How Anxiety Affects the Brain 9/30 How to Recognize and Turn off the Fight/Flight/Freeze Response

Get the course: How to Process Your Emotions

Learn how anxiety affects your brain. How does anxiety affect your brain? When your deep brain perceives a threat, it turns on the anxiety response. Anxiety turns down your ability to think, and your brain goes into a protective reactive mode called the fight/flight/freeze response. This physical reaction that your brain and body has is a huge part of anxiety, and it makes it hard to solve problems and control our behaviors. When you learn to identify the fight/flight/freeze response, you can learn techniques to calm yourself down, get thinking again, and respond differently.

Understanding how anxiety affects your brain can help you learn how to stop reacting to emotions, stop doing stupid stuff that you regret later, and live a happier life where your actions line up with who you want to be.

Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC, and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

About Me:
I’m Emma McAdam. I’m a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and I have worked in various settings of change and growth since 2004. My experience includes juvenile corrections, adventure therapy programs, wilderness therapy programs, an eating disorder treatment center, a residential treatment center, and I currently work in an outpatient therapy clinic.

In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC
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[circadianite]

As a person who can’t afford therapy, thank you for your efforts. It means a lot.

[mohammedalshannat]

I can't afford therapy. I am from Gaza. You saved my life and thousands in Gaza! Keep up the good work, Emma!❤

[TherapyToThePoint]

I find that accepting anxiety instead of fighting anxiety can reduce the intensity of what I am feeling.

[RedBroski]

The weirdest thing about this fear response is how it only feels terrible when you think about it. A panic or anxiety attack feels like the end of the world, but in an actual dangerous situation, you hardly even feel it.

Like you said...it gives tunnel vision and you don't even think. I always found it weird how I would have these intense panic attacks, and feared those feelings because of how they caused me to catastrophize and spiral into darker and darker thoughts.

Yet, one time I accidently kicked in a wasp nest, and got chased by the entire hive. I felt like a ghost. It was the coolest and most surreal experience, terrifying yes, but in the moment there were no spiraling thoughts. Just "RUN." And I practically flew across the field, I felt like Usain Bolt.

[sammirolo]

I am in therapy, and I have found myself (more than once) explaining and discussing things with my therapist that I have learned from this channel. I can't help but feel that without you and your channel - I wouldn't be getting the same level of help that I currently am.
Thank. You. So. Much.

[swathi]

How to turn off fight flight fawn response
1. Become aware of your triggers
2. Learn to notice your body signs
3. Notice that you are flooding
4. Pause
5. Try to calm down
6. Ask for a break
7. Commit to coming back to issue
8. Time to Self sooth
9. Come back to problem from calmer perspective

[tuinstadtine]

It gave me a smile on my face realising that the fight flight freeze reaction that i so often 'suffer' from is actually a sweet loving (but often overactive and exagurated ) reaction of my brain to keep me alive: it wants me strongly to live! That makes ME to want to live, because its MY brain! I'll just need the skills and insights to relax and soothen her. Maybe some might think: duhh! But for me that was a new insight, kind of an epiphany. Thank you for your great videos; you present the information in such a nice and educative way that i totally connect with and relate to it eventhough i'm not an english speaking person by origin. Keep up the good work. Thankfull greetings from Amsterdam!

[cest.lucille]

I suffer from severe social anxiety. Thank you Emma for helping us get through this very unpleasant feeling. We don’t need these in life!

[jennyfulcher]

I've suffered from generalized anxiety disorder all my life. I've learned to relax through breathing, humming, meditating, going on walks, self-soothing, etc. However, I don't always do this and then my anxiety returns. I'm a highly-sensitive person and tend to be hyper-aware of my body sensations, so it's especially important for me to calm down and try to be more of an observer. Your video is a reminder of what I need to do. Thanks for sharing. Jen

[kimberlydavis]

I have complex-ptsd, major depression, anxiety and ocd. I also have social anxiety and that's not counting all my other health issues. It's a daily struggle.

[TwattyWankers]

I finally blew up emotionally towards my mom today after years of repression. Felt like a huge weight lifted off my body. I’ve had gut & anxiety issues for forever, & I could feel the anxiety and gut feelings strongly when venting. Makes sense why my repressed emotions effect my gut etc. I cut her off and am going to focus on not repressing my emotions as well as being myself without fear of being judged etc, I’ve repressed that for forever too.

[Ostipherous]

It is amazing how we can authentically help each other, by revealing our vulnerabilities. Recognising we are from the same design makes it all a little easier.

[supereurobeat]

I have wasted so many decades on anxiety and depression to end up where I am right now. Thanks for offering these free courses and I am willing to listen and follow your recommendations. I hope I end up in a better place after they are done. :)

[peterderun]

Never realised going blank before a talk was actually a protective responseto a perceived threat! The 3 F's are amazing - will need to increase my knowledge on how they operate in my life. Thanks!

[sans]

im learning so much i this course :) cant believe we get this for free thank you

[Dinwadonyachannel]

Thanks a million it s reallly helpful
I suffer every night from flight or fight response

[WendyMcMullen]

I love your videos. I'm 58 years old and have been in therapy for most of my life and I'm so stunned at how much more knowledge I've acquired after watching your videos. My youngest daughter struggles with anxiety and these videos are wonderful for her as well.

[VirtualFeats]

This is such a realistic video thank you for sharing - If you are reading this - you are doing great, it will get easier and be better tomorrow! Sending a like and love from Ireland 🇮🇪 forgive yourself ❤️

[smyrnasstory]

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, But a good word cheers it up”

[AbstruseDaPoet]

Thank you and I learned to not see anxiety as bad but as a normal thing and it has gotten better to manage instead of trying to control or suppress it.