Working with the Freeze Response with Peter Levine, PhD

In this insightful video, Peter Levine, PhD, delves into the freeze response, a natural instinctive reaction to perceived danger.

He begins by explaining the fight-or-flight response and how our bodies prepare for action when we sense a threat. However, if escape is not possible, the freeze response kicks in, resulting in a state of muscular immobility and stiffness.

Dr. Levine emphasizes that while the freeze response once served as a protective mechanism, it can now limit us in various ways.

[angelbulldog]

My mom was a narc. I couldnt fight her. She was a slim and fit six feet tall and seemed like a giant to me as a little thing. I couldn't fight her because I was so much smaller. I couldn't run because the punishment (read beatings) would've been much worse. Only other alternative was to freeze. I still do even in my mid70s.
Can you imagine my messed-up attachment? She was the one I turned to for comfort, care, and sustenance but I was petrified of her. Became an addict/alcoholic, now clean and sober almost 16 years. Got back to my roots in the Bible. Life is still far from perfect but I've learned ways to deal with it. I pray for healing for all of us.

[anaisminto]

Very grateful for this explanation! A few month ago I started coming out of severe freeze in a very titrated manner and for the first time I was making progress, able to tap into a sense of calme and safety. Until my “trauma therapist” tried to push me to do more way more then I felt capable. He didn’t see the body component and labelled me as merely resistant and destructive for not complying. The way he spoke to me, making me doubt all the progress I had made and wich he had witnessed before, retraumatised me. I quit the therapy and work with a somatic practitioner. It is painful to have experienced someone who is ought to know about these involuntary bodily limits push someone over the edge. It tought me that no authority has the right to decide about my body and my pace. It did touch upon an early trauma and though it was painful it was also liberating to put a boundary and leave. It’s been several month now that I work towards regaining a sense of safety and movement.

[victoryamartin]

Thank you for that explanation. That will help me be kinder to myself while I remain paralyzed with indecisiveness. When I am able to think, I can formulate plans to free myself, but when it comes to carrying out the plans, I get stuck in the fear. As I watch life passing me by, I am helpless to catch up with it.

[theseventh]

Makes so much sense. Scared stiff. All muscles are tense and it's SO hard to release them. I have to deal with the threat because they're family. I need to deal with all this while still IN the situation. The fight or flight is coming down but is now a freeze, overwhelm and desperation feeling of not being able to move or feed myself. I've been doing the work for a couple of months and seen so many changes, will keep going!

[azeminaay]

damn, this completely explains my neck soreness/tightness which I have been suffering from for years. thank you Peter and God bless you!

[Kambaba]

Thanks for the video. I have freeze response while standing or in motion, knocked myself out last year. It’s been the slowest recovery ever. I haven’t walked unaided in 2 years due to fear of freeze while upright, but have no problem in deep snow where I know I can’t get hurt.

[NatalieVasilyev]

This is very helpful to understand what is happening with one's body. The. best explanation of the freeze response.

[kelmac]

Wow you just described my muscles. Daily they shake when I move them - they feel jittery and shaky. More on contraction that release. I’m definitely in a freeze response.

[Mushroom-]

Please do more videos!! You have a calm voice !!! 😊😊

[hew]

I cried thru explanation for Fibromyalgia Syndrome.

[klattalexis]

I actually know of a lady whose dream was to move into the country to have a hobby farm. It had long been her dream. She had every kind of farm animal you can imagine. However, she began experiencing vandalism, animal deaths, and mutilations of her beloved pets. The police just suggested perhaps she should think about moving and suggested that if these things were really happening, perhaps she was doing these things herself for attention even though she had shown dead & mutilated animals and shown them to the police and her veterinarian could vouch for all the deaths and mutilations but the vet was never contacted. Then the vandalism and drive-by shootings began, 5 to be exact and it was suggested that next time she should go out and get the license plate number in the dark with a flashlight.

She was in the freeze response after 30 years of C-PTSD and was unable to sign the realtor's documents to sell her property. Finally, a relative was able to put his hand over her hand forcing the signing of all the legal documents in order for her to sell her property. Little did the perpetrators realize that it was their fault she was unable to sign the documents sooner and move away!

[janetpattison]

We had time to take-flight! There was a long driveway to our house, so we had a look-out child, who’d watch for my dad’s approaching car about 5pm every day, so they could yell out to the remaining 5 siblings, “dad’s home!”, and we’d all run as fast as we could & in a panic, to seek cover, or hide in our rooms. My mom never mentioned it. It was a welcome holiday if he was working out of town & not home on any given day. I give my bully dad 100% of the credit for ruining our family.

[excel]

Too much 'freeze' response, I would offer would create fatigue and too much fatigue will become 'chronic fatigue' and pain. This wouldn't explain every aspect of CFS but I can see how it would be a contributing factor.

[nederhood]

I had a spider bite in my hind arm unexpectedly while I extended my hand to pick up an object. It was a stinging bite. I continued with my work. The body responded by inhibiting the extensor muscle. Since then I am having stiffness in that arm as a response to the trauma the arm underwent. Autonomic response.

[sarahwagland]

This is exactly what happens with horses. I have a mare with PTSD and very quick to adopt the freeze response which is very dangerous cos you don't know when its going to spill over. Movement is key, getting control of the hind legs to get her to engage her brain.

[kathybramley]

Wondering - as a person with Autistic and ADHD diagnosis with a sometimes personal interest in schizophrenia - about the relationship to similar conditions we talk about in those contexts, how we explain the links and separate them: catatonia, and autistic shutdowns and autistic catatonia, adhd paralysis. These are terms which many clients will know about, or some might not but might hear about if they start to talk to others about the freeze response.

[anaban]

i was driving 6.5 hours yestarday and the whole time i was in freeze mode. it was hard and i didn't know what to do. i stopped once to try to get myself to be normal but i could only stop the pain in fingers and but muscles, stil i remain in freeze mode. i wasn't putting anybody in danger cause i took the slower road and the minimum speed limit, also pulling aside if there was a jam. But it is sth i shouldn't do and experience anymore.

[karindegraaf]

Good information on the freeze response. I would like to hear more about freeze being a parasympathetic response with a lower heart rate and blood pressure while simultaneously stiffened muscles. I find it difficult to combine the polyvagal theory with other models of stress responses. Does anybody offer a comprehensive theory that includes all the information?

[miriamceornea]

the example with the water made me think about Parkinson, don't know if it works that way but can it be that if you have experience a lot of traumatic things that it could lead to later in life to this type of reactions from the body? as far as I know the body is just a projection of what is going on inside of us

[Artista.Atipica]

When freezing happens often, how to differ it from catatonia?