Episode 28: Understanding the Fawn Response to Trauma

Hello and welcome back to the podcast. If you’ve been following along, you know that we are diving deep into the Five F’s of Trauma Response. In the last episodes, we explored Fight, Flight, and Freeze—how they develop, how they show up in daily life, and what we can do to manage them. Today, we’re moving on to the fourth response: Fawn.

The fawn response is often overlooked because it disguises itself as kindness, helpfulness, and being accommodating. But beneath the surface, it’s a survival mechanism driven by fear. If you’ve ever struggled with setting boundaries, prioritized other people’s needs over your own, or felt like your worth was tied to how much you do for others, this episode is for you.

Let’s break down what the fawn response really is, how it manifests in daily life, and most importantly, how we can learn to shift out of it and reclaim our sense of self.

What is the Fawn Response?

The fawn response occurs when the brain perceives danger and determines that appeasing the threat is the safest way to survive. Instead of fighting, fleeing, or freezing, someone in a fawn state will prioritize keeping the peace—often at their own expense.

Fawning can develop in childhood, particularly in environments where expressing needs, opinions, or emotions led to conflict, neglect, or rejection. As adults, those with a dominant fawn response may find themselves in relationships or workplaces where they overextend themselves, suppress their true feelings, and struggle with self-worth.

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Until the next time - warmly yours,
Renata