By Aviva Gros Margalit
Fear is a natural and protective response to danger. When the brain perceives a threat, the amygdala sounds the alarm, stress hormones like adrenaline (epinephrine) and noradrenaline (norepinephrine), along with the glucocorticoid cortisol surge, and the body prepares for survival: the heart races, breathing quickens, and muscles tense. This “fight–flight–freeze–fawn” system is incredibly useful when facing immediate danger.
When we choose fear — a rollercoaster, haunted house, extreme activity, or a scary movie — our body releases the same stress hormones, but because our mind knows we’re in danger by choice, the clash between fear and safety turns into thrill. In Logotherapy, this shows how fear can point us toward meaning: we test our limits, discover courage, and experience rising above fear.
But when fear becomes a constant companion, it begins to disrupt the body’s natural balance. Living in ongoing anxiety weakens the immune system, raises blood pressure, and increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, migraines, ulcers, and even addiction. Psychologically, fear can lead to depression, phobias, sleep problems, OCD, panic attacks, or generalized anxiety. Noologically, it robs us of joy, clouds our thinking, and prevents us from living meaningfully. Instead of noticing sunshine, laughter, or connection, fear chains us to a black cloud of worry. Tasks go undone, moments slip away, and we feel paralyzed.
Yet, fear is not only a threat — it is also a messenger. From a Logotherapy perspective, the goal is not to eliminate fear, but to uncover the meaning behind it and to respond in ways that strengthen life. Techniques such as Dereflection, Attitudinal Values (…“to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances…” – Man’s Search for Meaning), Self-Transcendence, Paradoxical Intention, Tragic Optimism and Tragic Humour (a term I created that means making light of a painful situation by joking about it, so it loses its power over us), allow us to step out of fear’s shadow, create distance, while integrating past, present, and future and help us see whether our fear belongs to memory or anticipation (anticipatory anxiety)— and to choose action in the present moment.
In my personal and professional life I combine Logotherapy with other modalities: Breathwork, Grounding techniques, reframing language to transform (for example: “I’m scared” into “I’m being challenged,”, “I can’t do this” into “ I can and I will”), as well as CBT, Mindfulness, and Hypnosis therapy, these practices make it possible to face fear with clarity and courage.
The essential question is not “How do I get rid of fear?” but rather “Who or what is worth facing this fear for?” Fear reminds us that we care about something, that there is something we value at stake. When we ask Why? and find the meaning in its message, we find both freedom and responsibility — the freedom to choose our response; to act instead or react.
Fear is not our enemy. Fear is a messenger — and meaning is stronger than fear.
Written by Aviva Gros Margalit. I am a Logotherapist and Life Coach specializing in meaning-centered therapy, personal growth, and resilience. I offer individual, couples, and family sessions as well as workshops in English and Hebrew via Zoom.