Nowadays, it is not difficult to feel fear. You can feel it fear of losing everything, to failure, to public speaking, to not being able to defend one's own limits, to betrayal, to change and to loneliness.
To give a very specific example that I use in consultations: imagine that you are walking down a dark alley, it is pitch black in winter, it is almost impossible to see a few steps behind you. You have to cross that street to get to your house. One night an individual appears with a knife. Obviously, it is a real danger, not perceived. This is where the complex circuit of fear is automatically initiated. What happens? Tachycardia, hypertension, a knot in the stomach appear and the brain alert is turned on.
In this situation, there are two possibilities: either you can remain stuck – in which case the man with the knife will reach you – or you can run away, which is what will most likely happen. The brain makes a quick analysis and chooses the best option: flight.
On the part of the brain, the information is given by an area called amygdala of the brain. It gets this name because it is shaped like an almond anchored in the cerebral cortex and is where the center of fear and emotions resides and controls the body's response.
The amygdala is connected to the hypothalamus and the brain stem, which are located under the cerebral cortex itself and at the base of the skull. According to Ledoux of the Clinic of Fear and Anxiety, in the example described, “We don't run away because we're scared, we're just scared because we're running.”. He has investigated the amygdala through studies with volunteers who are shown various facial expressions that manifest panic. They are given an fMRI and it is observed that there are people in whom the blood flows faster than in others, that is, There are people who are more or less afraid.
Justin Feinstein of the University of Iowa, together with Antonio Damasio, recently published in Current Biology the case of SM, a 44-year-old woman who was born with a rare disease, Urbach-Wiethe Syndrome, which resulted in the calcification of the amygdala, which meant that she could not feel any emotion except fear. The researchers took her to the place where she was the victim of an attempted robbery at the age of 30, but given her lack of fear, they did nothing to her, despite it being a dangerous neighborhood.
However, SM recalled having suffered childhood fears when he was under 10 years old: fear of the dark, fear of a dog that started to growl at him when he was petting it. All of this can be explained by the fact that the calcification of the amygdala was gradual from the age of 20 onwards.
When do fears appear?
- Childhood fears. These are primary fears, those we experience when we are still dependent on someone. It is precisely the need for belonging and recognition that provides us with security. In fact, more than fear, it is the way the child reacts to internal or external stimuli.
- Fear of separation/divorce. It usually appears during the first years of childhood but also a few years later if the person does not feel enough tenderness and affection from their loved ones.
- Fear of punishment. From a young age, there is positive reinforcement as well as negative reinforcement – or “punishment” – from parents, guardians, other adults, etc., which leave scars in our subconscious. Limitations, prohibitions and rules are always made under negative reinforcement, which generates feelings of guilt in the child and fear that, at some point, his or her attitude contravenes said norms. The person ends up forming the idea that he or she can only be accepted – and loved! – if he or she follows the rules.
All of this is necessary for our development, but it is possible that we carry some of these wounds with us, and this is what often makes us put up armor against fear, but also against other emotions. As a defense mechanism, it serves as:
- Acquired warning signal.
- It mobilizes the body's physiological resources.
- Expresses an emotion in the face of danger, whether real or perceived.
- Find solutions and get resources.
Are you afraid of everything? Leave your question and we will help you understand why you are afraid and overcome them.