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The Leonard Lopate Show / April 02, 2008 / Understanding Our Fears

Understanding Our Fears

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

We look into the physiological origins of fear – and how we can learn to deal with our feelings of fear. Tsultrim Allione is a Tibetan Buddhist monk, and author of Feeding Your Demons: Ancient Wisdom for Resolving Inner Conflict. Dr. Joe LeDoux is an NYU neuroscientist; he’s been studying fear for the last decade.

Weigh in: What are your techniques for coping with your fears?

Event:
Tsultrim Allione and Joe LeDoux will be speaking tonight
as part of the BRAINWAVE series
7 pm at the Rubin Museum of Art
at 150 West 17th Street
tickets are $15 -- for tickets: 212-620-5000x344

Event:
Joe LeDoux and the Amygdaloids
will be giving a talk and playing music
Thurs., April 3th
at the 92nd St. Y (92nd and Lexington)
8:15 pm
Tickets at 92Y.org

More about Dr. Joe LeDoux's research


Comments

  • [1] ellan from NYC April 02, 2008 - 07:22AM

    Make use of anything that empowers. Also, anger makes me feel brave!
  • [2] E Lopez from Orange, NJ April 02, 2008 - 09:31AM

    As a Buddhist, I have a difficult relationship with fear. I know that I have a fear of failure, but despite years of meditating on the subject I am still afraid at doing things I have never done before. That's not to say that I will not do them (as a paralegal, administrator, advocate, etc. for a non-profit there are new people, events, hearings, court proceedings, etc. I do everyday and my personal life is full of new and exciting things as well) but until I am sure I know what to expect I feel intense fear that makes my hands shake. The funny thing is (and I experienced this at a recent hearing) as soon as I know what and who is in the room, what role they play, and what is their temperament, I can proceed with the hearing with ease.

    I just wonder if I am doomed to be afraid of things like this no matter how many times I do them. I came to the conclusion that these fears stem from a certain lack of confidence in my abilities and fear of the unknown. But I still feel there's a piece of this puzzle missing.
  • [3] RC from queens April 02, 2008 - 01:16PM

    I don't handle fear well. Especially in new situations. How do I overcome the fear in new situations where I do not have any mental references to put the situation context.

    How do I avoid feeling that failure is the end of the world?


  • [4] Jaime from Queens April 02, 2008 - 01:27PM

    Physical fear and mental fear have nothing to do with each other. Mental fear is fear of nonconformity or the exposure thereof. In other words, fear of nothing at all.
  • [5] Chicago Listener April 02, 2008 - 01:30PM

    I love fear because I know how to turn it into anger, which is to say energy, and then action. If I feel someone advancing on me and I know (fear) he has bad intentions, I can confront it and him immediately. I don't live with fear. I use it.

    I disagree with him that fear stems from the unconscious. Anxiety comes from the unconscious...the unresolved issues of childhood.

    Don't want to get lost in semantics.

    Fear is hard-wired.

    Anxiety can be analyzed and resolved.


  • [6] name withheld April 02, 2008 - 04:39PM

    Even though I have a deep fear of heights, I forced myself for many decades to rock-climb. I never got over the fear. It is an essential part of my being, and it is normal and healthy to be afraid of heights.

    I had a fall while climbing ten years ago, and I am more afraid of ever than heights, but now I am very used to it and accepting of it. I found that people who had similar falls took many years to recover from it, or never did. But it seems logical that a fall would result in enhanced fear of falling - a kind of evolutionary safeguard.


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