The Mormon Therapist
The following is taken from The Neuroscience of Fear by MaryAnne Banich Massey, EdS found in Family Therapy Magazine January/February 2009.
Faced with extreme danger, our bodies and minds go into survival mode without even thinking about it. In fact, we don’t think we react. Physiologically we are mobilized for action.
The physical response we have to fear is just the beginning. According to research, nothing makes more of an impression on our brains than fear. We have all heard about or know someone who experienced a frightening situation that they cannot forget. They play the details over and over in their head. the incident becomes an emotional scar and sometimes they need therapy to heal. Our brains use these memories to help keep us from getting into a similar situation.
The more prepared we feel, the less fear we have, and the better chances of survival.
There is one way, as ancient as fear, we can learn to overcome our most basic responses in a life-threatening situation. It is breathing. …if we can learn to control our breath during a life-threatening situation, our chances of survival increase.
Another big factor in surviving your fear response is to have a plan and stick to it. Know your way out of town when a hurricane evacuation is called for; know where the stairs are and where they lead before you have to evacuate the building. Having hope also lends an advantage to those of us who have it. …hope gives us the courage to push through denial and deliberation and take action to save ourselves and sometimes others.
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