In this episode of Let's Get Emotional, hosts Tatiana Rojas and Dr. Jennifer Martin Schantz explore one of the most fundamental human emotions: fear. While fear is often uncomfortable, it serves an important biological purpose—helping us recognize danger, protect ourselves, and survive threatening situations.

Fear is more than simply feeling scared. It affects the brain, nervous system, thoughts, behaviors, and physical body in powerful ways. Whether you're experiencing fear related to trauma, anxiety, uncertainty, relationships, health concerns, parenting, or major life changes, understanding how fear works can help you respond with greater awareness and self-compassion.

Tatiana and Jennifer break down the psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary function of fear, explaining why fear is a normal emotional response and how it differs from anxiety. They discuss how fear presents across the lifespan—from young children to teens to adults—and explore the physical signs that fear is showing up in the body, including racing heart, tight chest, nausea, hypervigilance, sleep disruption, and nervous system activation.

The conversation also dives into the connection between fear, stress, trauma, and survival responses. You'll learn how the brain processes threats, why fear can become chronic after traumatic experiences, and how patterns such as fight, flight, freeze, and fawn develop as protective responses.

Drawing from clinical experience and evidence-based research, the hosts discuss when fear becomes problematic, how it can interfere with daily functioning, and when seeking professional support may be helpful. They also introduce practical emotional regulation tools rooted in self-compassion to help you work with fear instead of against it.

Whether you're struggling with anxiety, panic, trauma recovery, chronic stress, hypervigilance, people-pleasing, emotional overwhelm, or persistent worry, this episode offers valuable insights and actionable strategies to help you understand fear, regulate your nervous system, and build emotional resilience.

In This Episode:

• What fear is and why it is essential for survival
• The difference between fear and anxiety
• How fear affects the brain and nervous system
• The evolutionary purpose of fear
• Understanding acute fear, chronic fear, and existential fear
• Common physical symptoms of fear in the body
• How fear shows up differently in children, teens, and adults
• The connection between fear, stress, and trauma
• How the amygdala and nervous system respond to perceived threats
• Understanding fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses
• The difference between stress responses and trauma responses
• Why fear can become stored in the body after trauma
• Hypervigilance, panic, dissociation, and survival mode patterns
• When fear becomes unhealthy or interferes with daily life
• Mental health conditions commonly associated with fear
• How EMDR therapy can help process trauma and fear responses
• Self-compassion practices for emotional regulation
• Practical tools for calming fear and identifying unmet needs
• How to work with fear rather than avoid it
• Building resilience, safety, and emotional awareness

Key Takeaways:

Fear is not weakness. It is information.

Fear serves as the brain and body's built-in alarm system, alerting us to potential threats and helping us stay safe. However, when fear becomes chronic, overwhelming, or connected to unresolved trauma, it can significantly impact emotional wellbeing, relationships, physical health, and daily functioning.

By understanding how fear operates in the mind and body, developing self-compassion, and learning effective regulation strategies, it becomes possible to respond to fear with greater confidence, flexibility, and resilience.

Links & Resources:

Tatiana Rojas: https://getherapyservices.com/

Disclaimer:

Let's Get Emotional is for educational and informational purposes only. This podcast is not therapy and does not replace professional mental health care. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or need immediate support, contact your local emergency services or crisis hotline. In the United States, call or text 988 for immediate assistance.

In this episode of Let's Get Emotional, hosts Tatiana Rojas and Dr. Jennifer Martin Schantz take a deep, compassionate look at one of the most painful and misunderstood human emotions: shame. While shame often hides beneath the surface of our thoughts, relationships, and behaviors, it can profoundly impact self-esteem, mental health, emotional regulation, and overall wellbeing.

If you've ever found yourself thinking "I'm not enough," "I'm a failure," or "Something is wrong with me," this episode explores why shame develops, how it differs from guilt, and why understanding the difference can be a powerful step toward healing.

Tatiana and Jennifer unpack the psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary purpose of shame, explaining how this self-conscious emotion developed as a social survival mechanism designed to maintain connection and prevent rejection. They also discuss how chronic or toxic shame can become deeply damaging, leading to withdrawal, isolation, self-criticism, depression, anxiety, addiction, eating disorders, trauma responses, and difficulties with relationships.

You'll learn how shame shows up physically through blushing, chest tightness, stomach discomfort, nervous system activation, lowered posture, avoidance, and the urge to hide. The hosts also explore the developmental roots of shame, including how childhood experiences such as criticism, humiliation, conditional love, and peer rejection can shape lifelong patterns of self-worth and emotional wellbeing.

Drawing from research, clinical practice, and real-world examples, this episode examines how shame affects children, teens, and adults differently while offering practical tools for building self-compassion, emotional resilience, and healthier self-talk.

Whether you're struggling with low self-esteem, perfectionism, people-pleasing, trauma recovery, social anxiety, chronic illness stigma, parenting challenges, or feelings of inadequacy, this conversation offers valuable insights and actionable strategies to help you break free from the shame cycle and reconnect with your authentic self.

In This Episode:

• What shame is and how it differs from guilt
• The psychology and neuroscience of shame
• Why shame is considered a self-conscious emotion
• How shame developed as a social survival mechanism
• The difference between "I am bad" and "I did something bad"
• Physical signs of shame in the body and nervous system
• How shame impacts self-esteem, identity, and emotional health
• The connection between shame, depression, anxiety, and trauma
• How shame contributes to addiction, eating disorders, and secrecy
• The developmental roots of shame in childhood
• The role of criticism, humiliation, and conditional acceptance
• Common shame triggers related to body image, parenting, health, finances, and relationships
• Understanding the shame cycle and why it reinforces isolation
• How shame shows up differently in children, teens, and adults
• Why self-compassion is one of the most effective antidotes to shame
• Practical strategies for emotional regulation and healing
• How to respond to yourself with empathy instead of self-criticism
• Tools for breaking patterns of toxic shame and building resilience

Links & Resources:

Tatiana Rojas - https://getherapyservices.com/

Disclaimer: Let's Get Emotional is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace mental health care. If you are in crisis or need immediate support, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis hotline in your area.

In this episode of Let's Get Emotional, hosts Tatiana Rojas and Dr. Jennifer Martin Schantz explore one of the most common yet misunderstood emotions we experience: guilt. While guilt is often uncomfortable, it can serve an important psychological purpose by helping us recognize when our actions conflict with our values, repair relationships, and strengthen empathy.

If you've ever found yourself replaying conversations, feeling responsible for things outside your control, struggling with parenting guilt, caregiver guilt, anxiety, or self-blame, this episode provides practical tools to help you better understand what guilt is, why it happens, and how to respond to it in healthier ways.

Tatiana and Jennifer break down the psychology and neuroscience of guilt, explaining how this self-conscious emotion develops through self-awareness, moral reasoning, empathy, and social connection. They discuss the difference between healthy guilt and unhealthy guilt, highlighting how guilt can motivate accountability and growth while also becoming overwhelming when it turns into excessive self-blame, rumination, or distorted responsibility.

You'll learn how guilt shows up across different stages of life, from childhood and adolescence to adulthood, and how it often manifests physically through chest tightness, stomach discomfort, restlessness, racing thoughts, difficulty sleeping, and emotional distress.

Drawing from research, therapeutic approaches, and real-world clinical experiences, the hosts discuss the connection between guilt and mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, OCD, trauma, PTSD, and chronic stress. They also explore why parents and caregivers frequently experience guilt and how self-compassion can help create healthier emotional balance.

Whether you're struggling with relationship guilt, parenting guilt, caregiver burnout, self-criticism, anxiety, or simply trying to understand your emotions more clearly, this episode offers actionable strategies for emotional healing, self-awareness, and personal growth.

In This Episode:

• What guilt is and why it serves an important emotional purpose
• The difference between healthy guilt and unhealthy guilt
• How guilt relates to empathy, accountability, and relationship repair
• The neuroscience of guilt and the brain regions involved in moral reasoning
• Why self-awareness is essential for processing guilt effectively
• Common signs and symptoms of guilt in children, teens, and adults
• Physical sensations associated with guilt, anxiety, and emotional distress
• How guilt can contribute to anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and rumination
• Understanding parenting guilt and caregiver guilt
• Why excessive responsibility can create unhealthy guilt
• The role of self-compassion in emotional healing
• Practical strategies for repairing relationships and making amends
• The "Repair or Release" framework for managing guilt
• How to challenge distorted thoughts and reduce self-blame
• A simple apology formula for meaningful relationship repair
• Learning from mistakes without punishing yourself

Links & Resources:

Tatiana Rojas
https://getherapyservices.com/

Disclaimer:

Let's Get Emotional is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace mental health care. If you are in crisis or need immediate support, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis hotline in your area.