Aware360 Pro – Module 11: Psychological & Physiological Response Management

Module 11 • Psychological & Physiological Response Management • Aware360 Pro

Psychological & Physiological Response Management

When real violence hits, your body changes instantly. Heart rate spikes. Breathing shifts. Vision narrows. Hearing fades. Thinking collapses.

This module teaches how the mind and body behave under threat — and how to regain control fast.

    You cannot “fight your biology.”  
    You must work with it, understand it, and leverage it to survive.
  

After this module you will understand:

The science of fear and adrenaline
The freeze, fight, flight & fawn responses
How the brain processes danger
Performance zones under stress
How to regain control of breathing, vision & thought
How dissociation, panic & overload occur

1. The Threat Response System

Your nervous system has one job in danger: keep you alive. To do that, it switches between two modes:

Threat Response Modes

Sympathetic – “Gas Pedal” (fight/flight)

Parasympathetic – “Brake Pedal” (calm/recovery)

Sympathetic Activation

Heart rate spikes
Breathing becomes shallow
Vision narrows
Hands shake
Complex thinking shuts down

Parasympathetic Activation

Body relaxes
Thinking clears
Breathing deepens
Fine motor skills return

Your performance depends entirely on which system you can access.

2. The 4 Primary Survival Responses

Survival Responses

Fight

Flight

Freeze

Fawn

Freeze

The most misunderstood response. Freeze happens BEFORE fight or flight — it’s the “processing stall” while your brain assesses danger.

Fight

Not controlled aggression — but a chaotic, instinct-driven action surge.

Flight

Rapid withdrawal, often without conscious decision. Sometimes the best option.

Fawn

Appeasement behaviour — talking softly, negotiating excessively, hoping to avoid escalation.

Nobody chooses their initial response.  
Training teaches you how to break out of the wrong one.

3. Adrenaline, Heart Rate & Performance Zones

Your heart rate determines what kind of performance you are capable of.

Performance Zones

60–90 BPM – Normal thinking

90–115 BPM – Optimal performance

115–145 BPM – High stress

145–175 BPM – Survival mode

175+ BPM – Panic / Shutdown

Performance Breakdown

Under 115 bpm = best decision-making
115–145 bpm = fast reaction but reduced clarity
145–175 bpm = tunnel vision, shaking
175+ bpm = thinking collapses, freezing likely

You cannot rely on complex moves when your heart rate is too high.  
You must rely on simple, gross-motor actions.

4. Perceptual Distortions

Under high stress your senses distort reality.

Tunnel vision – only seeing what’s in front of you
Auditory exclusion – sounds become muffled
Time dilation – events feel slow or too fast
Memory gaps – critical seconds vanish
Distorted distance – attacker feels closer or further

Why this happens

Your brain is redirecting resources — from logic to survival systems.

Perceptual distortion is normal. It is not weakness.  
Training teaches you to function despite it.

5. Regaining Control – Fast Nervous System Reset Tools

These are the fastest ways to regain clarity under pressure.

A. Tactical Breathing (Combat Breathing)

Inhale 4 seconds
Hold 2 seconds
Exhale 6 seconds
Repeat 4–6 cycles

B. Peripheral Vision Reset

Shift attention from tunnel vision to the edges of your vision to calm the amygdala.

C. Grounding Cycle

Name 1 thing you can see
1 thing you can hear
1 thing you can feel

D. Physical Pattern Interrupt

A small step, posture change or movement breaks freeze and re-engages decision-making.

Your first job in a real confrontation is NOT to fight —  
it’s to regain the ability to *think*.

6. Dissociation, Panic & Shutdown

Severe overwhelm causes the brain to shut down connection to the moment.

Symptoms

Feeling “floaty” or unreal
Watching yourself from outside your body
Hearing becomes distant
Memory fragments

How to Overcome

Anchor yourself with sensation (touch something solid)
Use deep exhale breathing
Move your feet — motion resets dissociation

Dissociation is not a choice —  
but escaping it can be trained.

🧠 Module 11 Knowledge Test – 10 Questions

1. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for:

Calm recovery. Fight/flight activation. Memory storage. Daydreaming.

2. Freeze response happens because:

You choose to freeze. The brain stalls to assess danger. You lack training. It's a sign of cowardice.

3. Optimal performance heart rate zone is:

40–60 bpm 60–90 bpm 90–115 bpm 175+ bpm

4. Tunnel vision is caused by:

Bright lighting. High stress narrowing attention. Lack of sleep. Staring too long at screens.

5. Tactical breathing helps by:

Increasing panic. Activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Raising heart rate. Stopping adrenaline entirely.

6. Auditory exclusion means:

Hearing becomes sharper. Sounds become muffled or fade away. You hear imaginary voices. You go completely deaf forever.

7. Which technique helps break dissociation?

Standing perfectly still. Grounding with physical sensation. Rapid blinking. Counting clouds.

8. The “parasympathetic system” is also called:

The gas pedal. The brake pedal. The confusion system. The danger switch.

9. Time dilation during stress means:

Time feels unusually fast or slow. Time stops completely. You lose track of years. You travel in time.

10. The first job in a confrontation is:

To attack immediately. To regain the ability to think. To shout at everyone. To run blindly.

Aware 360 Pro Application

Psychological & Physiological Response Management

Psychological & Physiological Response Management

1. The Threat Response System

Sympathetic Activation

Parasympathetic Activation

2. The 4 Primary Survival Responses

Freeze

Fight

Flight

Fawn

3. Adrenaline, Heart Rate & Performance Zones

Performance Breakdown

4. Perceptual Distortions

Why this happens

5. Regaining Control – Fast Nervous System Reset Tools

A. Tactical Breathing (Combat Breathing)

B. Peripheral Vision Reset

C. Grounding Cycle

D. Physical Pattern Interrupt

6. Dissociation, Panic & Shutdown

Symptoms

How to Overcome

🧠 Module 11 Knowledge Test – 10 Questions

Useful Links

Aware 360 Pro Application