{"id":24934,"date":"2026-01-26T15:30:52","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T20:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sparkvisionnow.com\/?p=24934"},"modified":"2026-01-26T15:30:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T20:30:52","slug":"the-moment-i-looked-fear-in-the-eyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sunneez.com\/sparkvision\/the-moment-i-looked-fear-in-the-eyes\/","title":{"rendered":"The Moment I Looked Fear in the Eyes"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to Release Fear from Your Body When a Traumatic Moment Shakes Your Nervous System<\/h1>\n

You might have heard the phrase, \u201cLook fear directly in the eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019d heard it, too. But I never really got<\/em> it\u2026<\/p>\n

Until I found myself standing in a gated pen, looking directly into the eyes of our sweet Mustang, Norby, and feeling a kind of fear I had never known in my life.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Norby has been going through training to learn how to get his feet trimmed. (As MaryBeth mentioned in our last newsletter.<\/a>)<\/p>\n

For horses, hoof trimming isn\u2019t cosmetic. It\u2019s essential for their health. But Norby is a Mustang, which means he spent part of his life in the wild. He isn\u2019t naturally comfortable with people touching his feet. (And it took a long time for him to even be okay with us touching him anywhere.)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve had different people work with him and make small bits of progress.<\/p>\n

When we got to Arizona, we were really excited to find a farrier whose values around working with horses aligned with ours. He\u2019s kind, patient, and deeply respectful of the horse\u2019s experience.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been working with Norby for a few weeks, and we were starting to see some progress.<\/p>\n

Then came\u00a0that<\/em>\u00a0moment.<\/p>\n

\n

Norby was in a gated area, and the farrier was working with him on one side.<\/h2>\n

One part of the gate was closed, and I was standing in the open section.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, Norby got completely terrified.<\/p>\n

He started running. Around and around and around the pen.<\/p>\n

And then he turned and began galloping straight toward me at the open gate.<\/p>\n

The farrier yelled,\u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t let him out!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Everything in me wanted to throw the gate open and get out of his way. I could see how scared he was. Every instinct said,\u00a0Move. Run. Get out.<\/em><\/p>\n

But I stayed.<\/p>\n

I stood my ground.<\/p>\n

Norby came to a stop just inches from my face.<\/p>\n

In that moment, I looked him directly in the eyes\u2014and it felt like I was staring straight into his soul.<\/p>\n

All I saw was fear.
\nNot a wild Mustang. Not a \u201cdangerous horse.\u201d
\nJust a terrified little boy trapped in a body full of power.<\/p>\n

I could feel that some part of him\u00a0wanted<\/em>\u00a0to run me over to escape.
\nAnd yet there was also this tiny spark of consciousness inside him that said, \u201cDon\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

I have never felt fear that strongly in my entire life.<\/p>\n

I felt\u00a0his<\/em>\u00a0fear.
\nI felt\u00a0my<\/em>\u00a0fear.<\/p>\n

And for a moment, it was like the two of us were sharing the exact same frozen, electric intensity. Petrified that in a split second, things could go very badly.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

When it was finally over, I was in shock.<\/h2>\n

I walked over to MaryBeth and tried to say something, but I could barely get words out. My system was so overwhelmed that I couldn\u2019t even call \u201ctime out\u201d when I needed our farrier to take a break while working with Norby.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, she did.<\/p>\n

I was in a deep fear cycle\u2014paralyzed, shaky, barely able to process what had just happened.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever had an experience like that\u2014where your body is on full alert, your thoughts shut down, and you feel like you\u2019re stuck in a loop\u2014you know how disorienting it can be.<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s the thing\u2026<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t have to be a horse charging at you.<\/p>\n

It might be a car accident, a breakup, a medical scare, a financial shock, a fight, or even something that \u201cdoesn\u2019t look that big\u201d on the outside.<\/p>\n

Your nervous system knows how big it was.
\nYour body keeps the score.<\/p>\n

\n

So what did I do?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

First, I chose to activate my values.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I knew I couldn\u2019t just sit in fear and let it build.<\/p>\n

I went for a walk in nature.
\nI moved my body.
\nI stacked hay.<\/p>\n

I knew I needed movement and physical work to help shift the energy, rather than letting it stay stuck inside me.<\/p>\n

But the most important step I took came next: I did an Emotion Code session. On myself. And Norby.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Emotion Code is a form of energy work that helps identify and release trapped emotions from your body and energy system.<\/p>\n

When you have a shared experience\u2014like Norby and I did\u2014you can both carry emotional residue from that moment that can stay lodged in your system.<\/p>\n

So I sat down, tuned in, and began releasing the emotions that were still clinging to that experience.<\/p>\n

Not surprisingly, the first emotion that came up for us was Fear. Then Anxiety. Then Dread. Then Shock.<\/p>\n

Each one got acknowledged\u2026 and released.<\/p>\n

\n

What happened after was remarkable.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I felt a sense of peace start to return. Relief. Like my body could finally exhale.<\/p>\n

Instead of feeling frozen and shut down, I was able to talk to MaryBeth about what happened. I could express myself instead of being stuck inside the intensity as I had for the majority of my life.<\/p>\n

As someone who has a history of shutting down when I have strong emotional responses\u2014and someone who often needs extra time to process\u2014this is huge.<\/p>\n

The Emotion Code session helped me take that crucial first step: releasing enough of the energetic charge so I could come back into my body, back into my consciousness, and out of that pure state of shock.<\/p>\n

It supported me in coming back to myself.<\/p>\n

And it wasn\u2019t just me.<\/p>\n

When I went back out to see Norby afterward, he was back to being his sweet, soft self. Clearly not afraid or upset with me.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Animals are much better at shaking off fear and resetting their nervous systems. They don\u2019t usually hold onto it the way humans do.<\/p>\n

We, on the other hand, tend to cling to those experiences\u2014sometimes for years or even decades\u2014whether we realize it or not.<\/p>\n

This was a powerful chance to help\u00a0both<\/em>\u00a0of us let go.<\/p>\n

\n

So I want to ask you:<\/strong><\/h2>\n