Key points

"Freeze" describes two distinct responses: an alert pause before action and a complete physiological shutdown.

Lock keeps you primed and ready while your brain assesses danger; immobilization happens after escape fails.

Confusing these reactions leads to misdiagnosis and makes people misunderstand their adaptive responses.

I've been writing about how we use the term " trauma " to name everything painful. Well, there are additional problems with the use of language under the trauma studies. I want to talk today about "freeze."

We've been using that word—freeze—to describe two completely different reactions to threat. And it's causing real confusion for everyone trying to understand whether they're traumatized or what their symptoms mean.

Think about it. When your therapis

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