Who Are You Without Survival Mode?

Could behaviors we see as personality traits actually be rooted in trauma response? What happens when we become accustomed to staying in survival mode? Bridgette and Lindsey explore how our strongest traits can also be longstanding indicators of stress, leading to adaptations in our lives as a result. Most importantly, our response to our behavior can greatly affect our future healing.

Key Takeaways

• Survival mode is not always short-term; over time, our “safety” behaviors can transform into prolonged adaptations to our personalities.
• For many people, this includes hyperindependence, vigilance, and overproductivity; these behaviors are not inherently harmful, but can indicate continued stress.
• When we see these traits as integral to our lives, pausing or ending the pattern can feel like we lose a part of our identity.
• While the initial trauma may have created the adaptation, it also indicates a measure of resilience in how we integrate healing into our everyday lives.
• Growth, trauma, and resilience coexist together, not in spite of one another.

Resources Mentioned

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Brought to you by Volare, TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, Volare seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

Volare also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, therapeutic, and legal services to survivors of all crime types. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.