# Embody Your Power Podcast - Episode 19 Crack the Survival Code and Thrive
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[00:00:02] hi I'm Danielle Karen and in this podcast I'm going to share with you knowledge and tools that I believe should be accessible to everyone they're fundamental and essential to Being Human embody your power is an integrative model that Bridges science spirituality and ancient wisdom to give you the resources needed to live your fullest potential as a psychotherapist for over 16 years and now as a coach I help people know reclaim and embody their power on all levels it's my mission to help you connect to your unshakable resilience to know true power and freedom to be Sovereign and to remember your divine nature if you're wanting to learn tools to release layers of conditioning heal from trauma feel at home in your body have inner peace expand your capacity for Joy connect spiritually and take a

[00:01:06] journey with me to embody your power then this podcast is for you thank you for joining me together let's raise our Consciousness to help evolve [Music] Humanity have you been in a car accident or another kind of scary traumatic event have you ever wondered how those events might still be impacting your life in this episode I'm going to break down the stages of the threat response cycle and how interruptions at different points can have a major impact on our lives we'll unlock the mysteries of fight flight and freeze as well as what comes before and after these responses stay tuned for a deep dive into the intricacies of trauma and survival instincts being wired for survival the

[00:02:10] threat response cycle emerges as a primal strategy shared by both human beings and our wild counterparts Peter LaVine the genius mind behind somatic experiencing sheds light on this intricate cycle to uncover the secrets of truma trauma trauma as LaVine explains occurs when our response to a threat is abruptly cut off leaving us with lingering unspent energy stored within our nervous system to truly grasp this let's break down the natural sequence of the threat response cycle imagine a deer in the woods peacefully grazing for food suddenly the leaves rustle a signal that kicks off the first step of the threat response cycle arrest and startle the deer halts attentive to the disturbance in its environment now the pace quickens with

[00:03:13] the Second Step defensive orienting the deer's head Rises neck extended eyes scanning wide nose alert as it instinctively seeks Clues with all of its senses about the disturbance in the forest of possibilities the third step in the cycle is a nuanced assessment is it danger or is it a benign disruption the deer's posture becomes more focused on identifying the threat its eyes and ears will narrow in muscles getting ready for action if the rustle is a harmless rodent life goes back to normal and the deer goes back to grazing for food however if the Deer Spots a human a Potential Threat the cycle moves to the fourth step in a Flash the cycle reaches its peak response to Danger Instinct takes over the

[00:04:17] sympathetic nervous system kicks in fueling the Primal responses of fight or flight energy surges through the deer's body preparing it to run its eyes scanning for an Escape Route success the deer runs to safety and the fifth step in the cycle emerges completion and discharge the threat is over and the body sheds the now unnecessary energy picture the deer trembling shaking as it physically discharges the energy that fueled its flight signaling the transition from emergency to normaly the deer can go back to exploratory orienting where it's open Curious and relaxed in its environment What If instead a sudden shift in the air alerted the Vigilant deer to the presence of a lurking mountain lion sensing danger the deer's instincts kick in and without a moment's

[00:05:22] hesitation It Bolts its powerful legs propelling it through the foilage in a desperate bid for survival the forest became a blur As the deer races against the Predators stealthy Pursuit the initial stages arrest and startle and defensive orienting propelled the deer into a high Stak Sprint assessing the eminent threat and seeking the best Escape Route as the mountain line closed in the deer's heart pounded and its muscles strained in a primal flight for survival the escalating threat triggered the sympathetic nervous system flooding the deer's body with the energy needed for a rapid Escape but survival in the wild is a delicate balance and in a harrowing moment the mountain line made its move and pounced on the deer the deer went down and flight quickly turned into freeze an instinctive response etched into the very fabric of its

[00:06:27] being in the blink of an eye the deer once a streak of motion became motionless a frozen statue it mimicked death a last Stitch effort to deceive the approaching Predator the freeze response mediated by the dorsal vagal system played out its complex orchestration blood pressure dropped muscles collapsed into a vegetative state and Stillness prevailed freeze engages both both High parasympathetic and sympathetic arousal simultaneously the forest held its breath as the drama unfolded a life hanging in the balance an intricate dance between predator and prey the freeze response often misunderstood became the silent savior it bought the deer precious seconds creating a window of opportunity to evade the mountain Line's subsequent attacks

[00:07:30] the mountain lion tired from the Chase isn't able to catch the deer when it comes out of freeze and is able to successfully get to safety our animal counterparts don't get lost in verbal or conceptual processing their awareness is always connected to their body and they don't hesitate to release the energy that's no longer needed the resolution arrives and the animal returns turn to its natural state of relaxed alertness in the realm of the threat response cycle we slow down the stages to understand them but in reality they unfold at a breathtaking Pace every second a pulsation in the Cadence of survival arrests startles orienting assessing and the completion and back to exploration all woven in into the fabric of

[00:08:32] survival now let's look at how this applies to us what happens when the threat response cycle is disrupted at the arrest startle stage something happens that is too much too fast before we have a chance to completely Orient ourselves to what's about to unfold this can happen in any type of accident natural disaster War EXP explosion anesthesia abuse fall car accident or something traumatic happening while we are asleep imagine this as a pivotal moment in your favorite movie The Scene that could alter the entire plot so if the response cycle gets cut short at the arrest stage it's like a record scratch in the soundtrack of your life picture this you experience a jaring impact just as your orienting process is initiated what follows is a Cascade of effects

[00:09:36] that can leave you feeling like you've lost the script if you were hit by something while scanning wide before identifying the threat Boom the impact hits and suddenly you're unable to pinpoint the danger everything becomes a Potential Threat and you're left in a state of disorientation feeling like Danger is lurking in every corner now what if the impact happened when your eyes were laser focused on the threat it's like hitting paws on the movie of your life and you're fixated stuck unable to broaden your perspective you might find yourself navigating through the world with a narrowed Vision missing out on the bigger picture let's bring it home with a real world example you're cruising in your car tunes playing and out of nowhere bam a loud sound initiates the arrest startle response in your body in the blink of an eye you spot a car hurdling

[00:10:39] towards you from the right your car gets hit and before you know it you're spinning off the road now here's where the plot thickens three potential outcomes one scenario is hypervigilance your brain concludes that all threats emanate from the right leading you to constantly scan in that direction every glance every turn of your head is an anxious survey of the right side which can cause a blind spot on the left another outcome is avoidance convinced that danger lurks on the right you become the master of evasion I'll just avoid looking that way altogether you think steering clear of potential threats which can unfortunately cause a dangerous blind spot for future driving and then there's extinguished orienting the impact leaves you perplexed unable to decipher where the danger was coming from in response you

[00:11:43] decide to not pay attention to any of it this can also have dangerous consequences when your ability to orient the environment is no longer available as we delve into the aftermath of such trauma the key to Healing lies in guiding people to slow down and Orient themselves to the threat so they're not hypervigilant or avoidant and they're paying attention to their environment in a relaxed Readiness an antidote to trauma involves helping people to orient themselves to what's about to happen let's take an example of a medical procedure it becomes crucial to ensure people are fully oriented to what's going to happen understanding the details of when and how the procedure will unfold this orientation acts as a calming bomb for the body fostering a sense of Readiness in the world of trauma helping someone Orient to something before it happens is

[00:12:47] key it's key to helping them regulate their nervous system which allows them to access their resilience to be with whatever is coming in situ situations like the car accident described earlier you can imagine the eyes can carry a significant charge given their role in orienting and so it's important to facilitate the release of this activation in the eyes by doing so we enable people to relax their eyes and return them to a state of normal functioning next let's explore the scenario where our threat response cycle phases a corupt disruption during the orienting stage some examples include walking and noticing the ground is slippery and suddenly you slip and fall the unexpected fall can prevent you from preparing for the impact this may result an increased vigilance around slippery surfaces or a tendency to avoid such

[00:13:50] environments altogether a loud and unexpected noise such as an explosion or a crash can abruptly initiate the arrest startle response and if the orienting stage is disrupted it can lead to a state of hypervigilance where we may be constantly on edge expecting potential threats in our environment in another situation we may be peacefully driving when suddenly another car collides with ours the impact disrupts the orienting stage preventing us from fully assessing the threat before the Collision this can lead to hypervigilance or avoidance of driving altogether due to unresolved trauma let's say someone is brought to the ER in a State of shock due to an injury they're in a heightened state of stress and pain shaking from the shock they see a nurse coming toward them but they aren't informed about what's about to happen the nurse gives the person

[00:14:52] general anesthesia so the person's nervous system goes from high sympathetic activation to being shut down without the ability to orient to what was coming the sudden and often unexpected loss of consciousness interrupts the natural process of assessing and orienting to the environment which can cause stuck energy in the nervous system when this energy doesn't get to release properly it can lead to hypervigilance unsure of where the threat is coming from or a tendency to repeat or avoid the sequence of going from a heightened state to shut down in their life when our threat response cycle is disrupted during the orienting stage we will experience a significant increase in the activation associated with orienting in the face of any change in our environment we tend to skip the stages of curiosity and initial Preparatory orienting plunging directly into a highly activated defensive reaction in these examples the

[00:15:56] disruption during the orienting stage can lead to various outcomes including hypervigilance avoidance behaviors or challenges in accurately assessing threats in the environment somatic experiencing can be very beneficial for healing from trauma and restoring a healthy threat response cycle in the realm of survival instincts we possess three primary responses fight flight or freeze healthy defensive responses have a diverse array of strategies to match the magnitude of the perceived threat there isn't a superior response to threat in the grand scheme survival takes precedence and the effectiveness of a response is measured by its ability to save our life however when we have unresolved Trauma from past experiences it can disrupt the ability to elicit our defensive responses when needed in the

[00:16:59] present unresolved past trauma can extinguish a fight ORF flight response so if the ability to fight has been extinguished we can lose access to it as an option furthermore the absence of our available defensive responses can Elevate activation in our nervous system right because we don't have all our options available to us it can cause more terror potentially pushing us into the highly activated freeze response if we have an incomplete fight response we may Veer towards extremes on one end there could be a tendency to avoid any form of Confrontation including asserting our boundaries on the opposite Spectrum there might be a fixation on seeking ways to engage in conflict or instigating fights another potential outcome of an incomplete fight response is a simultaneous experience of both rage and

[00:18:03] powerlessness when the fight response is hindered or obstructed it can manifest in feelings of being frozen shut down or dissociated for example if a child is being abused by an adult they're angry and they have the urge to fight back but they are powerless because they're too small to fight back in the midst of their rage and desire to fight they get hurt and they shut down the energy of the anger wasn't able to be released in a successful way their brain extinguishes the fight response due to its lack of Effectiveness or putting the child at more risk the child can also attempt to feel successful response by taking their anger out on something smaller than them like a sibling or a pet an incomplete flight response can lead to extremes as well resulting in either persistent avoidance of fleeing even when it would be beneficial or a constant inclination to be in a flight

[00:19:06] mode for example if a child grew up in a traumatic home they may have the urge to run away to get out again because the child is too small and dependent on their parents they aren't able to successfully complete the flight response as a result someone might resist moving from a job relationship or location even when doing so could be advantageous moreover when faced with a threatening situation an incomplete flight response may hinder the ability to elicit the necessary reaction on the flip side struggling with commitment or settling into a job relationship or location can be a sign of an incomplete flight response the constant need to be on the move maybe an attempt to seek resolution for this incomplete response to help someone heal from an incomplete defense of response we need to facilitate the movement towards

[00:20:09] completion which requires slowing down bringing awareness to the body being conscious and mindful and providing the brain and body with corrective experiences as I explored in episode 17 unfortunately some people turned to drugs in an effort to recreate the Escape experience they were unable to feel in the past next let's look at the freeze or immobility response it's not a conscious Choice within the threat response cycle hierarchy it automatically engages when excitation reaches a certain physiological threshold it operates as a circuit breaker shutting down the physiology when overloaded terror is a predominant emotion in trauma to Aid someone in healing from a freeze response the disentanglement of Terror from immobility is crucial in healing our goal is to be

[00:21:13] able to feel immobile without fear as is needed for a good night's sleep speaking of if someone had a traumatic event when they were sleeping or in a deep state of relaxation it can cuse problems with their ability to relax and sleep until they heal from the traumatic event if the freeze response is our only defensive response because others have been extinguished it can jeopardize future safety by not having access to fight ORF flight responses the Free State often feels comforting due to its numbing effect on bodily Sensations as we heal from trauma discomfort and pain May resurface although it might initially seem unwanted or unhelpful it's crucial to remain present in our body allowing these Sensations to move through to completion experiencing bodily

[00:22:15] Sensations is natural and we need to reorient ourselves to being in our body and being with our feelings we may need to do this in a titr trated manner to not overwhelm the nervous system and perpetuate a freeze response similar to animals humans May shake when emerging from a shock or freeze response encouraging and allowing the shaking process is essential as it facilitates the movement of activation through to completion when you feel your body shaking due to something scary or traumatic the best thing you can do is allow the shaking to happen by being present with it as you're assisting your nervous system in its natural process of healing lastly when working to restore survival responses a natural sequence can occur that is called brace collapse and

[00:23:16] rebound this process is a Tim limited response that will move through to completion when we stay present with the experience physically there will be bracing in our bodies from thwarted defensive responses which moves into collapse or immobility then into activation energy and an urge to defend oneself when we go into the collapse and we stay present with our body we will naturally feel our energy return in the rebound as a result of releasing bound activation in our nervous system we can experience experience deep states of expansion a name for the release of bound energy in our nervous system is discharge we discharge the energy and it can manifest as shaking trembling vibrations Goosebumps sweating deep breaths size and yawning yawning in this

[00:24:23] work isn't rude it's always encouraged as the nervous system is processing activation upon completing the responses and releasing the activation of the threat response cycle a natural progression leads us into exploratory orienting this state of being is characterized by openness curiosity presence and active engagement with others and the environment when we feel safe we are naturally inclined to feel curious and explore our environment as this episode comes to a close we've journeyed through the threat response cycle dissecting its stages from startle to completion Nature's survival strategies encapsulated in fight flight and freeze mirror our own responses trauma as Peter LaVine illuminates occurs when this cycle is abruptly halted leaving lingering energy Within in the aftermath of trauma the

[00:25:29] key lies in helping people slow down Orient to the threat and find a path to completion we can experience completion through corrective experiences which I explored in the previous episode we've witnessed how interruptions at various stages can imprint lasting effects influencing our reactions to Danger going forward an incomplete response may lead to extremes from avoiding confrontation to Perpetual restlessness our journey also touched upon the freeze response a silent savior in the face of danger and the importance of discharging bound energy in a slow process to restore equilibrium completion of the threat response cycle opens the door to exploratory orienting a state of openness curiosity and active engagement with the world around us at the end of this episode a key takeaway when navigating a threatening

[00:26:34] situation is to be aware of what's happening in your body and to be present with any Sensations that want to move through to [Music] completion thanks for listening to this podcast if you found this episode helpful please consider assisting me in reaching more people by sharing it with others or writing a review together let's raise our Consciousness to help evolve Humanity for more information please visit my website danielc caron.com that's d a n i e l l e c a r r o n.com
