The Healing Potential of Fear
Image by Layal Idriss It’s the pounding of the heart beating, the sudden dropping sensation in the stomach, a rush of trembling, narrowed and obscured vision, numbness in the legs, and tingling fingertips. For some people, these descriptions sound like a terrible nightmare, but for others, these sensations may present an exhilarating and intriguing challenge. These are just a few of the experiences I have when I sit down and fasten my seatbelt on an airplane. Sometimes, there are also white knuckles, sweating, faintness and tears involved. Nevertheless, ever since my first flight when I was three weeks old, I have not and will not stop flying… certainly not because of fear.
We are experiencing an especially uncertain time in our country’s history which can ignite our fears on a very primitive level. The question is: will we allow our fears to hinder us or empower us? And how can we choose the latter?
Our brain is designed to keep us physically and emotionally safe in times of threat, but without fully recognizing and understanding our fears, we risk being dictated and controlled by them. An emotion which can both entice or repel us (sometimes even simultaneously), fear creates a series of complex responses in our body. The source of fear is different for each of us, and regardless of the reality of a specific threat, we experience fear in a very real and very physical way. Fear can even have a self-perpetuating quality, whereby we continue to re-experience it, if it is somehow blocked or unresolved.
One of the most impactful emotions in the human experience, fear may render us frozen, immobilized, and powerless, or it can cause us to lash out defensively. Yet, there is another side of fear which has the potential to be profoundly empowering. Fear can provide us with the internal resources necessary to mobilize or propel us forward. In fact, our body and brain are designed to respond positively and actively (or sympathetically) to threatening or fearful experiences. When we perceive a threat, our brain triggers the release of a combination of neurotransmitters and hormones which immediately prepare us for action by quickening our heart rate, sending more blood to our muscles and organs, and drawing more oxygen into our lungs.
Some people may even be drawn towards fear and the invigorating sensations that come with it. Intrigued and gripped by a thrilling experience, fear can be alluring and even rewarding, like riding on a ridiculously steep rollercoaster or watching a terrifying horror film. This is because in addition to triggering the release of activating chemicals, there is also a correlation between how we experience fear and the release of neurotransmitters associated with confidence-boosting, motivation and reward circuits of the brain.
If we are able to understand or overcome our fears, herein lies the potential for a tremendous sense of accomplishment. An incredibly empowering process, this also offers us the opportunity to heal. By finding a sense of meaning and developing strategies to approach instead of withdraw from our fears, we are able to use our emotional experience to mobilize in meaningful ways. We are each a powerhouse of electrifying, motivating, affirming, and revitalizing energy with the potential to affect remarkable change if we learn to use fear to heal, advance and empower!