Written by: Angie Berrett, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Play is a powerful resource to reduce distress caused by being in your “Fight, Flight, or Freeze” responses. Playful movements allow you to safely feel sensations of fear while expanding your Window of Tolerance to the discomfort.
Have you wondered how to overcome being in Fight, Flight, or Freeze? Have you ever felt like fear holds you back?
Living life without fear sounds amazing, but would create a whole new set of problems!
Your Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), also known as Fight, Flight, and Freeze, is designed to help protect you and keep you safe. There are 2 divisions of the Autonomic Nervous System; your Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) or the Fight or Flight portion, and the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS), or the Freeze portion.
When you sense danger, your body triggers a series of events, striving to keep you from harm.
First, your Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS), or Fight or Flight takes over. Your body releases hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, preparing your body to escape or defend itself. Your heart rate and breathing increase, while your system sends blood and energy to your muscles.
In Fight or Flight, you often will feel:
Stress
Irritable
Anxious
Fearful
Angry
Jittery
Next, your body goes into your Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS), or Freeze. Freeze numbs you so that you don’t feel pain. You still have the energy of the SNS, just no way to release it
In Freeze, often you will feel:
Overwhelmed
Shut down
Depressed
Helpless
The sensations and feelings that arise from Fight, Flight, or Freeze can be incredibly uncomfortable!
When you are in a safe environment, learning what it feels like to be in your Fight, Flight and Freeze helps expand your Window of Tolerance to these uncomfortable sensations.
Play is the best way to do that! Playful, joyful movements allow you opportunities to feel all the sensations associated with Fight, Flight, and Freeze in ways that are fun, low-stress, and without fear. Playful movements, imagination, and creativity provide space for sensory or somatic experiences in ways that feel empowering and safe.
An easy way to understand this relationship is by Playing the Game “Green Light/Red Light”:
Imagine you are at a stoplight that only has a green light and a red light. When the light turns green, make any movements that you would if you were fighting or fleeing. Try running, kicking, punching, screaming, or anything else you would do. Explore what is happening in your body with your heart rate, your breathing, where you feel tightness in your muscles, etc.
When your imaginary light turns red, freeze in place. Hold still trying not to move a muscle. Get curious about what is happening in your body during the freeze. What are you feeling? Even though your body is “frozen” in place, what is happening inside?
As you move back and forth between green light and red light, get curious and explore what sensations are coming up for you.
Play is beneficial in overcoming Fight, Flight, or Freeze because all mammals, you included, are born with brains pre-wired for play. Think of how puppies and babies learn to experience their world. You were born with this powerful resource. As an adult, you still have that wiring of play.
How do you know what is considered play? Researcher Gordon Burghardt defined 5 criteria for play. They are:
The action is not necessary for survival
The behavior is done for its own sake and can be rewarding, pleasurable, spontaneous, voluntary, etc.
It is incomplete, exaggerated, awkward, or modified
Behaviors are performed repeatedly but not rigidly
The person is in a relaxed or low-stress environment
Here are 2 playful, joyful moves for you to try. You can do these seated, standing, or even laying down.
1. To overcome Fight or Flight, try “Tyrannosaurus Rex”
Come to a comfortable position. Imagine you are a T Rex. How would you stand? What would your posture be? Now, start stomping around your space like you are a T-Rex. How would you move? Growl like a T-Rex would. Move around imitating a fierce, feared dinosaur. Do this for as long as you want. Stop and shake your muscles out. Then repeat as often as needed
Notice how you feel inside. What has shifted for you? Instead of feeling fear, how did it feel to be a feared dinosaur?
2. To overcome Freeze, try “Caterpillar into Butterfly”
Imagine you are a caterpillar in a cocoon and cannot move. How would you start to break out of your cocoon? Start with 1 or 2 fingers pulling apart the cocoon. Then begin to wiggle your body out of the imaginary cocoon. When you feel ready, escape the cocoon and pretend you now have butterfly wings. How would you move if you had butterfly wings? Imagine you start to fly away with those butterfly wings. Shake it out when finished.
Explore how it felt to escape feeling stuck and trapped. How did it feel to be able to fly away?
Play is a fun, built-in resource you have available to help you overcome Fight, Flight, or Freeze!
To learn how PLAY can help you reduce the distress of Fight, Flight, or Freeze, CLICK HERE NOW to schedule a free consultation! I have a few spots left for individual coaching, and I would love to help you overcome whatever is holding you back.
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Angie Berrett, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Angie Berrett (she/they) is an Intuitive Movement Coach, Registered Nurse, Advanced Trauma Informed Yoga Instructor, Stand-Up Paddleboard Yoga Instructor and child abuse survivor who understands the human body and how it works. Discovering playful ways of moving taught her how to listen to her body, overcoming her own personal trauma in ways traditional modalities could not. She is the Owner and Creator of Angie Berrett Movement, coaching people to relieve stress, anxiety, depression and trauma through play, movements and fun so they can have healing and peace in their lives.
