The fastest way we learn is when pain precedes what is to be learned? That is when we learn what to be afraid about. It is also why what we are afraid of sticks with us so well and so long. What you don’t necessarily need to be afraid about, what you need to know to live well and happily, is much broader than just learning fear. That learning happens best when you are in an UpSpiral. That’s when you learn mostly easily the lessons of the good life. People who spend more of their time in the DownSpiral learn only about what they are to fear and dread –what to watch out for. You can live a whole life being afraid and watchful. Or you can learn from your strengths and virtues in an UpSpiral- things like how to enjoy your day, a cup of coffee, another person, or the job where you work. In learning what to be afraid of, an event happens, and the amgydala of the brain charges the rest of the brain with stress hormones that are a call to alert to remember “this event” and “be afraid.” It is the root of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. (PTSD) Neurons hold on tightly to those memories. That hold is lessened by relaxing the grip that a mechanism called MDA has on those neurons, so they can learn new information and be less afraid. PTSD presents a special situation with special solutions. But a piece of it affects all our resilience-letting go of fear. Talking about your problems, your fears, and your shadow side doesn’t necessarily change anything. In fact, it may reinforce it. The fear from your left hemispheric memory needs to be integrated into the “bigger picture” of your right hemisphere autobiographical memory. To let go of fear you have to be as good at feeling positive emotions as you are at feeling negative ones. We have to be as familiar and have as much facility with positive emotion as negative emotion. Can you go to joy as quickly as you can jump to fear?