The Freeze Response to Fear

"I just froze. That's the best way to describe it as I just couldn't," he says of his fear response. "Imagine being so terrified that you feel like your feet are stuck in cement and you can't move." Some people who are prone to the fear response can even experience selective mutism, when a person is unable to speak due to anxiety. Their vocal cords become paralyzed and they aren't able to speak until the fear or anxiety passes.