Managing Fear

As a survivor, you may find yourself afraid all the time, even in situations that you know are not dangerous. Try not to blame yourself! Heightened fear and anxiety is a common symptom of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and scientists have traced its cause to neural responses in the brain. Though increased fear is a normal development of a trauma survivor, there are some things you can do to manage that fear.

What's really going on?

One of the main problems that those of us with PTSD face is the inability to suppress fear, even in safe situations. In a study of neurological reactions to threatening and non-threatening stimuli, Jovanovic et. al (2007) found that, in comparison to those without PTSD, sufferers of PTSD had a much harder time inhibiting fear response to stimuli they knew to be safe. They also found that the more a person suffered from generalized PTSD, the harder time he or she had inhibiting fear response.1

This is science repeating what many of us feel every day. In ordinary situations, we are aware of the low risk of harm but can't help feeling afraid.  Our brains have been put on such a high alert that no amount of reasoning can stop a fear response.

Women may have even more trouble dealing with fear than men, as they are more likely to develop PTSD and are generally more likely to exhibit fear, especially fear of crime.2 Ferraro (1996) theorized that this is because, for women, many crimes have the "shadow of sexual assault," as even the pettiest offenses present the possibility of rape.3

If you have fear of rape, or other PTSD-related fears such as fear of triggers, you may feel controlled and restricted as you alter your life around your fears.

What to do about it?

Fear and anxiety usually, but not always, subside as PTSD symptoms subside. Nevertheless, dealing with such strong emotions can be difficult so it's important to have ways to cope. The following steps for managing fear, written by Suzan Bond, come from an executive coaching program, but are relevant nonetheless:

1. RAISE YOUR AWARENESS It's impossible to manage your fear if you don't even know that it's there. A powerful way to manage fear is to start by simply noticing when your fears are present. Knowing when they're present gives you the opportunity to make a new choice.
2. ACCEPT IT Accept that you have fears. Everyone has fear, even those who seem like they don't. It's important to our survival. Fear can tell us when to avoid a dangerous situation. It can also tell us when to proceed with caution. Obviously, we don't want to get rid of something that can be so useful to us.
3. BUT DON'T ARGUE WITH IT Trying to analyze or be rational with your fears will never work. The best thing you can do is not to engage your fear in an argument.
4. PUT A LIMIT ON IT Don't let it run wild at its own whimsy. Place a limit on how long you allow yourself to worry or be in fear. Let yourself really feel the fear. Then, put your attention on something else like how to conquer a challenge you're facing or simply do something more pleasurable.
5. ASK YOUR INTUITION Tapping into your intuition while in the midst of a fear attack may seem challenging, if not impossible. It is possible. With persistence and practice, you'll learn how to manage your fears more easily. When stuck in fear, go for a walk or something physical. Then call on your intuition for answers.
6. REMOVE YOURSELF FROM SITUATIONS THAT INDUCE FEAR Why put yourself in situations that only increase your fear? For some people, that means not watching the local evening news since it seems that the majority of the stories involve death, murder and mayhem. Discover what makes your fear worse and avoid it.
7. ASK FOR HELP If you're really stuck in fear, it may be time to get outside help. Find others who have gone through a situation similar to the one you're facing. Talk to a friend about your fears, rather than letting them bottle up inside you. You don't have to go through it alone.4

If you've dealt with fear before, you know that you can't rationalize it away very easily. This is why these tips can be helpful, especially the advice about not watching the news. (Media research has found that television news is much more effective than radio or newspapers at generating fear.5)

Also, if your fear is about bodily harm, you might want to try self-defense classes. A study of self-defense classes done by Dr. Jocelyn Hollander found that "in addition to increased confidence in potentially dangerous situations, self-defense students reported more comfortable interactions with strangers, acquaintances, and intimates; more positive feelings about their bodies; increased self-confidence; and transformed beliefs about women, men, and gender."6 Email us if you'd like assistance finding a self defense class in your area.

If you still find yourself more scared than you'd like to be, get in touch with a DartHeart member. Many of us have been through the same thing!

1 Jovanovic, Tanja et al. "Posttraumatic stress disorder may be associated with impaired fear inhibition: Relation to symptom severity." Psychiatry Research 167 (2009) 151-160.

2 Karmen, Andrew A. "Victims of crime." Criminology: A Contemporary Handbook. Ed.  Joseph F. Sheley. Wadsworth, 1991. 121-38.

3 Ferraro, Kenneth F. "Women's fear of victimization: Shadow of sexual assault?" Social Forces 75.2 (1996) 667-690.

4 Bond, Suzan. "Fear: the top 7 ways to manage fear." Christopher M. Knight's Top 7 Business. 2004. Accessed 20 Aug 2009. <http://top7business.com/?id=729>

5 Kendrick, Kristen A. "Lock your windows: Women's responses to serial rape in a college town." Department of Sociology, Kansas State University 2005.

6 Hollander, Jocelyn A. "I can take care of myself: The impact of self-defense training on women's lives." Violence Against Women 10 (2004) 205-235.