People who used to freeze in emergencies: what helped you change?

Hi everyone,

I'm posting because I'm honestly really upset with myself, and I want to change this.

Today a car backed onto my foot. Thankfully, the injury seems minor, but what has really shaken me is my reaction. Instead of immediately pulling my foot away, shouting for the driver to stop, banging on the car, or doing anything to protect myself, I froze. As in I legit watched the tire continue its movement while just staring at it.

The worst part is that this isn't the first time something like this has happened.

Whenever I'm in a situation that is dangerous, sudden, or high-pressure, I seem to freeze. My mind goes blank, I don't react the way I think I should, and sometimes my memory of the event is patchy afterwards. In this case, I can't even clearly remember what I said or did while it was happening. I just remember that after the driver stopped, I politely asked him to reverse.

I hate this about myself.

I know people talk about "fight, flight, or freeze," but I'm tired of freezing. It makes me feel helpless, vulnerable, and incapable of protecting myself. Afterwards, I can think of ten different things I should have done, but in the moment it's as if my brain completely abandons me.

I'm not looking for reassurance that this is normal. I want to know if it can be changed.

Has anyone here dealt with a strong freeze response and successfully improved it? What actually helped? Therapy? Exposure exercises? Something else?

If you've gone from freezing in stressful situations to actually taking action, I'd really appreciate hearing your experience and what worked for you.

Thank you.