Reactions to fear
Generally speaking, it can be stated that if we experience fear we are technically regressing, i.e., we react by going back to stages prior to our level because fear implies, in a way, going backwards.
A fear consequence occurs in manic reaction, i.e., when we are anguished but exhibit excessive agitation. We may externalize a disorderly behavior, want to do more than we can, or do it too fast. We try to be omnipotent, to show that we can and, above all, that we have no sense of fear.
In the counterphobic reaction, we feel so ashamed of being afraid that we decide that we are not frightened and start doing what we fear the most, being a candidate to suffer or cause accidents. We face a feared situation without having the psychic, physical or technical resources to solve it. It is a reaction that arises from a pleasurable drive to see the fear overcome. This sensation is always momentary since we never stop being afraid. If this particular fear is resolved, another fear will appear that will have to be faced.
The paralysis or blockage reaction occurs due to an apprehensive feeling that reaches an excessive degree. In this situation, if we are very afraid we panic and block. This is because our psychic mechanism for defense uses two possibilities: attack or flee. When there is excessive fear, panic occurs and neither of the two situations occurs, then we are paralyzed. This is the worst situation because there is no defense. Alexander Löwen argued that people who are emotionally blocked by fear cannot move forward, but neither can they retreat because they in turn deny that fear. So, in the mountain, it is not a matter of not being afraid but of not being paralyzed.
If we recognize that we are afraid, we are aware of our motivation to achieve something but do not do it because we feel dread. We may also not recognize that we feel fear but procrastinate by inventing excuses. “Tomorrow I will go down that slope”, or “when I have time I will start skiing off-piste”. We justify that we cannot do what we want to do because of something pending and thus makes us believe we are avoiding fear, but the reality is that we are still afraid, being this a common self-delusion.
It is also notorious the vicious circle of fear that occurs when feeling fear, body tension is triggered which predisposes to lose balance and become even more tense.
Fear-generating situations during ski learning
As human beings we learn all the time but while we are learning we are using what we have and this comes from our past. So, when we are afraid of what something evokes in us, in our past that something was dangerous. For example, when we previously fell on an icy slope, then, when looking at a similar slope we evoke our fall and fear is triggered. When we can differentiate that the slope is not like that one in the past but that it is different one, then fear tends to diminish which allows us to adapt to the present situation.
Many skiers attend lessons to overcome their fears of going up on chairlifts or descending challenging slopes because overcoming fears frees our minds and relaxes our bodies. Scientist and researcher Robert Sapolsky argues that imaginary dangers generate physiological and psychic wear and tear because of the unconscious associations that are reinforced by performing them frequently.
An introverted learner usually does not tell his instructor that he is afraid, then he feels isolated and any catastrophic thought can go through his mind. Another common situation occurs in a group of learners facing a provocative slope. The instructor asks who is afraid. Someone starts to express it, then another one follows and so on, then, by socially accepting fear, a certain relief is obtained.
In a group lesson it is difficult for the instructor to attend all those who feel fear, this is why many skiers opt for private lessons because they cannot socially accept and express that they are afraid.
Another common situation is feeling the fear of not learning. When dealing with fear, we must know that we can improve a little, a lot, or not at all, so it is important that we as learners and the instructor know this. When we are required to learn, the fear of not learning is such a big obstacle that it prevents us from learning.
We can conclude by saying that fear is not only an impediment to learning; it is also one of the reasons why people choose not to continue skiing. For them the reasons don’t matter because their fear is real and present.
