It can be very useful to know the difference!

The destructive and maladaptive responses to survival energy are the ones we are all familiar with as trauma survivors. On the fight/flight (Sympathetic) side of things, we have chronic tension, irritability, explosive rage, or anxiety. On the freeze (Parasympathetic) side of things this could be depression, hopelessness, dissociation, clumsiness, poor circulation, or chronic fatigue. And when you have both going at once, that’s when autoimmune disorders start to develop.

A healthy expression of Sympathetic energy would be things like healthy boundaries, expressions of healthy aggression, intense exercise, bountiful energy, and a strong drive.

There really is no healthy expression of the freeze response as this extreme end of the Parasympathetic system is a last ditch survival effort, but healthy Parasympathetic function includes things like being able to socially engage with ease, digest our food, repair our cells, and sleep well.