How to manage my fear

[reeay]

Your brain is being hijacked by the oldest part of your brain (this part is usually associated with survival issues - fear/anger - and its responses - fight/flight/freeze).

I see this as a refusal of something in the "past". This refusal of an experience forces that experience to appear again and again, rearing up with more "life" to it every time it returns. Catalyst works this way, becoming a stronger force every time it it presents itself to you, until it is finally dealt with and accepted.

Yes the 'emotional memories' that operates behind the fear or anger or strong emotions are not processed sufficiently due to being unconscious of its 'presence' or refusal to work through them. In that sense there is an element of 'choice' that you mentioned.

The neuropathway of emotions and emotional memories is like an express way lane on an information highway.... the information reach our awareness much faster than other types of memory and rational thought, that would otherwise balance our emotions/emotional memory. So that's a theory that may explain why people react before they are able to regulate their emotions and think through things carefully.