Diving Deep into Fear

The Fear Project by Jaimal Yogis is an eye opener! The book goes into the extreme depths of our most primal emotion; fear. Yogis describes events that have occurred in his life that help him, and the reader, to understand fear and how it works. Yogis takes a scientific approach to fear, as well as a more relatable approach in order to reach the reader. Overall, the book uncovers many truths about fear and the ability it has to drive us crazy.

Yogis mentions the term “fear memory” often throughout the book. A fear memory can best be described as a memory so terrible that it has been instilled in a person’s brain forever, which causes fear. These fear memories create a sense of commonality between the reader and the author. Yogis shares a few of his own fear memories and by doing so, provides a reflection of real life because his biggest fears happen to be common fears amongst society, such as heartbreak or failing a math test. After finishing the book, I had gained significant insight on the topic of fear. Yogis did a phenomenal job describing fear and what it can teach us. Like anything else, once you understand fear, you can begin to change it. Yogis uses a brilliant quote from the movie Point Break to prove this statement accurate. He says, “Fear causes hesitation, and hesitation causes your worst fears to come true.” Yogis took this quote to heart and began to apply it to his own life as a surfer, realizing that if he hesitates on a wave, he is going to get crushed. Once he comes across this revelation, he begins to change his approach on big waves. Not every reader will be able to relate to his example but can gain significant insight and apply it to his or her own life. Not every aspect of the book is clear to every reader. Some stories are easily relatable and others just do not click, but regardless, the reader will without a doubt walk away with more knowledge than he or she started with.

While at times the book was hard to understand, there were many times also that the book was even harder to put down. Fear is a topic that everyone can relate to. We all have fears and The Fear Project can lead us all out of the darkness about fear and into a life without hesitation. This book can at least tell us one thing about fear that we need to hear. The Fear Project is a book for everyone.