11/01/2025
That clenched jaw. The 0-to-100 reactions.
The way you slam cabinets harder than you meant to or snap at the people you love.
These might be signs of an incomplete fight response—your nervous system still braced for a threat that's long past.
Often it starts when fighting back or expressing anger wasn't safe. Maybe in childhood or during a threatening situation where you had to disown your natural defensive response.
You learned that fighting back meant more danger— or that it made no difference at all. So you pushed it down, made yourself smaller.
Your nervous system adapted to survive. But it also learned to stay ready. It turned up the sensitivity dial and never turned it back down.
Years later, you find yourself bracing—even when you're safe.
Your jaw clenches without you realizing. A minor frustration activates your whole system. There's heat and energy with nowhere to go.
Your body is trying to complete something it started a long time ago.
When we work with it somatically, we're not trying to suppress or "fix" this response. We're helping your nervous system learn new patterns—practicing activation with safety.
This might look like:
Noticing where fight energy shows up in your body - where does it begin?
Exploring small, safe movements that engage your fight response in a regulated way (like squeezing and releasing)
Helping your body remember that it's safe to feel your own power—that anger can move through you without being dangerous
Your anger isn't a problem to solve. It's a protective response that needs updating with new learning.
So many of us carry hypervigilant fight responses. You're not alone in this.
