yes, therapy helps!

"Fears": an intelligent animation short

March 18, 2024

In the following interview, the therapists of the personal growth workshops of the Mensalus Psychological and Psychological Assistance Institute, share with us "Fears", an animated short film by Nata Metlukh that, in an intelligent way, shows us the essence of the fears and their constructive sense .

A short film to understand fears

First of all, you can visualize the short:

Does living without fear deprive us?

It's curious. We reject fear but, in reality, we need it to live. As we have seen in the video, fear is a protection system. Understanding the constructive sense of fear helps us to empathize with and listen to it instead of rejecting it and even fearing it. In fact, when we do not understand its meaning, fear grows and becomes our worst enemy.


When we speak of fear we rarely think of "protection system", we usually understand fear as a limitation. Therefore, the phrase "live with fear" as society interprets it, is rejected, nobody wants it. However, avoiding fear leads to the appearance of other symptoms that work as a warning mechanism: when we do not listen to him, he looks for a way to manifest himself.

That said, if instead of talking about fear we refer to "constructive fear", things change. It is then that "living with fear" can become another richer and more complete concept that we do accept: "live with a fear that protects us but does not limit us".

Do we understand then that we should not avoid fear?


Exact. Fear, like all other emotions, contains a message that we can not reject. Otherwise, fear is generated and negative thoughts grow to the point of transforming primary thought and emotion into a system full of catastrophisms and totalisms ("everything is going to go wrong" / "I will be a failure" / " I'll never be able").

How can we lose fear of fear?

As Luis Muiño says: "Fear protects us from dangers and, at the same time, limits our lives. To be happy is to lose fear of fear and to handle this emotion in a way that allows us to be cautious but let us live freely. "

When we speak of limitation, we refer to fear that does not invite reflection but that slows down decision and action. Unconstructive fear can seriously slow down our goals. The well-known book and video entitled "You dare to dream" just speaks of how, often, fear overcomes motivation (they work as opposing forces) and, that first step that would help us to leave a comfort zone, remains in forgetfulness because of "and if it does not go well".


Of course, overcoming "the fear of fear" is not an easy task, it requires a positive-realistic thinking training fruit of contact with our achievements. The recognition of capabilities makes it easier for us to value what we can gain instead of focusing on what we can lose. In this same line, Matti Hemmi, explains: "Your attitude, your beliefs and your fears are geared in your brain and you will not be able to change overnight." In fact, what I invite you is not to change but to develop. "

Developing ourselves as people who are not "afraid of fear" and who understand fear as a constructive element is a very intelligent vision.

What is the difference between change and development?

Development is growth, increase, advancement, progress, advancement, improvement, etc.

When we speak of development it implies the word change, but to refer to this first term is especially functional. Talk about development invites us to think that we are the same person we were at the beginning but richer to have integrated different elements.

Understanding personal growth as development helps the individual to understand that what he needs may not be out there, but is the result of an internal work related to order and structure thoughts and emotions (the result of one's experience and the inheritance received) ).

"Fears" is a video that has been worked in workshops for personal growth. Specifically, the workshop "Where you are and where you want to get there" has been presented to help participants understand what fears limit them and what they protect them. In what other ways can constructive fear work?

The constructive fear, the one that slows us down before the danger and invites us to think in a functional way, can be worked from the exercises of self-knowledge, exercises that promote messages related to who we are and how we perceive the world.For this, the psychotherapist is responsible for guiding the discovery of "the voice of constructive fear" with interviews, narrative techniques, illustrated stories and experiential exercises among others.

The result of this type of dynamics is a greater contact with the discourse of functional fear. In short, the goal is to listen to it, understand it and accept it

Acceptance is the key point that "allows us to allow ourselves", is worth the redundancy. I, you, he and we all feel fear, it is a natural and necessary emotion, it is an essential element to adapt to the environment and that the environment adapts to us. Working the resistances (thoughts that do not allow) is another of the fundamental tasks to make our beliefs more flexible and facilitate the understanding of fear.

Thank you.

Interview conducted by Mª Teresa Mata.

Fears | Animation | Omeleto (March 2024).


Similar Articles