DEACTIVATE FEAR
"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it." Nelson Mandela
Fear is a strong feeling of being afraid or worried, usually because we believe that something dangerous, painful, or harmful might happen. It is a powerful emotion triggered by the anticipation or awareness of danger, pain, or threat. At its foundation, fear is a basic survival response to a real or imagined threat. It prepares the body to respond quickly, often through the fight, flight, or freeze response. Fear can cause rapid breathing, an increased heart rate, dilation of the pupils, and a rise in cortisol levels. Every living creature is driven by the instinct to avoid danger. Sea creatures, birds, animals, and humans all respond to threats that could cause pain, injury, or death. For example, when a horse gallops toward the edge of a cliff, it suddenly stops because of the danger it perceives. Fear is not always caused by what is actually happening. Often, we are affected not by the way things are, but by the way we imagine they might become. Anticipation of danger can be enough to create fear and anxiety, even when the danger itself has not yet occurred. When fear becomes persistent, it can develop into anxiety, a state in which we constantly feel worried, tense, or threatened. In this sense, fear can exist not only as a response to immediate danger but also as a response to what we believe might happen in the future. While traditionally considered a “negative” emotion, fear actually serves an important role in keeping us safe.
Five Types of Fear
Fear of Physical Survival: This is the instinctive fear of situations that could cause physical harm or threaten our survival. For example, the fear of jumping into a fire.
Fear of the Unknown: This fear arises when we encounter something unfamiliar or unpredictable, such as walking into a completely dark room.
Phobias: These are intense fears of specific objects, animals, or situations, such as spiders, snakes, rodents, or other creatures.
Irrational Fears: These are fears that may not have an obvious or logical basis, such as a fear of clowns. Often, these fears develop through association, where our subconscious mind connects something seemingly harmless with a previous experience or something we perceive as threatening.
Fear of Failure: The fear of rejection and the fear of failure are among the major obstacles that can prevent us from acting, pursuing our goals, and achieving our full potential.
Overcoming Fear
When fear disrupts or takes over an individual’s life, therapy can provide helpful tools for managing it. For example, someone with a fear of flying may gradually be encouraged to think about airplanes, look at pictures of planes, visit an airport, step onto an airplane, and eventually take a flight. This gradual process can help reduce fear and build confidence.
To Manage Fear, We Must:
Understand Our Fear: Ask yourself, “What exactly am I afraid of? What do I believe is going to happen?” Understanding the source of our fear can help us respond to it more effectively.
Control Your Body: Slow, steady breathing, relaxing your shoulders, and staying physically grounded can help reduce the intensity of the body’s fear response. When we calm the body, we can think more clearly and respond with greater control.
Face Fear Gradually: Start with something that feels uncomfortable but manageable, and then slowly increase the challenge. Avoiding fear can reinforce it, while controlled exposure can teach your brain that you are capable of facing and managing what frightens you.
Accept That Failure Is Possible: Acceptance does not mean that everything will always go well. It means recognizing that even if things do not go as planned, you have the ability to cope, learn, adapt, and move forward through knowledge, skills, and changes in behavior and perspective.
Develop Courage: Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage, bravery, and valor are qualities associated with a strong and resilient spirit. A courageous person may still feel fear but chooses to act despite it. True courage means acknowledging fear without allowing it to control your actions. In yogic tradition, courage (shaurya) and bravery (dhairya) are regarded as essential qualities for overcoming fear. In contrast, cowardice only makes difficult experiences more painful. Courage is not something we are simply born with. It is a choice we make, again and again.
Courage to face our fears is about invoking our warrior spirit, a quality illustrated throughout history across various cultures and tribes, including the Māori of New Zealand.
WHAT IS FEAR
Take a pen and paper and write down your thoughts.
Start by listening to the audio session, then watch the short video(s).
WARNING: The content on this page is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for professional or medical advice.
PREPARATION
GUIDED SESSION
Use headphones for optimal sound
Laird Hamilton, the Big-Wave Surfing Legend, Opens Up About Fear
The New Zealand All Blacks rugby team performing the Haka, a traditional Māori battle dance
We can become so fearless that we dare to take food straight from a pack of hungry lions
The development of normal fear: A century of research. Eleonora Gullone. V. 20, Issue 4. P. 429-451. 2000.
The many paths to fear. Cornelius T. Gross, et.al. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. V.13. P. 651–658. 2012.
The hierarchic structure of fears. Steven Taylor. Behaviour Research and Therapy. V. 36, Issue 2. P. 205-214. 1998.
Fears, phobias, and preparedness. Öhman, Arne, et.al. Psychological Review. 108(3), 483–522. 2001.
The structure of fundamental fears. Steven Taylor. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. V. 24, Issue 4. P. 289-299. 1993.
The epidemiology of common fears and phobia. Stewart Agras, et.al. Comprehensive Psychiatry. V.10, Issue 2. P. 151-156. 1969.