Tonic Immobility and Victim-Blaming

You see something out of the corner of your eye. Or maybe it brushes up against you or it makes a noise that cuts right through your bones. Stimuli that are perceived as threats prompt physical and emotional responses. Your palms get sweaty, or your heart starts to race, maybe it even pounds so hard that you feel it thumping against your ears. Your breath grows short, quick, uncontrollable. What happens next can be one or more of the three common responses to fear: fight, flight, or freeze. Even though the first two are more commonly known, the third is more often experienced in violent circumstances, such as rape or sexual assault. It often is prompted in the event where the threat makes physical contact. Thus, scientists believe it may occur when your brain decides “tonic immobility” is the safest option.

Tonic immobility (TI) is when your body enters a state in which your musculoskeletal system becomes rigid. You are unable to move and often unable to speak. This reaction is instinctive when a danger is perceived to be unavoidable. The temporary paralysis is also believed to help cope with the fear and pain that comes with experiences of sexual assault. Further, TI has been observed as a defense mechanism in many animals, such as possums and sharks.

TI is a natural and common response to a threat, yet one many people judge. Narratives of victim blaming surround the event. Often, we hear: “Why didn’t she fight back?” “I would never let that happen to me,” or “If anyone got that close to me, I would run,” among other comments. These words are not only harmful and offensive, but they are also ignorant. A 2016 report found that 70% of survivors in the study experienced some form of tonic immobility, and 48% experienced extreme tonic immobility during the assault. So, it is key to increase the awareness of tonic immobility instead of placing the fault on the survivor.

The fallacy that the “perfect victim” of sexual assault or rape is one who fights back or runs to get help is extremely harmful. It is crucial that survivors who experienced tonic immobility understand that their response was normal. When a survivor is victim-blamed by others, they often do the same thing to themselves. As a result, a greater sense of guilt or shame may arise, leading to higher rates of PTSD or depression in survivors who also faced TI. They might keep repeating the attack in their head, keep thinking about how they should have resisted but didn’t, or keep placing the blame on their inaction. In addition to proper treatment and space to heal, these survivors must also be validated. We must encourage support of these survivors, whose bodies underwent a natural process to survive a harmful experience.

If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault or rape, and are struggling with trauma or understanding tonic immobility, please know that we believe you, we support you, and we are proud of your resilience. If you need support or resources, please visit Survivors.org.

Sources:

https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aogs.13174

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sexual-assault-may-trigger-involuntary-paralysis/

https://mcasa.org/newsletters/article/trauma-and-the-brain-understanding-tonic-immobility#_edn1

Written by: Summer 2022 Intern Caroline Palermo