Quote:
Originally Posted by shakespeare47
Thanks CopperStar. I'm also wondering if it is something that a lot of abuse survivors struggle with.
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I believe so. Your options as far as coping are pretty limited as a child, because you instinctively understand that you depend on your caregiver(s) for survival.
Normally you have your fight/flight/freeze mechanisms to help you survive.
However if you kill your caregiver (primitive fight psychology), you're doomed.
If you run away from home (primitive flight psychology), you're doomed.
This leaves only "freeze" and then also, "appease" left on the table.
Once you become an adult and are no longer dependent on caregivers for survival, all of your survival mechanisms are free to activate.
For some people, they suddenly have a ton of old, pent-up rage coming to the surface as the "fight" mechanism activates for the first time in their life.
For some people, they suddenly have panic attacks and such as all of that pent-up fear comes rushing to the surface, as the "flight" mechanism activates for the first time in their life.
For some people, they continue to disassociate and/or appease as their primary coping mechanism(s).
And for some people, all of this stuff happens intermittently.