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Trauma Responses - Tonic Immobility

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Nicolette

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We all know the common trauma responses of flight, fight and freeze. These are all hyper-vigilant responses.

Today I learned a little about Tonic Immobility in humans being a hypo-vigilant response. I have Googled it and most of what is written refers to Animals but I found this extract


Tonic immobility is a basic defense strategy which has not been studied in depth in humans. Data suggest that it may be a relatively frequent phenomenon in victims of rape and sexual abuse, but its occurrence has not been systematically explored in other types of trauma. We carried out a retrospective study in a sample of 100 university students to establish whether tonic immobility varies depending on the nature of the worst trauma experienced, defined subjectively by each participant. Immobility was assessed using the Tonic Immobility Scale and traumas were assessed using the modified Traumatic Events Questionnaire. Seventy percent of the sample had experienced trauma of some kind. There were no significant differences in tonic immobility between different types of trauma (e.g., physical abuse, assault or aggression, serious accident), except that the mean tonic immobility score was significantly higher in the group with trauma due to physical/psychological or sexual abuse than in the group with trauma due to receiving news of the mutilation, serious injury, or violent or sudden death of a loved one. We conclude tentatively that tonic immobility may be typical not only of sexual traumas, but of other kinds of directly experienced traumas as well.

Authors: Bados, A., Toribio, L. and García-Grau, E.

It was explained to me as a rat playing dead in the mouth of a python in order to survive. I can't recall right now the example given as a human example of the same but I am interest if others have heard of it?
 
That's interesting.

I think what I have called freezing, is more likely to be tonic immobility in that case.

It's not something I've heard of.

But in my experience, intense anxiety does spill over into something that can be compared to a very dreamlike state of extreme exhaustion or numbed peacefulness. I'm not quite sure how to describe it. But it is like being heavily drugged.

But now I'm wondering if that is dissociation.

Sorry, I'm confused with it all now :confused:.
 
Freezing was explained to me as like Bambi being in the forest and hearing branches crunch on the ground. Bambi stops (freezes) but the adrenaline is pumping listening for the next sound waiting to know which way to run to escape the predator.

Tonic Mobility is taking on a stillness & complete calmness (again no movement) pretending to be dead hoping the predator will pass them by - but not being ready to flee as Bambi.
 
@ Meadowsweet. If I read correctly, Tonic Immobility may occur during the trauma.

"…The results obtained support the hypothesis that states that physical immobility is higher during a trauma than during the worst stressful experience in the case of people who did not suffer any traumas…"
Authors: Bados, A., Toribio, L. and García-Grau, E.

The experience of immobility due to a triggering event post trauma is more likely to be due to Dissociation. That said, some of the underlying mechanisms that cause us to freeze up in either case may be related.

This is an interesting concept. Humans are animals, so it makes sense that we have cases of Tonic Immobility too. It is too bad the research in this area is so limited at this time. Thanks for bringing it up Nicolette :geek:
 
Tonic Mobility is taking on a stillness & complete calmness (again no movement) pretending to be dead hoping the predator will pass them by - but not being ready to flee as Bambi.

Wow, thank you. After my crash, whilst I was in the car, I think was me. I've always thought I'd frozen, but stillness & complete calmness describes it exactly. I couldn't let go of the steering wheel and everywhere was so quiet, still and yes, calm. This stage was only broken once a rescuer managed to open the passenger car door and talk to me.

Interesting idea.
 
I told my T about some of my symptoms, and that I just can't handle daily activities and then freeze just stay in one position for hours. She said something similar that this was a normal response to trauma. I think it is a very dissociated response as the wish to flee from reality, but the need to escape danger has probably a lot to do with it.
 
[DLMURL]http://understandingdissociation.com/[/DLMURL]

My T told me about Tonic Immobility last year, when he was trying to explain what had happened to me during a consultation with a psychiatrist, when I completely 'lost it' and was unable to think - or do anything else. My T was there with me, fortunately and helped 'bring me round' and then drove me home, and stayed with me until I was 'back'.

I found the website above is very useful in explaining it and what it means to us as humans.

Also Peter Levine's book 'Waking The Tiger' helps to explain it too.
 
Autonomic dysregulation and the Window of Tolerance model of the effects of complex emotional trauma.
Corrigan FM, Fisher JJ, Nutt DJ.

This is an article written by my psychiatrist, which includes Tonic Immobility. I had hoped to post the link to the full article but it seems to have been moved since I last read it, and now is only available as the abstract unless you subscribe.

I still have the original article as a PDF file saved to my PC but I guess it would be too much - and a breach of copyright- to post the entire thing here.

Will have to think about it.
 
wow- do those words speak to me! " toxic immobility"....I think of times in my life when I have been unable to take action--day, after day, after day coupled with obsessive thinking; not being able to make a decision; not being able to move forward.....day, after day, after day. I just wish someone had wrapped their arms around em and told me it wasn't it my fault..........that it was trauma based. Wow! what concept. I need to meditate on this for a while! THANK YOU! Beth
 
This makes sense about the freezing but without the adrenaline. When I was assaulted, I froze. I also "went somewhere else" in my head. Even though I had been trained in martial arts, I froze. I was also completly calm at the time. Just froze, dissociated and prayed for it to be over. The pain was terrible though. I was glad when it was over and the pain went.

I have never heard of tonic immobility before though, but it kind of makes sense in certain situations.

Thanks for posting about it. I would like to learn more about it.
 
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