Yesterday, I had a moment that every dog parent dreads.
I let my new rescue dog, Louie, out into the backyard while I was on a call. Louie is a six-year-old Great Pyrenees–cattle dog mix with a gentle soul and a history that includes trauma. We’re working through PTSD together.
When my call ended, I went outside—and Louie was nowhere to be found.
My backyard is fenced, but my heart didn’t care about logic. I panicked. I searched. I called his name over and over. Nothing.
I started scanning the fence line, trying to figure out how he might have escaped, when I finally heard it: the faintest whine.
Louie was stuck under a platform that supports our swing set. And here’s the thing—he wasn’t trapped. If he had simply stepped backward, he would have been free.
But he didn’t.
Louie wasn’t thinking.
Louie was frozen.
The Freeze Response Isn’t a Choice
When Louie felt overwhelmed, his nervous system flipped into danger mode. In that state, dogs (and humans) don’t access creativity, problem-solving, or logic. They access survival.
Fight.
Flight.
Freeze.
Louie chose freeze.
He didn’t bark loudly because making noise didn’t feel safe.
He didn’t step backward because his brain couldn’t see that option.
His soft whine was the only signal his nervous system could manage.
This Is Also What Happens With Money
I see this exact same pattern play out with money—especially with physicians.
When money feels scarce or uncertain, the brain interprets it as danger. Not metaphorical danger. Real danger.
To the nervous system:
- Money = safety
- Loss = threat
So when markets fall, lawsuits happen, compensation changes, or debt feels overwhelming, doctors don’t suddenly become “bad with money.”
They become human.
Some go into fight:
- Panic selling
- Angry emails
- Demanding immediate action
Some go into flight:
- Avoiding meetings
- Ignoring statements
- Not opening bills
And some—very capable, very intelligent people—go into freeze:
- No decisions
- No responses
- No movement
From the outside, it can look irrational.
From the inside, it feels like Louie under the platform.
You Can’t Think Your Way Out of Fight, Flight, or Freeze
This is the most important takeaway for financial advisors:
You do not logic someone out of a nervous-system response.
More charts won’t help.
More data won’t help.
More pressure definitely won’t help.
The fastest way out of fight, flight, or freeze is calm.
And the most reliable path back to calm is the body—especially breathing.
Slow, deep breathing tells the brain:
“I’m safe right now.”
Only then does the planning brain come back online.
What Advisors Can Do Differently
When you see a doctor making a decision that doesn’t make sense, try reframing it this way:
“This isn’t a knowledge problem. This is a safety problem.”
Your role isn’t just to manage money.
It’s to help regulate fear.
That starts with:
- Compassion instead of judgment
- Presence instead of urgency
- Grounding instead of convincing
When a client feels safe, better decisions follow.
Every time.
Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do—for our dogs, our clients, and ourselves—is help the nervous system remember that the danger has passed.
If you’d like to go deeper into how the brain processes money, fear, and safety, you can watch my Your Brain on Money training