What Is Fawning? Understanding the Trauma Response

Sara Sorenson, LCMHC

Clinical Director

Sara grew up in the US, then Germany and the UK, returning to the United States to attend university. Since then, she has lived in Maryland, Hawaii, Australia, and Utah, and enjoyed visiting many beautiful places in between. Sara has a genuine interest in people and truly enjoys making connections wherever she can. She is constantly looking for new things to learn and areas to improve in both her personal and professional life and appreciates the challenges that contribute to progress. She is drawn to adventure in all it’s forms, particularly in nature, travel and creative expression. Often, her most significant source of joy comes from spending time with her close friends and her four children.

Sara received a Bachelor’s degree in Sociocultural Anthropology and a Master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling. She is certified as a rehabilitation counselor (CRC) and a licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC). Sara’s counseling experience includes working with individuals from a wide range of ages, backgrounds and mental health symptoms and disorders. Sara has worked extensively with foster children, sexual abuse victims and people with addictions.

Sara is trained and certified as an EMDR therapist and is passionate about facilitating the level of healing and insight that can be uniquely achieved with this approach. She also has experience with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Art Therapy. She finds it most effective to address individual needs and preferences with the creative integration of theory and application, with a focus on helping a client identify and move towards their unique meaning and purpose. She enjoys working as a team with the client to explore where they are now, where they would like to be, and how they can get there!

Sara worked as Corner Canyon’s clinical director for a few years before moving into the role as Clinical Development Manager. We are so excited about the expertise she continues to bring to Corner Canyon to help us continue to grow and advance, and provide the highest quality of care for all of our clients.


Sara Sorenson, LCMHC

Clinical Director

Sara grew up in the US, then Germany and the UK, returning to the United States to attend university. Since then, she has lived in Maryland, Hawaii, Australia, and Utah, and enjoyed visiting many beautiful places in between. Sara has a genuine interest in people and truly enjoys making connections wherever she can. She is constantly looking for new things to learn and areas to improve in both her personal and professional life and appreciates the challenges that contribute to progress. She is drawn to adventure in all it’s forms, particularly in nature, travel and creative expression. Often, her most significant source of joy comes from spending time with her close friends and her four children.

Sara received a Bachelor’s degree in Sociocultural Anthropology and a Master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling. She is certified as a rehabilitation counselor (CRC) and a licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC). Sara’s counseling experience includes working with individuals from a wide range of ages, backgrounds and mental health symptoms and disorders. Sara has worked extensively with foster children, sexual abuse victims and people with addictions.

Sara is trained and certified as an EMDR therapist and is passionate about facilitating the level of healing and insight that can be uniquely achieved with this approach. She also has experience with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Art Therapy. She finds it most effective to address individual needs and preferences with the creative integration of theory and application, with a focus on helping a client identify and move towards their unique meaning and purpose. She enjoys working as a team with the client to explore where they are now, where they would like to be, and how they can get there!

Sara worked as Corner Canyon’s clinical director for a few years before moving into the role as Clinical Development Manager. We are so excited about the expertise she continues to bring to Corner Canyon to help us continue to grow and advance, and provide the highest quality of care for all of our clients.


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While not well known, fawning is a trauma response characterized by excessive people-pleasing, appeasing, or submissive behavior. It is often a response to keep safe and avoid conflict or harm. Read on to learn more about this defense.

What Is Fawn Response in Trauma?

Most people have heard of the “fight” or “flight” responses to a threat, and possibly the “freeze” response. “Fawning”, however, is a lesser known defense, completing what are referred to as the “Four Fs” of trauma response. (A fifth, “flop” is also increasingly included).

The fawn response was first proposed by therapist Pete Walker, who described it as follows “Fawn types seek safety by merging with the wishes, needs, and demands of others. They act as if they unconsciously believe that the price of admission to any relationship is the forfeiture of all their needs, rights, preferences, and boundaries” [1].

When an individual tries to cope with danger by pleasing or appeasing a perceived threat, often at the cost of their own needs, boundaries, or emotions, it is referred to as fawning.

This is an instinctual response which typically develops as a survival mechanism in childhood or in prolonged situations of abuse, neglect, or conflict, such as with abusive caregivers, partners, or authority figures.

As a result, they turn their negative feelings toward themselves in the form of self-criticism, self-loathing, self-harming, or co-dependent behaviors. In adulthood, this may result in significant mental health issues involving co-dependency and physical ailments [2]. 

Why Does the Fawn Response Develop?

What gives rise to the fawn response? There are several key reasons [3][4]:

  • Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs): In the face of emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, the person tries to appease the abuser. 
  • Caregivers who are emotionally immature, neglectful, or narcissistic
  • Intimate partner violence or toxic relationships that are ongoing
  • Living under chronic threat, bullying, or systemic/institutional abuse

The child (or adult) learns that compliance, helpfulness, and self-sacrifice can be effective to temporarily reduce threats, gain approval, or maintain emotional connection.

People-Pleasing and Other Signs of Fawning

The fawn response includes a range of signs and behaviors including:

People-pleasing. Finding it difficult to say “no” to others, even at personal expenseGoing along with another person’s perspective, beliefs, or values without connecting with your own
Fears saying ‘no’Overly polite and agreeable
Prioritizing others’ needs, opinions, and feelings over one’s ownAgreeing with or appeasing others to avoid conflict, criticism, or disapproval
Ignoring or disconnecting from your own emotions, needs, or identityHyper aware of other people’s emotions and needs while betraying your own
Over-apologizing or taking responsibility for others’ moods and reactionsAvoiding setting boundaries or expressing negative emotions
Relying on others to help solve problemsDissociating (leaving the body), ‘spacing out’

While often such behaviors may be mistaken for genuine kindness or agreeableness, they’re often rooted in a deep-seated fear of rejection, punishment, or abandonment.

How the Fawning Response Affects Daily Life

There are many repercussions in daily life for those who fawn. They include [5][6]:

Difficulty Setting Boundaries

  • Fawning individuals struggle to say “no” or express their true feelings, fearing rejection or anger from others. For example, despite burnout, agreeing to extra work tasks, or staying in unhealthy relationships to avoid conflict.

Loss of Authenticity

  • People-pleasing may lead to denying your emotions, desires, and opinions. 

Emotional Exhaustion

  • Energy may be drained from chronic self-neglect, leading to fatigue, anxiety, or depression.

Unhealthy Relationships

  • Engaging with manipulative or narcissistic partners or friends who exploit their subservience.

Physical Health Consequences

  • Migraines, digestive issues, or autoimmune disorders may result from the chronic stress of fawning.

Challenges in the Workplace

  • Burnout may result from overworking to gain approval, avoiding promotions (due to fear of competition), or being overlooked for lack of assertiveness.

Having Difficulty With Decisions

  • Being indecisive may result from dependency on others’ opinions to avoid making “wrong” choices.

Self-Blame and Shame

  • Anger and resentment at unmet needs may fuel resentment, often turned inward as shame. 

Healing from Fawning: Tools and Therapy Approaches

Support groups for Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can be very helpful for those healing from the fawning response. Other forms of help include [6]:

Therapy: Trauma-informed approaches such as Internal Family Systems (IFS) or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) help reprocess trauma and address the fawning response.

Boundary-setting: Practice saying “no” in low-risk situations, such as declining a social invite, can help build self-esteem.

Journaling: Journaling can help to identify personal needs and then honor them.

Find Trauma Informed Care in Utah at Corner Canyon

Treatment for mental health conditions and trauma is available in Utah. Are you or a loved one looking for a compassionate space to heal from anxiety, trauma, PTSD, CPTSD, other mental health conditions, or addictions? Our licensed trauma-informed professional therapists and counselors at Corner Canyon Health Centers can provide compassionate help using a range of therapeutic and holistic techniques.

Reach out to our Admissions team now at Corner Canyon. We’re in a peaceful setting bordered by the beautiful Wasatch Mountains.

Contact our Admissions Team

Sources

[1] Walker, P. 2013.  The 4Fs: A Trauma Typology in Complex PTSD. www.pete-walker.com

[2] Schwarz, A. The Fawn Response in Complex PTSD. www.drarielleschwarz.com

[3] Clayton, I. 2023. What Is the Fawning Trauma Response? Psychology Today.

[4] Elisabeth, J. 2022. Fawn: The Trauma Response That Is Easiest to Miss. Trauma Geek, Sept, 2022.

[5] Gaba, S. 2020. Understanding Fight, Flight, Freeze and the Fawn Response. Psychology Today.

[6] Mandeville, R. 2020. Recognizing the Complex Trauma-Based Fawn ResponsePacesconnection.com

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Liz Lund, MPA

Liz is originally from lush green Washington State. She is a life enthusiast and a huge fan of people. Liz has always loved learning why people are the way they are. She moved to UT in 2013 and completed her bachelors degree in Psychology in 2016. After college Liz worked at a residential treatment center and found that she was not only passionate about people, but also administration. Liz is recently finished her MPA in April 2022. Liz loves serving people and is excited and looking forward to learning about; and from our clients here at Corner Canyon.
When Liz is not busy working she love being outdoors, eating ice cream, taking naps, and spending time with her precious baby girl and sweet husband.