Fight. Flight. Freeze. Fawn. In the 21st century, most of us know these as very real responses to trauma and fear, but sometimes the laws of the land don’t recognize them as such. In cases of sexual assault, for example, victims often freeze because their brain doesn’t allow them to fight back, even if they want to.

For years in the state of South Dakota, prosecuting such cases was a futile effort. But not anymore. On this episode of The Escape Pod, co-hosts Julie and Charity welcome in a special guest: Pennington County’s top prosecutor, who advocated for changing state law and – ultimately – changing how survivors who “freeze” are perceived.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains discussion of rape and other forms of sexual violence.

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:

• Topic #1 2:35 Escaping irresponsible drivers ... and crazy calendars

• Topic #2 15:55 Topic o’ the Day: “Freezing” as a recognized trauma response

• Topic #3 28:30 Other cases keeping Lara up at night

• Topic #4 37:51 Escapism, family-style!

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