Possum-ology
Have you experienced some kind of freeze response, or dissociation, or shutdown, in response to trauma? These responses are part of your survival gear, “normal responses to abnormal situations.” Be glad that you survived the trauma.
The freeze response
The “shutdown” response in particular is an amazing survival skill in extreme circumstances. You may not need the “shutdown” response anymore, in the present. It may take a while for your nervous system to learn that the danger is past. Remind yourself frequently, “That was then, and this is now.” Try saying this out loud to yourself in private. [2,3]
Certain animals “shut down” physiologically when their lives are in danger. Their heart rate and breathing slow down dramatically, and they appear to be dead. This response is involuntary. It is one of their survival instincts. Sometimes the physiological “shutdown” saves the animal from a predator. After the danger has passed, the prey animal recovers.
Opossums, or possums for short, are famous for their ability to “play dead.” However, this is only one of the skills in their survival repertoire. Possums are impressive.
Does your nervous system tend to choose the “shutdown” response when you are threatened? Try using some other skills from the possum’s skillset. [2,3]
Videos about possums “playing dead”:
“Cool Critters: Possum comes back from the dead,” very short video made on a phone, by @TheRealRancherMike, retrieved 6/10/2023, https://youtube.com/shorts/fVazvHhpx2Q?feature=share
“Opossum playing dead,” very short video made on a phone, by @SmartAnt, retrieved 6/10/2023,
https://youtube.com/shorts/yz_rqqyq7MY?feature=share
“Possum playing dead,” very short video made on a phone, by @fishingnature8633, retrieved 6/10/2023,
https://youtube.com/shorts/VNEaTl-Ca5U?feature=share
“Possum plays dead,” very short video made on a phone, by @sunnyday5100, retrieved 6/10/2023,
https://youtube.com/shorts/uLZREpTYNjU?feature=share
“Coyote peeing on a opossum,” [indicating that the coyote thought the opossum was already dead, and therefore not edible], very short video made on a phone, by @blakeleystrapping2860, retrieved 6/10/2023,
https://youtube.com/shorts/wsXKpIPWPCk?feature=share
“Possum playing dead,” 3-minute video, by Easy Peasy Gardening, retrieved 6/10/2023,
Possums are champions at sleeping:
Possums sleep a lot, namely 18 hours per day. [4]
As humans, we don’t need 18 hours of sleep per day. But we do need 7-8 hours sleep per day. If we don’t get enough sleep, we may get depressed, anxious, or irritable. We may get physically ill. Sleep heals the body and brain. Make sleep a high priority in your life. [3]
Possums have formidable teeth:
When a possum is threatened, but not in mortal danger, it may show its teeth and hiss. Most domestic dogs and cats will back off when faced by a possum. [2] The possum’s display of teeth is formidable. Possums have 50 teeth, more than any other land mammal. [5]
If you are threatened, try “showing your teeth” rather than shutting down. Sometimes this is sufficient for self-protection. [2]
When a possum feels “Safe, Seen, Soothed, and Secure,” it blooms:
Here is a video about an opossum named “Lil Miss,” who was exceptionally loving and smart. This video shows what “secure attachment” looks like in a possum. [6] “This man raised an opossum. Now he thinks they are smarter than dogs,” 4-minute video by Dylan at GeoBeats Animals, retrieved 11/25/2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz7GqNCkctU
As a human, when you are “Safe, Seen, Soothed, and Secure,” you also will bloom. [2]
Fun facts about possums:
Possums are marsupials:
Opossums are marsupials, not ordinary mammals. They originated in South America 20 million years ago, then migrated to North America. The only opossum species that lives in the United States and Canada is the “Virginia opossum.” Virginia opossums are usually just called “possums.” [7]
Opossum is a Native American word:
The word opossum comes from the language of the Powhatan people, Native Americans whose historical territory is in eastern Virginia. The Powhatan people are one of the Algonquian nations. The word opossum comes from a Proto-Algonquian word meaning "white dog-like beast.” [7]
English settlers in Virginia encountered possums before the Mayflower sailed:
Schoolchildren are taught that the “Pilgrims,” English settlers, sailed on the Mayflower, arrived in Massachusetts in 1620, and founded Plymouth Colony. An earlier, but lesser-known, group of English settlers arrived in Virginia in 1607, and founded Jamestown Colony. The word “opossum” was first recorded between 1607 and 1611 by English settlers John Smith and William Strachey in Jamestown, Virginia. The shortened version, “possum,” was first recorded in 1613. [7,8]
Sources are links as shown above, plus:
[1] Khải Đồng, Untitled photograph published 10/8/2020, and retrieved 2/1/2024 from Unsplash at https://unsplash.com/photos/white-and-brown-animal-on-brown-tree-branch-vcTwWwgeVpM and https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1602157339949-d229cb6d223c?q=80&w=2070&auto=format&fit=crop&ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8fA%3D%3D
[2] Ceynar, Alicia, LPC. Personal communications, 2023-2024.
[3] Makar, Gad, MD. Personal communications, 2023-2024.
[4] Bales, Rebecca. “10 animals that sleep a lot,” retrieved 2/1/2024 from “A-Z Animals” at https://a-z-animals.com/blog/10-animals-that-sleep-a-lot/
[5] City of Sugar Land, Texas, “Opossums,” retrieved 2/1/2024 from https://www.sugarlandtx.gov/398/Opossums#:~:text=Opossums%20have%2050%20teeth%2C%20the,moving%20from%20tree%20to%20tree.
[6] Siegel, Daniel J., MD, and Tina Payne Bryson, PhD. “The power of showing up,” retrieved 2/1/2024 from https://drdansiegel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/POSU-Refrigerator-Sheet.pdf
[7] Wikipedia, “Opossum,” retrieved 2/1/2024 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opossum
[8] Wikipedia, “Powhatan,” retrieved 2/1/2024 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powhatan