How Fear is a Disempowering Emotion

Fear is a powerful emotion that can hold one back from taking action and pursuing one's dreams. According to Amy Waterman, author of the new book, Do Not Fear, "One of the ironing factors in getting past the crippling fear of testing positive for breast cancer is to identify it as just that: a fear. Once you can realize that fear is just that-a feeling-the thought of testing positive for breast cancer will not paralyze you. In fact, it may even trigger you to act. You might not know how to act at first, but you will know how once you get past your initial hesitation."


So what causes someone to fear testing positive for breast cancer? Fear is usually caused by an understanding of the risks. Fear of the unknown often leads to a decision not to test positive for ovarian cancer, even though the unknowns are not really threats to our health. Our healthcare system only looks like a threat to our safety when we have been diagnosed with an "infection," when we have a health condition that has symptoms that mirror those of ovarian cancer, or when we have a history of health problems that suggest that the chances of developing ovarian cancer are high.

This kind of thinking about the risks surrounds us at every stage of life. We are bombarded with ads telling us that eating chocolate or drinking soda daily is "good for us." The message seems to be, if it's good for us, then it's good for us now. There are thousands of articles written on the subject. Yet many of these articles talk about the "probiotics" in beer or the "beneficial fats" in red wine, neither of which are true.

Another myth that continues to circulate is that women who've had several children are less likely to develop ovarian cancer. While there may be some truth to this myth (the number of children you've had can make a difference), having just one child increases your risk of getting cancer. People often argue that if they've had several kids, they've taken better care of their bodies, and therefore the increased cancer risk is "just in the way." But the test they use doesn't prove that.

One type of DNA test measures the amount of "healthy" cells - known as dendritic cells - in someone's blood stream. If there are too many healthy cells, the person is said to have triple negative status. So a person with a triple negative status is in the advanced stages of cancer. A test called a "Gammaplex" can detect this level of cancer cells.

This testing also indicates the age at which someone is experiencing the fear. In other words, some individuals experience very severe anxiety early in life. Others rarely exhibit these symptoms until middle age. There are some people who get very fearful after they become parents. The fear of being separated from their children is so great that they will do anything possible to ensure that they never see or speak to their own parents.

A more direct test of Fear is how the test affects someone's daily life. The patient must undergo all of the test's implications, including thinking about the test, imagining the test, making a memory of the test, and then recalling the test. Each time they do this, they must tell whether their fear was stronger or weaker. If it gets stronger, then that means that the fear is in control.


Fear is a deeply emotional experience. It has many causes, some of which are based on scientific research. But one thing that we do know for sure is that Fear is a powerful force that can prevent us from reaching our full potential. If you or someone you love is undergoing a test for cancer research, you should ask them what the emotional impact of the test is, and what they can do to help themselves through the experience.