Treating Fear Like a GLV
The American Psychological Association defines fear, in part, as “a basic intense emotion aroused by a detection of an imminent threat.
One interesting fact about fear is that it isn’t present in the plant kingdom. Most scientists agree that because plants have no brains or central nervous systems, they don’t feel emotions like fear. But recent research indicates plants do detect and respond to imminent threats.
When a plant detects a threat, say a grub is chomping on a blade of grass, it releases green leaf volatiles (GLVs). These GLVs, scientists believe do three things:
Jump starts the plants healing process
Signals to other plants that it is harmed encouraging them to activate their defense mechanisms
Attracts predators, or protectors, to disarm the threat
Think of that, according to some research, the nostalgic scent of cut grass that triggers memories of summer is also the way grass reports that it is being physically harmed.
Are we supposed to be more like plants and not feel fear? No. Our ability to feel emotions is a unique part of the human experience. However, fear is one of those emotions that can paralyze us, and taking a lesson from the plant kingdom can help us navigate that.
What we learn from plants is that when we detect imminent threats, and while, we are feeling fear. We need to:
Jump start our healing process because exposure, especially repeated exposure, to danger is trauma that requires healing
Communicate to others that we are harmed both for the support they can provide but to also allow our lessons to help others protect themselves
Call out to our protectors to disarm the threats
Plants remind us that fear is not an emotion that should paralyze us. It should inspire healing, helping, protective action.
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Photo by Ochir-Erdene Oyunmedeg on Unsplash