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What Is High-Functioning Survival Modeâ„¢?
- Samantha Rae
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
High-Functioning Survival Mode™ is a term I developed to describe the psychological and behavioral pattern where high-achieving people continue to operate from a place of survival, even when their external circumstances appear stable or successful.
When you use an intersectional lens to examine the layered impact of High-Functioning Survival Mode™, I noticed a recurring pattern showing up for high-achieving, high-masking (often neurodivergent) individuals—particularly women— so I created a framework to explain this unique experience.
What It Looks Like
From the outside, someone in High-Functioning Survival Modeâ„¢ often looks productive, resilient, and even thriving. On a psychological and nervous system level, they may:
rely on achievement to feel safe
struggle to rest without guilt
feel valuable only when they are producing or useful to others
push through exhaustion instead of listening to their body
have difficulty asking for/receiving care or support
believe that they have to earn rest, safety and care
Traditional survival mode is often associated with visible crisis—fight, flight, freeze responses that disrupt daily functioning. But, High-Functioning Survival Mode™ allows you to perform at a high level while still operating from a survival-based operating system.
You can be successful, strategic, and seemingly thriving while simultaneously running on fumes and making choices that keep you stuck in the High-Functioning Survival Mode Loopâ„¢ of overperformance and burnout. And, because these behaviors are rewarded in our culture, survival mode can be mistaken for success.
Where It Comes From
This pattern is especially common among people who have experienced complex trauma, chronic stress, high-masking neurodivergence, or long-term emotional scarcity.
High-Functioning Survival Modeâ„¢ develops when early experiences teach someone that love, safety, and care must be earned. Over time, the nervous system learns to associate performance with safety. Even after circumstances change, the pattern remains. This is why many high achievers find themselves stuck in repeated burnout loops, they are still making decisions from a survival-based lens instead of an aligned one.
The Connection to Complex PTSD
High-Functioning Survival Mode™ is rooted in what I call Timeline Anchor Theory™—when someone experiences complex trauma, it anchors them to a specific timeline and a specific version of survival.
Experiencing Complex PTSD creates symptoms you can manage and recover from, but it also shapes the way you make decisions. It creates a lens through which you view life, and everything you do stems from that lens of survival.
Who This Affects
While the framework is intersectional and can apply to anyone who has experienced complex trauma, I most commonly see it in:
High-achieving, high-masking women
Neurodivergent individuals (especially autistic people who mask)
Eldest daughters/sons and parentified children
People in helping professions who are conditioned to prioritize others
Anyone who learned early that they had to earn love, safety, and care through performance
Why This Framework Matters
Most people understand the impacts of survival mode and Complex PTSD. But understanding how it shows up through an intersectional lens—particularly in people who appear to be thriving—has been the missing piece. The High-Functioning Survival Mode Framework™ helps you recognize when you're operating from survival instead of alignment, even when you look successful from the outside.
Moving Beyond Survival Mode
Recognizing the pattern is the first step. From there, real change requires unlearning survival-based decision making and developing new ways of relating to work, rest, relationships, and self-worth. Not only on a mental and nervous system level, but also structurally.
That's where the Soul Activation Model™ comes in—my process for moving from survival-based decision-making to soul-aligned power.
This is the foundation of my High-Functioning Survival Mode Frameworkâ„¢ and the work I guide people through.
Assess Where You Are
I've developed a free assessment to help you understand where you fall within this framework. Both assessments are designed to provide clarity from a place of support rather than diagnosis or judgment.
Soul Activationâ„¢ Assessment: If things feel misaligned but you're not in severe burnout, this assessment will tell you what phase you're in and the type of support you need.
Burnout Assessment: If you're in severe burnout (particularly autistic/neurodivergent burnout), this assessment will identify your burnout phase and recovery pathway.
About the Research
This framework is based on my doctoral research, 15+ years of Fortune 500 consulting experience, and my own lived experience navigating autistic burnout and complex trauma. I am currently writing a comprehensive white paper that details the full High-Functioning Survival Mode Frameworkâ„¢, Timeline Anchor Theoryâ„¢, and Soul Activation Modelâ„¢.
Developed by Dr. Samantha-Rae Dickenson, EdD, MPH | Founder of DSRD Consulting & SSR Co.
© 2023-2026 Dr. Samantha-Rae Dickenson. All Rights Reserved.