This is an intense, fast and normal stress response to a specific event/situation where there is perceived threat to self or others. It is a normal reaction to an abnormal event. Acute stress is used to describe the normal stress-response experiences that occur within the first 4 weeks after a traumatic event.
When experiencing a shocking or traumatic situation, the brain responds by activating the Fight-Flight response. This reaction involves flooding our body and brain with stress hormones to turn us into a temporary ‘super-athlete’, this is why people can often experience surprising levels of strength or speed, compared to normal.
In reality there are 4 types of response, not two:
- Fight – react with aggression to get yourself out of the situation
- Flight – get away from the situation as quickly as possible
- Freeze – become immobilised temporarily
- Flop – lose conscious awareness of the situation
Whilst people often understand and accept the fight and flight part of the response, it can be difficult to understand the freeze and flop:
Freeze
It is important to know that in an emergency it is the unconscious brain that takes control, and our conscious everyday awareness mind is left mostly just observing what happens. This occurs because the conscious brain (all the thoughts and feelings you are aware of) is very slow in comparison to the unconscious brain – in speed terms, it is a tortoise compared to the hare!
In an emergency, when your brain fears your life may be at risk – everything is mobilised to respond as quickly and effectively as possible – which is why your unconscious brain takes charge. It is also why people can feel confused about what and why they did what they did at the time of the traumatic incident – because the decisions were not made by their usual, slow thinking conscious mind.
This fast-thinking unconscious brain prioritises your survival – it can take in and process vast amounts of information in a short period of time. Imagine comparing current fibre optic broadband to the original old internet dial-up speed! In amongst all the information is it processing it can decide that it needs you to be ready to fight or flee – however, that you also need to freeze and not move just for the moment to increase your survival chances. This is the freeze response.
Flop
The same fast-thinking unconscious brain can also decide that, for your survival, to ‘flop’ is the best option. This can either be because you might be imminently and unavoidably harmed and it is best to not feel anything OR it can be that to ‘play dead’ is the best option to help you survive. You see this frequently on nature programs, where the predator catches its prey and the prey just collapses, but thinking it has caught lunch, the predator relaxes and has a lapse in concentration, and this gives the prey a moment to escape!
When in a flop state you can rest assured that your brain is scanning the environment waiting for a time when fight or flight is a better option!
Just like medication has side effects, so the massive amounts of stress hormone flooding your body and brain during an acute stress response leaves an impact that takes time to recover from. Essentially your brain keeps the fight-flight reaction switched on, albeit at a lower level, for a while after – whilst your body and brain recover. This is the acute stress reaction you can experience for those few weeks after a traumatic experience.
Remember: People will generally recover naturally from acute stress; however, recovery can be aided by using effective wellbeing strategies.