eli5 Why it feels like traumatic events happen in slow motion causing them to feel like they last longer than than the few seconds they actually do?

Question

I.e car accident

In: 41

Answer 1

One theory is your brain goes into ‘survival mode’.

It attempts to take in as much information as possible, process it, search your brain (life flashing before your eyes) then come up with a solution.

Your conscoiuss mind can’t process this as normal, so your brain ‘buffers’ and time appears to slow.

Paradoxically, situations that last a long time (several hours), such as a wartime firefight, have been reported to seem like minutes.