track. I’ve often heard of submission being part of the freeze response. Submission is looking out for the needs of others and neglecting our own. I have a dog that is extremely submissive and acts in a way that we would call “depressed” most of the day. Fortunately for my dog, she doesn’t have the internal dialog that includes all those shoulds and shouldn’t we humans subject ourselves to.
This is so helpful, Christy! Often people have difficulty describing their feelings, this difficulty can increase their anxiety. This will surely help people understand the feelings that impact their body and mood. Many people have told me that their anxiety gives them depression, this blog helps explain how the two are intertwined. Awesome!