Translational challenges with tonic immobility

Drawing heavily from the nonhuman animal literature, understanding of tonic immobility (TI), a sustained and involuntary physical immobility, may yield clear clinical implications and strong future translational research. Clinically, for individuals who potentially have experienced TI, psychoeducation regarding its involuntary and defensive nature may help normalize trauma-related reactions. This must be balanced with the reactive nature of the information and the recognition of potentially more common survival strategies. The application of TI for research purposes may pose translational obstacles regarding construct definition and assessment. Issues include separating the construct from non-TI-related event or perpetrator characteristics, peritraumatic dissociation, and event severity. Furthermore, with its assessment, clinical status and time may inflate endorsement of the presence or severity of TI reactions.