Boom then fear hits

Have you ever watched Dog Whisperer?
He has two basic teaching points when dealing with reactive instinctual nature of dogs.
1. Touch – Change Focus
2. Being Calm Assertive.

We each I think have an intrinsic instinctual “animal nature” that needs training/understanding or we will always be reacting to fear like a dog barking for hours at a threatening sound or scent that has long gone.

In humans we talk of the “lizard brain” or functions of the amygdalae or if you will our dog nature.

When we are struck by fear we can’t take our attention away from that which has triggered our fear.

At this point we might fight, flight or freeze. Here the technique of touch, the metaphorical slap, can help by redirecting our attention and change our perspective – literally change the place from which we are viewing our experience.
The Amygdala is great at getting our attention but not so much at reasoning.

When dealing with Fear or the results of fear – fight, flight, freeze – being Calm and Assertive creates an attitude where we calmly access and take action, respond instead of react.

I have found that when this nature is triggered that a “Touch” and “Calm Assertive” approach works well in dealing with the “fear”. Being Calm when taking actions, which includes the action of being still, creates a space, were we can create what we want and not what we fear.