"Bringing together the accounts of those who have been assaulted with the neurobiology of trauma can play an essential role in supporting healing and the pursuits of accountability and justice.”The Washington Post recently published an article addressing the frequently misunderstood “freeze” response experienced by many survivors of sexual assault. The “freeze” response is an unconscious, biologically-based response to a perceived threat, and is caused by an influx of chemicals to the brain regions responsible for fear processing and decision making. In a time when survivors are asked far too frequently, “Why didn’t you fight back?” articles like this are crucial- they serve to increase our understanding as to why sometimes survivors act in ways that seem counterintuitive. The time has come for law enforcement, college administrators, and anyone working on sexual assault investigation to understand the physiology and neurobiology of trauma to ensure that survivors are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. MCASA has developed resource fact sheets outlining both the neurobiology of trauma, and the neurobiology of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. It is our hope that these resources will help educate all who are involved in the investigation of sexual assault, as well as survivors and their friends and families on what happens to the brain during a sexual assault.-James W. Hopper, PhD The Washington Post
