Is fear really an illusion?

So im starting to wonder if fear really is just an illusion. Cause for an example Lets say i was watching a horror movie and a jump scare scares the fuck out of me is that really an illusion then and does that count as actuall fear?
I know that everyone is afraid of something whether its an animal or a situation in life or anything else.
Well me im scared of spiders and im not happy about it cause i know its a very spiritual animal
Or insect or whatever you wanna call it.
And when i see a spider I usually kill it cause im afraid of it and i feel like thats a bad thing to do
Cause i know that there is a spider goddess, if im not mistaken lilith is a spider goddess but there is probably spider gods as well and i dont think they would like if i killed a spider.
So is fear really an illusion or is it just a human instinct?

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Human instinct.

Fear is something that’s been passed down from our ancestors as a survival mechanism. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to last as a species.

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Prophet be propheting here, for damn sure; fear is when your dumb mammal brain apprehends a perceived threat and then manually overrides the smart mammal portion of your brain. There’s nothing illusory about this process for most practical purposes.

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As stated by Prophet fear is indeen a survival mechanism passed down. It triggers our fight or flight response which is necessary for dealing with endangering situations. Think about why you fear spiders (or anything logically harmless for the most part). Switch that fear in your mind to respect, take control of the emotion and use it to your advantage.

For example, sometimes a presence shows up that induces terror. I take that terror and turn it to awe and respect.

Fear is an illusion you can and should change. Facing fears promotes growth, changing the way you think about it to work in your advantage is powerful.

Keep killing spiders if you want, but i guarentee youll feel better about catching one in your house and setting it free outside.

Remember, you are bigger/more powerful than they are, and they are probably a lot more afraid of you than you are of them.

Why do you fear spiders and how could you change the thoughts that lead to that fear to work in your favor?

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Im not 100% sure why i fear spiders but it might be cause when i was 5 years old my mom let me watch like anything and i was always alone
And i used to watch spiderman the first movie like 1000 times and there’s a scene where peter parker gets bitten and it zooms in on the spider maybe thats why im soo creeped out by them lol :laughing:

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Startle reflex (moro) is one of the first tests they do immediately after you come into this world. It has very little to do with conscious fear, it’s a defensive response that is needed to survive, like fear. I wouldn’t say fear is an illusion. Fear is an emotion to perceived danger but our perceptions aren’t always correct. So the perception can be wrong, an illusion.

If you’re living in Australia I wouldn’t say your perception that spiders are dangerous is wrong right? Irrational fears are the issue. I live in a country with no dangerous spiders and I’m scared of them too. Which irritates me very much. When I see one I don’t kill them though. I know I could squash it easily and end it’s life but that doesn’t make me feel powerful at all but weak. So I put them outside and this approach has helped my fear become less. I’m also very much scared of butterflies btw so… that’s very irrational.

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@DankGod okay so you have the source of where the fear came from. Take that memory of the movie that scared you, visualize it and alter it. Make it silly, for example imagine the spider growing bunny ears and eating carrots. Distort the memory, change the colors in your mind, make it look like a carnival mirror. Anything that changes the memory to something your indifferent towards.

This distortion of memories works well for fear and tramatic experiences, to keep them from eating at your subconscience and free you from the shackles it casts in your everyday life.

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Fear is a energy.
A spirit.

A force…
That is powerful beyond measure.

It does not care whether it’s energy source is real or fictional, but it manipulates whatever it can to infect the observer with it’s views and Power.

It is a instinct, yes, but it is a spirit nonetheless among the many ones that have been passed down to humanity for ages.

High concentrations of it provide effects similar to Death Essence:

• Paralysis

• Insanity (you’ll have to really feel it for this one)

• Err, Death (Product of Fear going straight to the heart)

• Hallucinations

• Delusions of Grandeur

• Horniness and Sexual Arousal (Fear Boner/Fear Fetish) :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Denial

And more.

But I’ll write on that later.

Fear is not an Illusion OP.
At all.

It is a very versatile messenger that rides on the Tail of Death and hangs at the Side of War.

End
And OP,
Check your ceilings and Closets/Basements for Spiders tonight :ok_hand:

This message was brought to you by, Your Local Roman God of Fear, Metus

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Grand mother spider weaver of the universe some shamans call her
it has teachings as an animal spirit, when you are afraid of an animal it is said that their wisdom belongs to you but you are afraid of it, so the animal will haunt you time and time again till you are no longer afraid of it or it’s wisdom
then when you are no longer afraid you can learn from it making him your shadow totem
the wisdom spiders teaches are about how everything is conected in this universe and how you can pull a single string to move something entirely diffrent but conected
you are maybe not ready for this yet but you will be, if you can and if you are brave
one of the laws of the spider is if you make yourself stronger and more honorable then you make the whole web, the whole universe stronger and more honorable.
so if you are ready to take the path, I would recommend to say a prayer to the spider
and then face the fear, whenever she appears to you, let her crawl over your hand whatever, you will be all trembling and sweety at first but it is worth it
I used to fear them aswell, i dedicated a prayer to the spider
and as I was praying to it a spider came up on the wall i told her to come, I sat on the floor barefoot and stayed still, the spider went to the ceiling and then it came down to my foot on a string, she crawled inside my trousers
I was terrified, not breathing well etc
but after that experience i was no longer afraid
and thanks to the spider I have learn so much things, mostly in the magic path
so for experience I tell you be brave, is worth it

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Most of the things we fear, never actually happen.

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Yes it is. Like everything else.

Until you give it life and feel it with all your heart so strong, that it starts taking over your mind… and from your mind, it spreads itself allover your body and takes control of your thoughts, words and actions. Then it may jump into someone else’s mind and repeats the same circle. Enough people catch the virus and you’ll have an infected nation!

That’s the trick, being an illusion doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It only means you can control its existence because you’re the creator of that illusion. You can kill it before its born, or give it birth and feed it until it grows and become self-conscious, doesn’t need you anymore. And if you wasn’t careful enough… you may become the first one it burns.

Just a different angle to look at it. Not necessarily true, or false.

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Fear is an emotional response to a perceived threat. Your emotional response is real. Your perception may or may not be.

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There is certainly an element of learned helplessness for anyone struggling with anxiety, but it is not a singular cause. I am dubious towards any remedy that boils down to “just try harder”. It helps for some people, but if it is not effective, it implies a flawed character and inspires victim blaming.

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