The Survivor’s Stress Response

Narcissistic abuse keeps the nervous system on high alert. When the brain senses threat, the amygdala sounds the alarm, activating the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). This triggers the classic fight or flight: heart races, pupils dilate, digestion slows. The amygdala doesn’t care if the threat is real or imagined—it just reacts.

Sometimes, the body freezes instead, shutting down to protect itself. Other times, survivors show a “fawn” response, blending self-protection with caregiving toward the abuser.

Under stress, the forebrain (thinking brain) goes offline, making clear thought difficult, and cortisol keeps the body hypervigilant until the threat passes.

Narcissistic individuals will then often frame the survivor’s natural and understandable stress response as the problem itself. Learning to regulate stress is therefore one more way survivors can protect themselves against manipulation tactics.

Learn more with The Neuroscience of Narcissistic Abuse Coping Kit: https://www.ecsnar.com/all-coping-kits/p/the-neuroscience-of-narcissistic-abuse-recovery