Fear

Freeze

The first action taken by the amygdala during a threat is to freeze you in your tracks. The freezing allows the amygdala to set "General Quarters" throughout the body and" man battle stations" in the brain's neo-cortex (decision-making center).

While the freezing action gives the body a few seconds to prepare for battle, it is not always beneficial in today's environment. In primal times, freezing was an aid to self-preservation. Many animals are color blind and have poor eyesight, but are adept at detecting movement. For example, if a rhinoceros charges toward you and you freeze, the rhino cannot discern you from a tree and may stop its charge. However, a charging truck does not have this sight problem. If you freeze in front of an approaching truck, the truck will strike you, therefore, in this circumstance, the freezing instinct was harmful to you. Taekwondo students learn to overcome and control this instinct to freeze in the face of danger.