This handout helps children and young people understand what happens in their body and brain when they feel scared or in danger, using simple words and pictures to explain the “fight or flight” response.
Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
Includes client-friendly guidance. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
An editable Microsoft PowerPoint version of the resource.
The fight or flight response is an automatic, evolutionarily conserved physiological reaction to perceived threat or danger. It involves activation of the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system, leading to changes such as increased heart rate, rapid breathing, pupil dilation, and the release of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These changes prepare the body to either confront (fight) or evade (flight) a threat.
While adaptive in short-term situations, repeated or inappropriate activation of this response – especially in the absence of actual danger – is associated with anxiety disorders and other stress-related conditions. This handout, specifically designed for children and young people, offers a clear explanation of the fight or flight response, supporting psychoeducation and therapeutic work focused on anxiety, trauma, and emotional regulation.
Understanding the fight or flight response is a helpful part of effective therapy, especially for clients experiencing symptoms of anxiety. This resource helps clinicians describe how these automatic bodily reactions are designed to assist survival, and how they may be experienced as distressing if inappropriately triggered.
Especially those experiencing symptoms of anxiety.
Frequent and intense activation of the fight or flight response.
Misinterpretation of bodily sensations during acute stress.
Heightened arousal and vigilance to non-existent threats.
Understand and manage everyday stress responses.
Use the handout to explain the fight or flight response to clients.
Encourage clients to discuss personal experiences with stress responses.
Enlighten clients about accurate and inaccurate interpretations of these body sensations.
Incorporate relaxation and grounding techniques informed by this understanding.
Revisit and review the handout as clients progress and gain new insights.
The fight or flight response was first described by physiologist Walter Cannon in 1915, who identified it as a key survival mechanism triggered by perceived threat. He highlighted the role of the sympathetic nervous system and the hormone adrenaline in mobilizing the body to respond to danger. While essential for immediate survival, this response can be activated inappropriately in modern life, contributing to conditions such as anxiety disorders and PTSD.
Contemporary models have expanded this framework. Notably, Schauer and Elbert's (2010) defense cascade model outlines a broader spectrum of threat responses, including additional stages such as freeze, fright (tonic immobility), flag (passive collapse), and faint. These responses are hierarchically organized and reflect both neural and behavioral adaptations to escalating threat.
For clinicians, helping clients understand these automatic responses can reduce fear and shame, especially when clients interpret their reactions as signs of weakness or pathology. Psychoeducation can normalize these experiences, reduce catastrophic misinterpretations, and open pathways for adaptive coping. Therapeutic strategies might include grounding, interoceptive awareness, and reframing bodily symptoms as protective rather than dangerous.
A fight or flight diagram tailored for a younger audience.
