Is There a Doctor in the House?
In a post titled “What Is That Thing?” I discussed the power that identifying, learning about and discussing one’s fears gives one to overcome them. So here’s a tricky idea – can we identify, learn about and discuss fear itself, so we are enabled to overcome the entire emotion? Who do you think could help shed some light on the biological aspects of fear for us? Go ahead, guess.
If your guess looks nothing like this man, great! This means Fear.less has something to offer you. This man is Dr. Joseph LeDoux. He is the director of the NIMH Conte Center for the Neuroscience of Fear and Anxiety. He is exactly who we need.
Joseph’s Fear.less entry is unique and fascinating. He goes into great detail on the scientific nature of fear, and reading his story is soothing in an absolving sort of way. The good doctor explains that fear is a normal process in the brain, not a vice that makes you crazy or weak.
We’re considering putting his article first in the table of contents. That way fear, the enemy, is well-identified, so when the several dozen other contributors discuss their personal experiences, you’ll know what they’re dealing with. You’ll be able to step into their shoes more smoothly.
Things like the table of contents are approaching to the forefront of our concerns here at Fear.less. We are entering that stage where it is time to synthesize all of the great content we’ve gathered into a cohesive and powerful package for your reading pleasure. We are so confident it’s going to be awesome that we want as many people as possible to see it. So you, readers! Tell your friends to sign up! If there are only 5 of you, we want 10 of you, if there are only 5,000, we want 10,000,00. We don’t want you to threaten anyone with sharp objects or anything, but if a blunt object or two somehow entered the negotiation, we might look the other way.
Really, though. The community is what’s going to make this project great, so we are grateful for your involvement and support (and signing up). We have a Facebook group and page (both named Fear.less) that we welcome you to join. Partake in discussions, keep on reading, and soon we will introduce you to the inspirational and enlightening tales of Joseph LeDoux and all his fearless friends.