Communication
This communication style avoids conflict by failing to express needs or opinions.
What is passive communication?
The act of communicating to someone that their feelings make sense and are understandable.
What is validation?
A stimulus—such as a sound, smell, or situation—that causes someone to re-experience distressing emotions or memories from past trauma.
What is a trigger?
The practice of bringing your attention to the present moment without judgment.
What is mindfulness?
This stress response activates when someone feels threatened and reacts with anger, defensiveness, or attempts to regain control through confrontation.
What is fight response?
This communication style expresses needs and feelings in a clear, respectful way.
What is assertive communication?
The ability to understand and share another person’s feelings without trying to fix or change them.
What is empathy?
When someone feels triggered and disconnected from reality or their body.
What is dissociation?
This sensory-based grounding technique asks you to identify 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, and 1 you can taste.
What is the 5-4-3-2-1 technique?
This trauma or stress response involves escaping or avoiding a perceived threat — either physically leaving or mentally checking out.
What is flight response?
This style often violates others’ boundaries to get one’s own needs met.
What is aggressive communication?
This communication skill involves fully focusing on what someone is saying — using eye contact, body language, and reflection to show understanding rather than preparing your own response.
A sudden, intense emotional reaction to a present situation that’s actually rooted in past trauma.
What is an emotional flashback?
This coping strategy involves intentionally redirecting your attention away from distressing thoughts through positive activities like music, cleaning, or puzzles.
What is distraction?
This mental process of disconnecting from thoughts, feelings, or surroundings is most often linked to this trauma response.
What is the freeze response?
This style mixes passivity and hidden anger, often shown through sarcasm or backhanded comments.
What is passive-aggressive communication?
This term describes the pressure to maintain a happy or optimistic attitude even when it invalidates real emotions or struggles.
What is Toxic Positivity?
This part of the brain is responsible for decision-making, impulse control, and emotional regulation—and often “goes offline” during high stress or trauma responses.
What is the prefrontal cortex?
A stress-reduction technique that involves tensing and then slowly releasing different muscle groups to increase body awareness and calm the nervous system.
What is progressive muscle relaxation?
This trauma response involves people-pleasing, appeasing, or over-accommodating others in order to stay safe or avoid conflict.
What is the fawn response?
The phrase “You never listen to me” can be rephrased into this type of statement for healthier dialogue.
What is an “I” statement?
The ability to hold two people’s perspectives as valid at the same time — even when they differ.
What are dialectics?
The part of the brain responsible for fight, flight, or freeze responses.
What is the amygdala?
This form of meditation involves compassion toward oneself and others.
What is a loving kindness meditation?
Dissociation is a type of this 4F response.
What is the freeze response?