Table 1.

Assumed survival advantage of the shutdown continuum according to Schauer and Elbert (2010) in order to inhibit non-adaptive action disposition and enable survival

Freeze	During attentive immobility (orienting response)  - blend in with its surroundings by remaining as motionless as an inanimate object  - shift the attention of predators to other moving or noisy stimuli
Flight/fight	During active defense response  - increase in heart rate, blood pressure, faster and deeper breathing  - increase in sweating (cools the body, moist palms at the same time allow for a better grip in order to flee, lowering the chances for injury)  - the release of sympathetically mediated adrenalin is initiated  - the heart and muscles with the required energy for flight or fight  - peripheral vessels constrict in order to reduce potential blood loss in the case of an injury  - shutdown of perception for nociception to inhibit recuperative behavior  - limitation of cognitive ability
Fright	During unresponsive immobility  - increase in survival chances even when physical contact has been made, because movement cues are critical, releasing stimuli for predatory behavior  - immobility helps avoiding tissue damage when threatened with sharp objects or when penetrated  - immobility signals surrender and eliminates cues for counter aggression  - shut down/numbing of anger emotion to inhibit aggression and defense  - suppressed vocal behavior
Flag/faint including flaccid immobility	During flaccid immobility  - lowering blood pressure in case of tissue damage, minimizing blood loss  - “automatic” shock-bedding – availability of oxygen and nutrients in central organs (i.e., the brain)  - decrease in heart rate while maintaining metabolism in case of intoxication or contamination  - cardio-protection (→ cortisol stops stress reaction)  - analgesia  - numbing of all emotions including fear, disgust, etc.  - shutdown of physiological arousal and memory functions