The Fawn Response and Narcissistic Abuse: Strategies to Help Survivors Break Free from Trauma-Based Appeasement

Despite its profound impact, the fawn response—a survival strategy rooted in appeasement and self-abandonment—remains largely misunderstood in the clinical field, often leading to mislabeling and mishandling of behaviors that stem from powerlessness and a deep need for relational safety.  

Without a trauma-informed lens, clinicians risk reinforcing shame and self-blame in clients navigating this deeply ingrained response. 

In this compelling training, Ingrid Clayton, PhD—a trauma expert and survivor—bridges clinical insight with lived experience to illuminate the fawn response, offering: 

• A clear understanding of fawning and how it differs from fight, flight, and freeze 
• Strategies to reframe fawning as a protective adaptation rather than a personality flaw 
• Insight into the long-term impact of narcissistic abuse, including entrenched relational patterns and identity confusion 
• Clinical tools to help clients shift from automatic appeasement to authentic self-expression, restoring agency and autonomy 

By reframing fawning as a survival response rather than a defect, you’ll empower clients to recognize their patterns with self-compassion—freeing them from the invisible chains of their past.