The Fawn Response in Survivors

When we talk about how people respond to trauma, especially sexual assault, most folks know about fight, flight, and freeze. But there’s another way survivors might react called the "fawn" response. It is very important to understand this less talked about reaction.

Fight is when someone resists or pushes back against danger. Flight is when they run away to stay safe. Freeze is when they feel stuck and can’t move or act. The fawn response is different. It’s when a survivor tries to please or give in to the person harming them as a way to stay safe. They might agree, go along with things, or even act friendly to avoid more harm. This isn’t because they want to. It’s their body and mind doing whatever they can to survive.

For sexual assault survivors, the fawn response can be confusing. They might blame themselves later, thinking, "Why didn’t I fight or run?" But their brain was doing its best to protect them. Freeze and fawn can look similar because both involve not fighting back. But freeze is about being unable to move, while fawn is about trying to calm the situation by giving in. Both are normal survival responses, not choices.

Healing from trauma means understanding these responses without shame. Survivors who fawned might need help seeing that what they did was a smart way to stay alive in that moment. Therapy can help them process their feelings and learn new ways to feel safe. Body based therapy, like somatic work, can be especially helpful because trauma lives in the body as much as the mind.

Recognizing the fawn response helps survivors and their supporters have more compassion. It is not weakness. It’s survival. And healing starts when we honor every way a person finds to make it through.