Boo! Around this time of year, I love to watch horror movies. Whether is be witches, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, telekinetic powers, possession, or a man with a knife, I oddly find comfort in a safe scare lying on the other side of a television screen. None of it is real. I know that ultimately, in watching these films, I won’t be harmed. But what about financial burdens, relationship woes, and my own self-doubts that keep me up late at night? These can be far more frightening because they are all too real.
Fear is a message that starts in the brain and can be felt throughout the body, which is why it has such an impact on us. It is an essential survival response to physical and emotional danger. When we experience a threat, our brains are wired to act in self-protection. Fear is also a familiar presence in therapeutic process. Therapy is an invitation to explore our insecurities or the places that feel uncomfortable and scary. This is often where our work begins and where we find the greatest growth.
We Experience Fear Differently
While fear is a universal human emotion, each individual’s experience of it and relationship with it varies greatly. It can show up in so many ways, and can even be a response to small or imagined threats. Our nervous system kicks in with a fight-or-flight or freeze response, always in service of our protection. However, these defense mechanisms can be activated in moments when it’s not helpful to run, fight or freeze, and when turning towards whatever feels scary is more purposeful.
What Are You Actually Fearful Of?
This is a place where we can develop a deeper understanding of our fear. Turning our attention inward and towards the fear, we can start to ask questions, and learn more about it. What is it truly afraid of? When is it showing up and getting in the way? How is it perpetuating old patterns and habits of not engaging with ourselves and others? In what ways might it be creating more pain and suffering?
Gaining Awareness Around Fear
When we feel safe within a therapeutic relationship, we can begin the process of inviting our fear into the room with us. Through gaining greater awareness of our fear, we can then practice disrupting the moments when fear attempts to turn us away from the work we need to do. We can learn when it’s okay to trust and bravely lean into it. Happy Halloween!
Begin Working With A Therapist in Marietta, GA
If you are going through a hard time and need counseling, please consider reaching out to a qualified therapist. Our team of caring therapists would be honored to offer support with in-person and online services from our Marietta, GA-based practice. You can start your therapy journey by following these simple steps:
Reach out to talk to a Marietta therapist.
Have your first appointment at Remain Connected.
Learn how to trust God in the waiting.
Other Services Offered at Remain Connected Counseling
Our team knows you may experience more than fear related issues. This is why we are happy to offer a variety of services including teen therapy, anxiety treatment, and EMDR therapy. In addition, we also offer life transitions therapy and depression counseling, and more all under a Christian counseling lens. By using online therapy, these services are available to anyone in Georgia. Learn more about our team of dedicated therapists and contact us for more information.
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