One of the instinctual responses humans have to perceived danger is freeze. While the specific freeze response may change depending on the person and the situation,  it is driven by a release of hormones in preparation for a stressful event. This release of hormones also drives specific behaviors that are used to cope with the stressor, such as lying, running away, falling asleep, and most frequently, avoidance. Our instincts are programmed to protect us from what we believe are dangerous situations.  However, our specific behaviors in response to this perceived danger is learned, and can be changed over time.

The freeze response is very common with Cascade Academy students. One of the common behaviors that stems from freezing is avoidance. This often presents as school avoidance, doom scrolling on a device while avoiding homework, losing connections with friends instead of facing uncomfortable conversations, not going outside due to fear of the “what if” happening, etc. Cascade Academy is sometimes called an “avoidance treatment center”, and one of the methods used to challenge this freeze response and avoidant behavior is skiing and snowboarding.

Skiing and snowboarding are rewarding when you are making progress. This progress takes a lot of time, effort, and trial and error. As a beginner, it is full of extremes – moments of joy and triumph when something works, then moments of defeat and struggle when something doesn’t work. Physically and emotionally this can be viewed as a wave with high peaks and low valleys. As progress comes those high peaks and low valleys grow closer together and eventually lead to a flow, back and forth over physical and emotional obstacles with ease. As this flow consistently moves forward, it develops a rhythm.

Flow is defined as, “the action…of moving along in a steady, continuous stream”. In many ways, this is the opposite of freezing. While experiencing freeze responses and avoidance that many Cascade Academy students struggle with, feeling this flow can be a powerful reminder of what life feels like without being stuck in an avoidance pattern.

One piece of the puzzle to attain a flow state is staying present. Progress in skiing or snowboarding and achieving a flow experience demands attention. If you lose focus, you may crash. If a Cascade Academy student is ruminating about the past or future, they may not make progress skiing or snowboarding. It is often said that depression is fixation on the past and anxiety is fixation on the future. In a flow state, you are physically and emotionally moving along at a steady, continuous stream. You are not able to fixate on the past or future because you are focused on the present moment.

This flow state was once described by the Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikzentmihaly as the “optimal human experience”. It is a uniquely rewarding experience. As Cascade Academy students practice physical and emotional flow with skiing and snowboarding, they disrupt a history of freezing and avoiding and becoming an active and present participant in their own lives.

Spencer Ott
TRS, CTRS
Recreation Therapist