What Helps Your Nervous System more than Propranolol for Anxiety - Why You're Stuck (And What Your Nervous System Actually Needs)

Christine Knight
Dec 16, 2025
8 min read

Why You're Stuck in Fight, Flight, or Freeze (And What Your Nervous System Actually Needs)

The triggers are exhausting.

You snap at your kids.

Your heart races over small things.

You freeze when you need to act.

You say yes when you mean no—then spend hours ruminating about it.

Your body thinks you're in danger. All. The. Time.

Even when you're objectively safe. Even when nothing bad is actually happening.

You've tried:

Deep breathing exercises
Meditation apps
Telling yourself to "just calm down"
Understanding your stress triggers

And you're still stuck in fight, flight, or freeze... (or more subtle is Fawn)

Not because you're not trying hard enough. But because what you've been trying only addresses one or two layers of what's actually happening.

Let me show you what your nervous system actually needs.

what helps your nervous system more than propranolol for anxiety

What's Actually Happening: Your Nervous System Is Stuck

When you're stuck in fight, flight, or freeze, it's not a choice.

Your autonomic nervous system has decided you're in danger—and it's running the show.

Here's what that looks like:

Fight Mode:

Rage. Irritation. Snapping. "Get out of my way." Feeling like you want to explode or attack.

Flight Mode:

Anxiety. Panic. Racing thoughts. "I need to get out of here." Feeling like you need to run or escape.

Freeze Mode:

Shutdown. Numbness. Dissociation. "I can't move." Feeling paralyzed or disconnected.

Fawn Mode (the one most people forget):

People-pleasing. Over-accommodating. Saying yes when you mean no. "I need to keep everyone happy so I'm safe."

All four are survival responses your nervous system learned in childhood.

And they're exhausting you right now.

Why You Can't "Just Calm Down"

I know you've heard it: "Just take a deep breath. Just stay calm. Just don't react."

If willpower worked, you'd already be calm.

Here's the truth: You can't think your way out of a nervous system response.

When your body thinks you're in danger, your sympathetic nervous system activates.

Heart rate spikes. Cortisol floods your system.

Blood rushes to your muscles for fight or flight.

Your conscious mind—the part trying to "just stay calm"—gets overridden.

That's not a flaw. That's how survival mode works.

Your nervous system learned decades ago: "When I feel this, I need to fight/flee/freeze/fawn to survive."

It doesn't care if you're actually in danger now. It's reacting to the past.

And no amount of deep breathing is going to convince an 8-year-old part of you—the one who learned that rage = protection or fawning = safety—that she doesn't need to do that anymore.

The Problem With Most Nervous System Programs

Here's what most programs teach:

"Your nervous system is dysregulated. You need to regulate it."

Then they give you:

Breathing exercises
Grounding techniques
Polyvagal exercises
Mindfulness practices

All helpful. All necessary. All incomplete.

Because regulating your nervous system is ONE layer. But it's not the only layer.

When you're stuck in fight, flight, or freeze, here's what's ACTUALLY happening—all at once:

Layer 1: Your Nervous System Is Activated (Sympathetic/Parasympathetic)

Your body is in survival mode. Fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.

What you need: Polyvagal practices. Grounding. Co-regulation. Vagus nerve activation. Signal to your body that you're safe.

Layer 2: Your Parts Are Stacking (IFS - Internal Family Systems)

You don't just have "one stressed part."

You have a Manager trying desperately to keep you calm. ("Don't react. Stay in control.")

You have a Firefighter exploding (or numbing) to protect you from pain. ("Get OUT of this feeling NOW.")

You have an Exile—maybe an 8-year-old, maybe a 12-year-old—holding terror, holding the belief that "I'm not safe," or "I don't matter."

All three are activated. All three are fighting for control.

What you need: Parts work. Not just regulating your nervous system, but working WITH the parts who are activating it.

Layer 3: Your Body Is Holding Decades of Stored Trauma (Somatic)

Your nervous system doesn't just THINK you're in danger.

Your BODY remembers the danger.

That tightness in your chest? Body memory.

That knot in your stomach? Stored fear from childhood.

That tension in your shoulders? Decades of holding it together.

What you need: Somatic release. Not just understanding trauma, but releasing what's stored in your tissue.

Layer 4: Your Window of Tolerance Has Collapsed (Emotional Regulation)

When you're stuck in fight, flight, or freeze, you're not just stressed.

You're flooded.

Your "window of tolerance"—the zone where you can feel emotion without being overwhelmed—has collapsed.

You're either:

Hyperaroused (anxiety, rage, panic, can't calm down)
Hypoaroused (shutdown, numb, depressed, can't feel)

What you need: To widen your window of tolerance. To build capacity to stay with emotion without flooding or shutting down.

Layer 5: Unmet Needs From Childhood Are Screaming (Unmet Needs)

Every time you get stuck in fight, flight, or freeze, there's a need underneath it.

The need to be seen. The need for safety. The need to matter. The need for attunement.

Those needs weren't met in childhood. And your nervous system still remembers.

What you need: Reparenting. Meeting those needs NOW—yourself, for yourself.

Layer 6: Core Wounds Are Activated (Core Wound Healing)

Underneath the fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response is a belief:

"I'm worthless.""I'm too much.""I'm not safe.""I don't matter."

That's not just a thought. It's a wound. And it needs healing—not covering up with affirmations.

What you need: Core wound work. Helping the part who holds the wound separate from the belief. Showing that part it's not true.

Layer 7: Attachment Patterns Are Running (Attachment)

If you have anxious attachment, fight/flight feels like: "They're going to leave me. I need to hold on tighter."

If you have avoidant attachment, fight/flight feels like: "I need to get away. Connection = danger."

If you have disorganized attachment, it feels like: "I want closeness but closeness terrifies me."

Your nervous system interprets threat through the lens of your earliest relationships.

What you need: Attachment repair. Earning secure attachment within yourself.

Here's why breathing exercises haven't worked—and what your nervous system actually needs.

(Hint: It's not just regulation.)

Breathing exercises help Layer 1 (nervous system regulation).

But they don't:

Work with your parts (Layer 2)
Release what's stored in your body (Layer 3)
Widen your window of tolerance (Layer 4)
Meet your unmet needs (Layer 5)
Heal your core wounds (Layer 6)
Repair your attachment (Layer 7)

You need all 7 layers. Not just one.

That's why programs that focus only on nervous system regulation help temporarily—but you get stuck again.

Because the other 6 layers are still activated.

"But I've Tried Everything. Will This Actually Work?"

No. You haven't tried everything.

You've tried:

Breathing exercises (addresses Layer 1)
Therapy (addresses Layers 4-6, sometimes)
Mindfulness (helps you observe, doesn't address the parts or body)
Understanding your triggers (awareness ≠ transformation)

You've tried single-layer approaches to a 7-layer problem.

When you address ALL 7 layers at once—nervous system regulation + parts work + somatic release + emotional regulation + unmet needs + core wound healing + attachment repair—that's when you get unstuck.

Not because it's magic. But because you're finally addressing what's actually happening.

"I'm Too Broken For This To Work"

You're not too broken.

You have a part who believes that.

Why?

Because if you're "too broken to fix," you don't have to risk hoping and being disappointed again.

That part is protecting you from the pain of trying and failing.

But here's the truth:

Your nervous system isn't broken. It's doing exactly what it was trained to do in childhood—keep you safe.

The problem isn't that you're broken. It's that your parts are still using childhood strategies in adulthood.

An 8-year-old learned: "When I feel this, I need to freeze to survive."

That strategy worked then. It's not working now.

You don't need to be fixed. You need to lead your parts from Self.

Show them you're an adult now. You can handle this. They don't have to protect you the same way anymore.

That's not broken. That's healing.

"Maybe I'll Start When Things Calm Down"

Here's what I want you to ask yourself:

Wouldn't it be easier to learn to regulate your nervous system NOW—before the next trigger exhausts you, before the next panic attack, before you freeze again in a moment you need to act—versus waiting and staying stuck in fight, flight, or freeze?

The patterns don't pause for "the right time."

They're happening RIGHT NOW.

You were triggered yesterday. You'll probably be triggered tomorrow.

Your nervous system is in survival mode TODAY.

The question isn't "Is it the right time?"

The question is: "How much longer do I want to stay stuck in this response?"

Every week you wait is another week of:

Being exhausted by fight, flight, or freeze
Feeling out of control
Your nervous system running the show
Missing moments because you're in survival mode

Or you could start today.

"I Can't Afford To Invest In This" (time/monty/energy)

Let me ask you this:

What's it costing you to stay stuck?

Another month of panic attacks?

Another month of freezing when you need to act?

Another month of snapping at people you love?

Another month of your nervous system thinking you're in danger?

You're already paying. Just in different currency.

The question isn't "Can I afford to get help?"

The question is: "Can I afford another year stuck in fight, flight, or freeze?"

A Simple Practice You Can Use TODAY

Here's something you can try right now—next time you feel stuck in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn:

Step 1: Name It

"I'm in fight mode.""I'm in flight mode.""I'm in freeze mode.""I'm in fawn mode."

Naming it creates distance. You're observing it, not being consumed by it.

Step 2: Ground

Feel your feet on the floor.

Feel your back against the chair.

Look around the room—name 5 things you see.

You're signaling to your nervous system: "I'm here. I'm present. I'm safe."

Step 3: Speak to Your Parts

"Which part of me is activated right now?"

Is it a Manager trying to control? ("Don't panic. Stay calm.")

Is it a Firefighter trying to escape? ("Get OUT of this feeling.")

Is it an Exile who's terrified? ("I'm not safe.")

Speak TO the part:

"I see you. I know you think we're in danger. What are you afraid will happen?"

Step 4: Breathe (But Not Just Breathing)

Now—after you've named it, grounded, and spoken to your parts—take 3 slow breaths.

In through your nose. Out through your mouth.

Breathing works AFTER you've addressed the other layers.

Step 5: Ask: "What Do I Actually Need Right Now?"

Not what your Manager says you should need.

Not what your Firefighter is demanding.

What does the scared part actually need?

Safety? Reassurance? Permission to feel? To be seen?

Give it what it needs.

That's it. 5 steps. 3 minutes.

You just worked with all 7 layers—in real time.

Where To Go From Here

If you're ready to go deeper—to actually get unstuck from fight, flight, or freeze—here's what I offer:

🆓 Start With The Free Guide

I created a guide called "Why the Triggers Are Exhausting (And What to Do Instead)" that breaks down all 7 layers in detail—with practices you can use immediately.

→ [Download the free guide here]

💬 Join my skool Community

if you want direct access to me with connection with others going through the journey:

Dream Interpretation Tool (your dreams show you what your parts are communicating)
Parts & Somatic Check-In Tool (5-minute daily practice)
Monthly masterclasses on specific topics
Weekly live Q&A calls with me (I work with your parts and nervous system in real time)

Plus courses on nervous system regulation, parts work, somatic practices, and more.

→ [Join the Skool community here]

⭐ Watch my YouTube Channel

If you want teaching mixed with real life & me showing life challenges as trailheads:

Weekly live Q&A calls with me
My appearances on podcasts & online summits on specific topics
Submit questions or suggestions on topics you want me to talk about in the comments
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