Episode 04.1: Fight, Flight…Bake
Sarah and Christa discuss the Fawn response – one of the complex post traumatic stress disorder reactions that is largely unaddressed, especially in comparison to the more dramatic C-PTSD responses of Fight and Flight. Often referred to as ‘people-pleasing’, this response encapsulates the deep fear of stepping out of place, anticipation of needs, failing perfection, and subsequently worrying about being outside of the church community’s acceptance or, ultimately, God’s salvation.
“'Fawners’ are typically individuals who were raised in a dysfunctional or abusive system and were ‘trained’ by their primary caregivers to repress and deny their feelings, thoughts, and needs. Such children learn early on in life that their true self-expressions and natural impulses are not acceptable to those they depend on for survival and that their self-worth must be extracted from those around them in a never-ending quest to feel ‘okay’, accepted, valued, and loved.”
In a mere 31 minutes, they talk about “Betty” taking care of problems that should be addressed and dealt with by Christians themselves, the pressure to conform to a surface “good Christian” communal standard, the lack of space for doubt and long-term struggle, and of course…baking.
