Fear

Description

In a kind of fear, similar to the startle response, I perceive a movement in the throat area that shifts towards the solar plexus, transmitting a feeling of tension to that area, where I experience an unpleasant sensation of a ‘cold shock’. 


This initially causes me to raise my body, as if in a state of alert. 


As the sensation persists, I tend to adopt a hunched posture, bending over my abdomen, often placing my hands or arms, as if trying to relieve the discomfort. 


The rhythm of my breathing changes, becoming more labored, and I notice that my nostrils feel colder, as do my hands and feet. 


Depending on the intensity of the fear, I also notice accelerated heartbeats and sweating, especially in my hands. 


The immediate impulse is to flee and hide. The fear, in some aspects, resembles the sensation of intense cold.


Anxiety

The sensations experienced in anxiety are very similar to those described above, following almost the same pattern. 


The main difference is that, in fear, the threatening stimulus is present, whereas in anxiety, it is an apprehension about something that has not yet materialized.


Behavior in anxiety tends to involve the desire to avoid the situation or, when that is not possible, the wish for what needs to happen to start quickly so it can end soon, allowing the tension to dissipate as soon as possible.


There is a type of fear that, for me, manifests as a drop in energy, a drowsiness, almost like laziness. 


This happens when I realize that I can preemptively avoid an aversive situation, such as not going to a place or not doing something that causes me some apprehension, without major consequences. 


However, I know that this avoidance also means missing out on valuable opportunities for experience and long-term learning.


Speculation

Evolutionarily, the hunched posture may be associated with a defense mechanism that attempts to make the individual appear smaller, potentially making them less visible and exposed to predators.


Additionally, this posture helps protect the abdomen, an area rich in vital organs but vulnerable due to the lack of bony protection.

Check here how I described the flow of sensations involved in emotions in general.


Check out these posts to understand the phenomenological approach used in providing these descriptions of experience: 1) What is Phenomenology; 2) Naturalization of Phenomenology; 3) Micro-Phenomenology; 4) Intersubjective Validation; 5) Embodied Cognition; 6) 4E

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