Therapist: we submit to others to feel safe — trauma's hidden cost

American trauma therapist and meditation teacher Meg Josephson explains the "fawn" (submission) trauma response in her book "Are You Mad at Me?". The response involves moving closer to whoever threatens us — a boss, a friend — by flattering them and fulfilling their needs. The underlying belief, she says, is: "I am not safe until you like me and things are OK between us."