FEAR TO FUEL
In 2018, Dr. Merel Kindt and her colleagues at the University of Amsterdam studied fear and the possibility of eliminating emotion. In her study, Dr. Kindt selected participants who feared spiders. Over one year, participants in three groups were exposed to a tarantula in a glass jar for two minutes. In one group, participants were given the beta-blocker, propranolol, and exposed to the tarantula. In the other group, participants were given a placebo and exposed to the tarantula, and the last group were given propranolol and were not exposed to the tarantula. Over the course of the study, Dr. Kindt assessed that the group that was given the propranolol and exposed to the tarantula was able to decrease their fear within days. By the end of the research, those participants that were given propranolol and exposed to the tarantula had little to no fear. This research suggests that humans could be free of fear in the future with a single dose of a drug.
How does this work? Propranolol blocks the effect of norepinephrine in the brain. Norepinephrine plays a critical role in your body’s “fight or flight” response. By blocking this, your heart rate and blood pressure lower. Over time, propranolol can inhibit fear and suppress the fear emotion completely.
Is this the best path for humans? Have we moved so far from accepting fear that we have created a pill to numb and inhibit this emotion? There is power in feeling fear. Fear should be embraced, not removed. There are several health benefits to fear as well. Did you know that fear can boost your immune system? Or that fear provides a natural high by releasing dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin?
What if instead of resisting and pushing fear away, we simply listen? Take a moment and try a fear practice to expose what you are fearing and why. This fear practice comes from Kristen Ulmer, author of The Art of Fear: Why Conquering Fear Won’t Work and What to Do Instead.
Here are the following steps:
Search: close your eyes and find the fear that your body is holding. This may show in different ways each time you practice.
Acknowledge: Understand that fear is natural and normal.
Listen: Allow fear to express itself without you trying to control or understand it.
Wait: Breathe deeply and move forward.
“Lean into your fears. Go out to your edges. Because the place where your greatest limits live is also the place where your greatest growth lies.” - Robin Sharma