Tonic Immobility

We all know about the “freeze” response, that deer-in-the-headlights look:

You’re home alone and hear the back doorknob jiggle. Your eyes go wide, your hair stands on end, you hold your breath and stay very, very still. You think of grabbing a weapon, but your feet are rooted to the floor. You close your eyes and hope whoever is there goes away.

You’re camping in the woods. You suddenly wake up in the middle of the night. You hold your breath and listen. There’s a snuffling sound outside your tent. You can sense something large moving around—a bear. You lay stock still and wait for it to leave.

These are examples of tonic immobility. You encountered a threat and your body instinctively froze to protect you from harm. There are different reactions to danger, and none of them are conscious choices. Your body responds in whatever way your amygdala decides is the most appropriate option for the circumstances, more quickly than you can think. You may fight or flee or freeze or fawn, or some combination of those. Maybe you try to fight then end up appeasing your attacker. Maybe you freeze then find a chance to run away. No matter what you end up doing, the goal is the same: survival.

Tonic immobility is a very common and very normal reaction to sexual assault. In fact, one study found that 70% of rape victims surveyed had experienced tonic immobility during the assault. This makes sense if you think about it—fleeing is not always an option, and fighting is likely to end up in more physical harm or possibly even death. Tonic immobility is often the most effective path to minimizing harm and ensuring survival in this situation. It doesn’t mean you “let” it happen to you. It’s a reflex. The “choice” was made before you even had a chance to think about it.

The way many states’ rape laws are worded, tonic immobility is considered consent, not lack thereof. In fact, only 5 states have enacted laws that require affirmative consent. About half don’t even define consent. That means most rape cannot be prosecuted—it is technically legal.

** Sources**

“In Defining Consent, There’s a Gap between the Law, Culture.” AP News, 20 May 2019, apnews.com/general-news-d761c7a5824c4932bce440f5adbb90f8.

Möller A, Söndergaard HP, Helström L. Tonic immobility during sexual assault - a common reaction predicting post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2017 Aug;96(8):932-938. doi: 10.1111/aogs.13174. Epub 2017 Jun 22. PMID: 28589545.