Understanding trauma responses

OP / ED

April is both Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Awareness month. The following article is the third article of a five-week series focusing on raising awareness about sexual assault and child abuse. Locally, HCWC served 667 community members that experienced sexual assault or abuse and 937 children that suffered abuse and their protective caregivers.

One of the most misunderstood aspects of trauma is the way survivors respond to danger. Survivors of sexual violence will often hear, “Why didn’t you fight back?” or “Why didn’t you leave?” In hindsight, trauma affects the brain’s survival instincts leading to four primary responses: fight, flight, freeze and fawn.