
THE GUIDE
8. FEAR
MAIN ESSAY
RIPPLE EFFECT
HEALTHY M.O.
THE PROCESS
SHIFT GEARS

People respond to fear in different ways. Some may externalize the feeling as anger and act out with aggression or blame. Some may internalize the feeling as anxiety or depression, seeking escape and distance from what they see themselves powerless over. Others (for whom ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ is not an option) may freeze, numb out, or become fixed in outright denial of the situation.
Fear can help us to survive in unfamiliar or threatening circumstances by making us more aware of the actions we need to take for our well-being. Fear can mobilize us. But it can also paralyze us. If we are destabilized too much or too often, the feeling may take over to haunt our waking lives as a constant sense of unease or impending doom. If we are stuck in this state for too long, the very biological system that was designed to ensure our well-being can turn on its head as our bodies and minds start to break down from being on alert 24/7.
If our environment or lifestyle actively feeds our fear, we may revert back to basic survival needs and focus solely on immediate and short-term concerns. If our main priority becomes seeking comfort and safety, we may resort to addictive substances and activities to soothe and calm ourselves.
8. FEAR ~ The Social Outcast
Essay by Katarzyna Vedah. March 1, 2019
If we feel too exhausted, weighed down, and unable to cope, we may inadvertently allow others to make decisions on our behalf, or be suggestible enough to trade our personal rights and freedoms for a perceived sense of security.
Caught in survival mode, it may be easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, to adopt an ‘us-versus-them’ mentality, and to rigidly hold to a particular perspective that reinforces our sense of control. Understandably, living in a hyper-vigilant state can make us intolerant to ambiguity, complexity, and the unfamiliar. And historically, people who have challenged us to explore these ‘grey zones’ of life have been feared and seen as threats or hazards to the status quo.
Throughout time, artists, philosophers, psychologists, activists, scientists and others who have challenged our fears, moved past absolutes, and questioned ‘black-and-white’ dogmatic thinking have been ignored, ridiculed, ostracized, debased, discredited, vilified or persecuted… they have been the outsiders and social outcasts among us who’ve pointed to the imbalances in our cultures and our psyches.
It takes courage to speak up when most do not want to listen, too caught up in blame, anxiety, or denial ~ too caught up in terror.
So let us take the time to unplug from a system that keeps us frozen in fear, just long enough to calm down a bit; just long enough to hear ourselves again and listen to our real needs; just long enough to be open to another perspective; and just long enough to uncover new answers and solutions to what ails us.
VIDEO (YouTube): SYFY WIRE
The Science Behind Culture of Fear
VIDEO (YouTube): TED
Change Your Behavior - T. Sharot
100 Days Without Fear – M. Poler
VIDEO (YouTube):
Art Breaks the Law (Art Assignment)
Turn the World Inside Out – JR (TED)
JR on Art + COVID-19 (Amanpour & Co)
WEBSITE: Inside Out Project
DOCUMENTARY (YouTube): Trailer
The Wolfpack (Crystal Moselle)
The Shadow Effect (Scott Cervine)

RIPPLE EFFECT
CREATIVE INSPIRATIONS TO ENGAGE THE CAPACITY TO FEEL

WHEN LOVE
SURPASSES
FEAR
FILM (YouTube): Trailer
Fearless (Peter Weir)
Save Yourselves! (Fischer & Wilson)
The Village (M. Night Shyamalan)
Crimson Peak (Guillermo del Toro)
REVIEW (YouTube): Randall the Vandal
What We Do in the Shadows - Film
VIDEO (YouTube):
Stephen King, Childhood (Blank on Blank)
Salem Witch Trials (Answer in Progress)
FILM REVIEW / VIDEO (YouTube):
Batman Returns (Channel Awesome)
Picture of Dorian Gray (Dominic Noble)
My Monster Boyfriend (Lindsay Ellis)
MUSIC / VIDEO (YouTube):
Thriller Cover - Meredith Bull & LukHash
I’m Afraid of Americans - David Bowie
Mirrors - Birthday Massacre
ANIMATED SHORT FILM / INTERVIEW:
In-Shadow – Lubomir Arsov (In-Shadow)
Where Artists Fear to Tread (Rebel Wisdom)

HEALTHY M.O.
HEALTHY MENTAL OUTLOOK & PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT

HOW TO DEAL WITH EXISTENTIAL DREAD
VIDEO (YouTube): School of Life
VIDEO (YouTube):
Is Life Meaningless? (TED-Ed)
What is Philosophy? (Crash Course)
Existentialism (Crash Course)
Optimistic Nihilism (Kurzgesagt)
WEB ARTICLE: By Jonathan Tjarks
The Long Night of the Soul
VIDEO (YouTube): Academy of Ideas
Kierkegaard: The Psychology of Anxiety
Kierkegaard: The Value of Despair
How to Thrive in the Battle of Life
VIDEO (YouTube):
Rollo May in Ten Min (Eric Dodson)
PNTV: Courage to Create (OPTIMIZE)
Live A Life Worth Living (Teal Swan)
I Can't Trust the Universe (Teal Swan)
VIDEO (YouTube): TED

THE PROCESS
PRACTICAL REINFORCEMENT FOR SELF-CARE & DAY-TO-DAY LIVING

SCARING OURSELVES:
DEALING WITH
ANXIETY & PANIC
VIDEO (YouTube):
What Causes Panic Attacks? (TED-Ed)
OCD & Anxiety Disorders (Crash Course)
When We Feel Anxious (School of Life)
VIDEO (YouTube): Teal Swan
VIDEO (YouTube): Academy of Ideas
VIDEO (YouTube): TED
VIDEO (YouTube): The Late Late Show
It's OK to Feel NOT OK - Alain de Botton
VIDEO (YouTube):
Using Fear To Your Advantage (Today)
Biggest Fears - Kristen Ulmer (Mindvalley)
BOOK: The Art of Fear. Kristen Ulmer
VIDEO (YouTube): Emotion Dynamics
VIDEO (YouTube): Academy of Ideas

SHIFT GEARS
EXPANDING PERSPECTIVES, AWARENESS & CONSCIOUSNESS

EMBRACING OUR
INNER OUTSIDER:
SHADOW WORK
VIDEO (YouTube):
Us versus Them - Kim Bogucki (TED)
Science Behind Us vs Them (Big Think)
Us Vs. Them Mentality (Sounds True)
Shadow In Your Life (Dare To Do)
Two Wolves (Teachings of the Ancients)
Shadow & Projection (Academy of Ideas)
Integrate the Shadow (Academy of Ideas)
Psychology of Projecting (Teal Swan)
Deflection Mechanism (Teal Swan)
BOOK: By Robert A. Johnson
Owning Your Own Shadow: Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche.
VIDEO (YouTube): Charlie Morley
AUDIOBOOK / BOOK: By Charlie Morley
Dreaming Through Darkness- Chapter 1
VIDEO (YouTube):
Healing the Shadow (Aaron Abke)
Stages of Shadow Work (Aaron Abke)
The Benefits of Shadow Work (Teal Swan)
Don’t Do Shadow Work If… (Teal Swan)
Spiritual Bypassing (Teal Swan)
Spiritual Mistakes (Gigi Young)
Shadow Work (Christina Lopes)
Healing the Shadow (Weekend University)