Fear. We all experience it universally every day as a basic emotion. Everywhere we go, everything we do, fear is hidden deep in our minds. Some might not consider fear’s power over us, thinking it’s too small of emotion to be in control of our ginormous body, and our even bigger life. Fear is just known to be a survival instinct, only to take control in dire situations, it sounds like we benefit from it, don’t we?
Phobia comes from the Latin word “Phobos” meaning “aversion or morbid fear”. Phobias affect more than 19 million in the world and if gone to an extent, it can be considered as a mental illness. Normally, phobias are categorized into five categories: Natural Environment, Animals, Mutilation and Situations. The most common phobias that affect us today are Arachnophobia (fear of spiders), Social phobia (fear of social situations), Claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces). Learning and hearing about these fears may seem like ordinary everyday trudges, but it’s more than that. Phobias can change a person’s life drastically; physically and emotionally.
Our brain is a highly complex machine and it has articulate ways of processing things, especially emotions. We depend on our brain’s decision-making for our survival. Our brain is cut into sections for abiding every function our body needs. The parts of the brain include the Hypothalamus, Thalamus, Sensory Cortex, Hippocampus, and the Amygdala. The Amygdala is where fear is processed. During a threading situation, (“The Amygdala is triggered by a fear response, which activates areas involved in preparations for motor functions involved in the fight or flight response. It also triggers a release of stress hormones in the sympathetic nervous system”). This response then accumulates to the feeling of fear.
An extreme emotion of fear may also be too much for our brain to handle, making our hormones and feelings out of control. During an extremely scary event that goes to an extent, your brain lacks control at that point causes PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Most survivors of PTSD have described the moment as an “out of body feeling” and in that state of extreme shock, the moment is embedded into the brain as a “ flashbulb memory”. The memories are made by (“the chemicals that are released during fight-or-flight can work like glue to build these memories”). Because of this, the amygdala becomes overstimulated, being highly alert for any signs of threat, the hippocampus becomes inactive due to an increase in the stress hormone (glucocorticoid) that kills calls in the amygdala in hope of erasing the memory of the traumatic event. Due to this, the body itself becomes fatigued. Symptoms of PTSD can also include (“ intrusive thoughts (unwanted memories); mood alterations (shame, blame, persistent negativity); hypervigilance (exaggerated startle response); and avoidance of all sensory and emotional trauma-related material”)
In conclusion, fear is a natural experience we all endure and although it is meant as a survival instinct, it also affects our brain which then can influence our body and even our general outlook on life. Also, we must never forget that with the right determination, we can get through anything. Even with our fears, we are stronger than them and must have the courage to face our fear, nevertheless how frightening they may seem. We can learn to relax and live our life to the fullest. As Kelly Clarkson once famously said, “ What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.