Trauma, defined as a deeply distressing or disturbing experience that can have lasting effects on a person’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being, is not always obvious or linked to a single, identifiable event.
Sometimes, trauma can result from a series of subtle incidents or ongoing circumstances, making it harder to identify but no less impactful.
What one individual deems as traumatic may not be the same for another, as our survival responses are uniquely different depending on our history, genetics, environment, and many other factors.
For many of our clients at Centres for Health and Healing, trauma often becomes subtly stored in the nervous system, influencing how the individual reacts, relates to others, and copes with life long after the original experience has passed.
Understanding the different trauma responses commonly described as fight, flight, freeze, and fawn is a profoundly important step in the recovery process, particularly when it comes to addiction.
Of course, naming something doesn’t immediately relieve your symptoms or take away your cravings.
However, it can help you identify how your past experiences have affected you, enabling you to get the help and support you need to finally get control over your life and your symptoms.
Remember, trauma responses, no matter how unpleasant they may feel, are not character flaws or conscious choices.
They are deeply embedded survival strategies developed by your brain and body to protect you during actual or perceived danger or threats.
How we can help
At Centres for Health and Healing, we help individuals identify unhelpful patterns associated with unresolved trauma, which often manifest as alcoholism and/or drug abuse or other forms of addiction like gambling or gaming.
When individuals can identify these patterns as coping mechanisms, they can shift from shame and self-blame to self-compassion and understanding.
Over time, this awareness enables a meaningful transition from merely surviving to truly thriving.
If this sounds like you or someone you love, it’s crucial for you to know you are not alone in these struggles.
Many people who struggle with addiction often have a long history of trauma that drives these behaviours. Still, with proper help and support, it is possible to recover and get well again.
Speak to a member of our team today to discover how our trauma and addiction treatment programs can support your journey toward healing and transformation.
Our team is just a phone call away.
We’re here to help.
Contact us today for a no-obligation conversation with one of our professionals.
How trauma affects the nervous system
When your brain senses danger, the nervous system automatically activates a variety of survival responses that are unique for you – whether the threat is physical, emotional, relational, or psychological.
For those with a history of trauma, the nervous system may remain in a heightened state of alert or activation even after the actual danger has passed.
Many people turn to substances, consciously or unconsciously, as a way to regulate these overwhelming internal states.
Alcohol or drugs may offer temporary relief from anxiety, fear, emotional pain, or provide a fleeting sense of control, which can make you feel good in the moment.
However, over time, this can lead to dependency and may reinforce the cycle between trauma and addiction.
For instance, someone may use alcohol to cope with painful memories related to their past, which may work in the short term.
The alcohol takes the edge off the pain, making everything feel warmer and less intense.
However, once the alcohol wears off, the sadness, shock, shame, and anxiety return (often a lot worse than before).
But as well as the memories, the individual also has to deal with the unpleasant effects of alcohol – sluggishness, sweating, fast heartbeat, regret, more shame and irritability.
This can often ignite a cycle of trauma and addiction as the person spirals into a pattern of avoidance and consequence that can be hard to break, at least without professional support.
Recognizing trauma responses in daily life: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn in addiction recovery
As mentioned, there are four main trauma responses that many use as a way to cope with something disturbing or traumatic, particularly those in addiction recovery.
These responses include:
Fight
The fight response, which is the part of the nervous system that becomes upregulated in times of crisis or danger, can manifest as anger, defensiveness, irritability, or a need to control situations or other people.
In daily life, this might look like impulsive emotional reactions, difficulty trusting authority, relationship conflicts, or a constant feeling of being on edge or nervous.
The fight response ensures you are always on guard and ready for conflict – it’s the part that protects you against anything that feels threatening, risky, or potentially harmful.
Think of it as your internal bodyguard, always there to keep you safe and out of harm’s way.
Many people use alcohol or other substances like opioids or marijuana to manage the conflicting emotions associated with the fight response, particularly since anger is not fully understood or accepted in many cultures.
Flight
The flight response tends to activate feelings of avoidance and restlessness.
Many people in this state feel deeply anxious, fearful, and like they can’t sit still for long, if at all.
Those experiencing this response may stay constantly busy, distracted, have difficulty sitting with their emotions, avoid hard conversations, or struggle with profound anxiety.
Substances such as alcohol or recreational drugs can become a way to “escape” the internal discomfort when slowing down feels threatening or unsafe.
Freeze
Freeze occurs when the nervous system shuts down due to overwhelm or shock.
This can often manifest as emotional numbness, deep sadness, feeling stuck, difficulty making decisions, or a sense of hopelessness and despair.
It can also impact you physically, causing you to experience:
- Exhaustion.
- Physical numbness.
- Sluggishness.
- Brain fog and chronic fatigue.
Those who are stuck in the freeze response may find social interactions exhausting, even when the desire to connect is present.
They are also at risk of substance use disorders like alcohol addiction or cocaine abuse, as these substances are often used to help them cope with the emotions and sensations associated with freeze or shutdown.
Fawn
Fawn responses involve appeasing others to maintain safety, such as people-pleasing, difficulty saying no, or putting others’ needs over one’s own.
This is a deeply ingrained response (often stemming from childhood), in which an individual may have had to please a parent, calm them down, or take care of an adult figure, usually a parent or guardian.
This may lead to a loss of self-identity, relational safety, and the use of substances to cope with suppressed emotions or unmet needs.
Identifying these trauma responses and how they may show up in daily life, especially for those in addiction recovery, is crucial and may help you or someone you love get the help and support you need to recover more quickly.
Early intervention is vital and can help you avoid the long-term health complications associated with prolonged substance abuse.
Recovery at Centres for Health and Healing
It’s important to remember that trauma responses, whether fight, flight, freeze or fawn, once served an important purpose: they helped you survive something that may have felt unsurvivable at the time.
In recovery, however, these same patterns can make it more challenging to regulate your emotions, build healthy relationships, and prevent relapse if left unaddressed.
At Centres for Health and Healing, our trauma-informed approach takes into account the different trauma responses and their purpose-whether fight, flight, freeze, or fawn-not as a label, but as a foundation for personalized awareness and growth.
This approach can empower you to make meaningful decisions and positive changes in your life and unique recovery journey.
Our approach to trauma and addiction treatment in Toronto
At Centres for Health and Healing, we believe that sustainable recovery does not mean pushing through your trauma or eliminating responses by “fixing” or bypassing your emotional experience.
True recovery comes from learning to regulate the nervous system, build emotional and relational safety, and develop healthier coping strategies.
At our treatment centre in Toronto, we can support you with:
- Trauma-informed therapy helps you to establish a deeper sense of safety in your body, relationships and choices so that your past no longer impacts you in the same way.
- Mindfulness and somatic practices such as yoga, mindfulness, and breathwork can help regulate your nervous system, enabling you to feel more embodied and in control.Â
- Cognitive behavioural therapy enables you to identify and understand unhelpful thoughts and beliefs that may cause or worsen substance use, helping you reframe past experiences and make healthier choices.
- Building secure, supportive relationships through peer support and group therapy enables you to share your experiences in a safe environment while remaining accountable for your own choices and decisions.
- Integrated treatment for trauma and addiction. These programs use a range of approaches such as trauma therapy, behavioural therapy, detox, peer support and relapse prevention strategies to help you maintain sobriety after treatment.
The bottom line?
When the nervous system feels safe, the urge to escape, numb, or control other people or situations begins to soften, which often means you will no longer feel the need to turn to substances to cope as much as you once did.
If you notice fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses showing up in your life or in the life of someone you care about, remember: this is all to be expected given what you’ve been through.
These are natural survival patterns that everyone experiences when safety feels threatened.
With the right support, treatment approach, and guidance, these responses can be changed so that you no longer feel like you are just getting by; instead, you will begin to experience a more peaceful, joyous, and resilient life.
At Centres for Health and Healing in Canada, we understand the deep connection between trauma and addiction.
Our comprehensive programs support you as the whole, unique individual you are – mind, body, and nervous system, helping you build resilience, self-awareness, and meaningful recovery.
Remember, recovery is not about returning to who you were before the trauma occurred.
It’s about creating a life where you no longer have to live in survival mode, and that recovery is not only possible, it’s well within your reach.
If you or someone you care about is struggling, our team is here to listen and offer support. Contact our treatment centre in Toronto today for a private, no-obligation discussion.