A Discussion on Fear

[kachi]

Going back in the thread a little bit...

Quote:
Originally Posted by kachi
Most people seem to be in agreement about 'controlling their fear'... But I've had cases (2 cases I recall) where I've frozen and my mind has basically gone blank, which I would credit to an adrenaline rush like searcher described. But other times I've been just fine. So how exactly do you control the adrenaline rush coupled with the fear?



The "dear in the headlights" reaction to a fearfull situation is mental, not physical. While training as Steel Tiger suggests is great, the real solution is to train your MIND.

Fair enough, but how do you train your mind?

 

[searcher]

Is it possible to sense danger without fear? Is fear essential to being able to identify certain situations or is it just a side effect?

I think it would be next to impossible to have any sense of danger without the fear to go with it. How would you know it is dangerous unless you felt fear. It is like a kid that gets lured into a car by an abductor. If they don't fear it does not set their danger sense into motion.

I have found that it is essential to the physical preparation of your body to fight or flight. Adrenaline(Epinephrin/Nor-epinephrin) help prepare the muscles ad the mind for action through increased blood flow to the muscles and restricted flow to the internal organs. You don't get the same reaction if there is little to no fear. It is all in how you react to the adrenal dump.

In an earlier post it was asked how to gain control over the adrenal-surge. There are so many ways that people learn to deal with it but I can tell you what works for me and has worked for some of my students. Every time I start feeling fearful I ask myself, "Am I scared or am I challenged?" It took a few months to work it out, but it has helped a tremendous amount. I still feel the fear but it has almost no effect in a negative manor. Hope this helps.

 

[funnytiger]

This discussion has been really good so far! Good replies!

One of the points that I made during the original discussion was that the fear we have when sparring is not the same as when we are in actual mortal (physical) danger. That what we are actually feeling when we are in a ring is more so anxiety and apprehension rather than fear.

Thoughts?

Everything that I am asking is for conversation sake, as I explained earlier, this is a recap of a discussion that my school had on its private message boards. It was surprising how many people really thought that completely eliminating fear was their ultimate goal.

The entire discussion stemmed from Sifu presenting us with the term daom which means "fearless" and what that actually meant to us as students. Most took it literally, I took it to mean something much more complex and (quite frankly) realistic.

- ft

 

[morph4me]

Anxiety and apprehension are just milder forms of fear, once you can control your reactions to them controlling your reaction to actual fear becomes a little easier, IMO

 

[bluemtn]

One of the points that I made during the original discussion was that the fear we have when sparring is not the same as when we are in actual mortal (physical) danger. That what we are actually feeling when we are in a ring is more so anxiety and apprehension rather than fear.

Thoughts?

- ft

I think it can be a combination of actual fear and being anxious, especially when you're fairly new at sparring in a ring. I think it is also more important to control your fear by not letting it take over your rational thinking or trying to suppress that fear. The fear can make you react faster when you need it in a situation

 

[JBrainard]

Fair enough, but how do you train your mind?

Modern psychotherapy has shown that practicing mindfulness meditation on a regular basis improves your ability to quickly regain control of your emotions when your fear response is triggered.
This is part of why we are seeing Eastern meditation techniques used more and more in the treatment of people with anxiety disorders.

 

[funnytiger]

Anxiety and apprehension are just milder forms of fear, once you can control your reactions to them controlling your reaction to actual fear becomes a little easier, IMO

Hm... I wouldn't consider anxiety and apprehension milder forms of fear, but ancillary products of fear. You can experience anxiety and apprehension without the presence of fear and vice versa.

So I guess the question then becomes can you experience fear without the presence of anxiety and apprehension. The answer, one would surmise from the responses thus far, would be yes. Our goals as MAists is to be able to use the benefits of fear (raised awareness, adrenaline etc.) without the potentially detrimental negative by products of fear (anxiety and apprehension) in a physical confrontation.

 

[funnytiger]

I think it can be a combination of actual fear and being anxious, especially when you're fairly new at sparring in a ring. I think it is also more important to control your fear by not letting it take over your rational thinking or trying to suppress that fear. The fear can make you react faster when you need it in a situation

Completely agree!

 

[Brandon Fisher]

Confidence helsp control fear

 

[Adept]

I think there more types of fear than we are focussing on here, and therefore more ways of being fearless than simply not being afraid of anything.

And I certainly believe we can be aware of danger without being afraid. I know I'm not afraid of my stove cook-top, but I know it would be dangerous to put my hand on it while I'm cooking. I'm not afraid of heights, but I know it would be dangerous to lean out of a 30th floor window.

I think the 'fear' being addressed by people in this thread, in relation to self defence issues and sporting performance, is really intimidation. The refusal to be intimidated, no matter the opposition or the situation, is an admirable trait. That doesn't mean one shouldn't acknowledge the odds and act accordingly, and it doesn't mean one should never 'back down', but do so as a conscious choice, knowing it to be the best option, not because you are intimidated.

 

[Drunken_Boxer]

I had much experience with it...my last fight was one and a half year ago,I was not prepared to fight...but I had a strange feelings,my legs startin to shaken,my stomachs made strange noise,they was behind us,those rappers who was talkin to us,but we didnt said nothin,we was quite and just continued to walk home,me,my sister,my best friend lee and the other guy.
So they was screamin at us "Hey you idiots,yeah im talkin to you"...so they came and stoped us to going home...they was talkin to my friend Lee,it was 7 of them.
"So why you called my friend an idiot?"said he...my friend dont have a clue what he was talkin about,they just lookin for fights,attention,they make them bigger cuz them was 7,my friend said "Man I dont know what are you talkin about",the one tryed to touch him,but lee gave him a long punch,and everybody was attacking my friend lee,so I see I must fight too,to help my friend,and I did it,first what I did was a front kick to a guy who was comin from America,yeah I was a lil bit good,a lil bit scared,I dont was prepared,every martial artist should be prepared for a street fight.
I didnt even get a punch in my face,i was just defending my-self,I didnt counter or somethin,my body was startin to burn,everywhere lol...However we was winnin the fight,and those rappers was runin back to home.
Fear is good,fear is your best friend,its your worsest enemy.