Photo of the Week: Enter If You Dare. Today is Halloween–a time when many people celebrate spookiness. It is a day filled with laughing at horror and disguising ourselves.

Fear and anxiety are variations on the same theme. They are varying degrees of wondering what the future holds, immediate future as well as distant future. Fear tends to be a more intense concern about danger. Anxiety is a more sustained feeling of worry. It may even be caused by a trigger we aren’t aware of and seems to come from nowhere.

When our bodies sense a danger of some sort, we may go into a fight, flight, freeze, collapse, or appease state. Such a state is not a choice as much as it is our brain’s and body’s way of protecting us. When we are children, our bodies and brains take care of us by going into these states when we are overwhelmed and need protection–not only physical protection, but emotional protection.

Our young systems develop patterns of protection that we may outgrow as we age. For example, we may no longer need to freeze when we hear someone raise their voice, but our system may still react that way. At one point, it may have been better for us to freeze and be still when voices were raised. As an adult, that may no longer be the case.

Our bodies and brains can relearn ways of caring for us. Because of neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt and change, we can learn new ways of reacting to anxiety producing situations. It isn’t that we want to be rid of the protectors, but rather to choose them when they are needed.

There are many types of therapy that can help with fear or trauma issues like PTSD, anxiety, phobias. These therapies, such as EMDR, sensorimotor therapies, Internal Family Systems, or others, require hard work. When you choose a therapist, search until someone is a good fit for you. Know that it will take time to work through rooted reactions. Sometimes you may feel like giving up. Let your therapist know how you are feeling. One of the beauties of therapy is that your therapist is with you. You are not alone.

What has helped you with fear or anxiety? Have you tried therapy? What was it like for you?