You ever find yourself snapping at your partner for no real reason?

Or shutting down in a meeting even though you had something important to say?

Or ghosting someone even though you really like them?

Or bending over backward to keep the peace even when it costs you your dignity. That's your nervous system doing what it thinks it needs to do to keep you safe.

These reactions have names.

Let me introduce you to the trauma response squad.

Fight, flight, freeze, and thawn.

And no, this isn't a new R&B group or a Marvel spinoff.

These are deeply rooted biological responses to stress and perceived danger.

And when left unchecked, they can run your whole emotional life.

Let's break them down, explore how they show up, and most importantly, talk about how we can work with them instead of against them, because you deserve to feel safe, powerful, and in charge of your life.

Welcome back to savvy psychologist. I'm your host, Dr. Monica Johnson. Every week on this show, I'll help you face life challenges with evidence-based approaches,

a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

When your brain senses danger, real or imagined, it flips into survival mode.

This happens in the amygdala.

It doesn't ask questions like, is this really a threat?

Or is this just a Zoom call with my boss?

It just reacts.

Your autonomic nervous system then send signals to your body to prepare for danger no matter what kind it is.

That process which kicks in faster than you can say microaggression,

is called the stress response, and it typically falls into one of four categories.

Number one is fight. Your brain thinks, I can take this. So it gears you up to confront the threat

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