There is always something that triggers the fear response - something visual, auditory, and/or kinesthetic, is experienced that stimulates the infamous amygdala, and fear increases. I imagine darkness as inclusive of anything I don't know or understand - I don't know what's going on inside of my body (but it aint good!); I don't know what the next moment, hour or day will bring; I don't know what I may find when I search through my subconscious; I don't know when death plans to take me, or one of my loved ones. These things can remain nothing but darkness, which is created within my mind, using my imagination and, as such, I can move through any darkness, any fear, and into the sunlight. My imagination within my mind, like thoughts, sometimes shows me unwanted, fearful images but I can control how I respond to such images - I can spend time with them - if I feel I need to, such as with anticipatory grief, or I can shift away to a task or more pleasant images. My choice will determine how my anxious amygdala responds - increasing the flow of adrenaline or oxytocin. The darkness is always the way through to the light!
Yes to this post! I'd love to learn more about how th reptilian brain works and how trauma is held in the body. So many have tried to explain this to me. Maybe I'm too afraid to listen.....seriously.