A woman’s first line of defence against rape is avoidance. Women have evolved myriad, exhausting tactics to lower their risk of rape in the first place. If attacked, a woman may first attempt to flee. If unsuccessful or with no escape route, the most effective reaction is aggression. If fighting back also fails, the victim will often resort to pleading or submission. In the most extreme cases of fear, and when no hope seems available, many women experience tonic immobility. Unlike freezing in response to threat, which heightens the senses and allows one to assess how to act next, tonic immobility numbs the body and functions as paralysis. Tonic immobility may have evolved to prevent as much harm as possible. Like tonic immobility, vaginal lubrication often occurs and is entirely involuntary. It too likely functions as a means of protecting the body against damage.