Corpus Delicti

There's nothing good about fear. It can stop progress. Stunt growth. It can turn your warm living body into a cold hard corpse. Yes, it can kill you.

My sister is deafly afraid of spiders. To her, they are eight legged rapscallions out to get her. Every time she sees one, she screams bloody murder, throws any object (usually a shoe) at it and runs. Frankly, I think she scares the spider more than the spider scares her.

Growing up, this made quite the spectacle at home. If you visited our home back then, you probably would have seen many shoe marks on the walls and ceiling.

When we are faced with fear, what do we do? Stare it in the eyes? What thoughts go through our head? Is it kill or be killed? If we back down from fear, the ghost of it will haunt us forever.

It's interesting what happens to the body when faced with fear. It transforms into the, "fight-or-flight," mode.

This fundamental physiologic response forms the foundation of modern day stress medicine and is our body's primitive, automatic, response that prepares the body to "fight" or "flee" from perceived attack.

When we experience stress, a bodily reaction is triggered. Originally discovered by the great Harvard physiologist Walter Cannon, this response is hard-wired into our brains and represents a genetic wisdom designed to protect us from bodily harm.

While it is true that most fears can be traced to the mother of all fears; fear of death, it is still possible to live without fear if we shift our consciousness.

If we readjust the power between us and the fear, we can usually beat it. For instance, facing the fear will cause an enormous amount of anxiety, but what seems like an eternity will only last for minutes, then its over.

The biggest fear is the 'decision' to stay in the fear. The greatest anxiety is the 'decision' to face the fear. If you play the outcome in your mind first, you can overcome the fear.

Fear is a blind spot. Something that can cause harm. When you drive a car you have to look out for your blind spots. Fear is the same way. It always has you look over your shoulder.

You want the freedom to look ahead without fear. Once you understand that there is no need to fear you can face anything with confidence.

My sister is getting better. She no longer throws shoes at spiders. Now she throws pens. Needless to say, she paints her walls every four months.

I'm going to see my sister this weekend to help eradicate her fear. Once a month she has a 'movie night.' We each pick a film that we think the other one should see.

This week, it is my turn. I have chosen, "Eight Legged Freaks." Incase you haven't realized, it is a film about spiders. Just incase she doesn't take to that one too well, I have a back up, Charlotte's Web.

I know, some of you may think it's cruel, and I know my sister will either thank me or kill me. I have to take my chances. You see, fear is an intruder and at times you have to take matters into your own hands, 'fight-or-flight!'

Don't worry, I have already packed my earplugs.

Disclaimer: I would never really force someone to face their fears. That's up to them. For the sake of the story, let's say that I would.