Your body’s survival response can create specific body sensations, feelings, thoughts, and parts.

As a child experiences something traumatic, the child’s survival response in the body is turned on to instantaneously help take one of these survival actions:

Fight

Flight

Freeze

Fawn

Submit/collapse

Cry for help

If the child continues to experience traumatic events, these actions — one or all of them — can become parts of self. Over time, the parts can become more distinct.

The graphic below illustrates more about how this can happen.

As you read it, notice what happens in your body.

And, most of all, keep in mind that these parts are trying to help you.

Resource: Janina Fisher, PhD