How to Release Fear from Your Body When a Traumatic Moment Shakes Your Nervous System
You might have heard the phrase, “Look fear directly in the eyes.”
I’d heard it, too. But I never really got it…
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.
Norby has been going through training to learn how to get his feet trimmed. (As MaryBeth mentioned in our last newsletter.)
For horses, hoof trimming isn’t cosmetic. It’s essential for their health. But Norby is a Mustang, which means he spent part of his life in the wild. He isn’t naturally comfortable with people touching his feet. (And it took a long time for him to even be okay with us touching him anywhere.)
We’ve had different people work with him and make small bits of progress.
When we got to Arizona, we were really excited to find a farrier whose values around working with horses aligned with ours. He’s kind, patient, and deeply respectful of the horse’s experience.
He’d been working with Norby for a few weeks, and we were starting to see some progress.
Then came that moment.
Norby was in a gated area, and the farrier was working with him on one side.
One part of the gate was closed, and I was standing in the open section.
Suddenly, Norby got completely terrified.
He started running. Around and around and around the pen.
And then he turned and began galloping straight toward me at the open gate.
The farrier yelled, “Don’t let him out!”
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, Move. Run. Get out.
But I stayed.
I stood my ground.
Norby came to a stop just inches from my face.
In that moment, I looked him directly in the eyes—and it felt like I was staring straight into his soul.
All I saw was fear.
Not a wild Mustang. Not a “dangerous horse.”
Just a terrified little boy trapped in a body full of power.
I could feel that some part of him wanted to run me over to escape.
And yet there was also this tiny spark of consciousness inside him that said, “Don’t do it.”
I have never felt fear that strongly in my entire life.
I felt his fear.
I felt my fear.
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.
When it was finally over, I was in shock.
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’t even call “time out” when I needed our farrier to take a break while working with Norby.
Thankfully, she did.
I was in a deep fear cycle—paralyzed, shaky, barely able to process what had just happened.
If you’ve ever had an experience like that—where your body is on full alert, your thoughts shut down, and you feel like you’re stuck in a loop—you know how disorienting it can be.
And here’s the thing…
It doesn’t have to be a horse charging at you.
It might be a car accident, a breakup, a medical scare, a financial shock, a fight, or even something that “doesn’t look that big” on the outside.
Your nervous system knows how big it was.
Your body keeps the score.
So what did I do?
First, I chose to activate my values.
I knew I couldn’t just sit in fear and let it build.
I went for a walk in nature.
I moved my body.
I stacked hay.
I knew I needed movement and physical work to help shift the energy, rather than letting it stay stuck inside me.
But the most important step I took came next: I did an Emotion Code session. On myself. And Norby.
Emotion Code is a form of energy work that helps identify and release trapped emotions from your body and energy system.
When you have a shared experience—like Norby and I did—you can both carry emotional residue from that moment that can stay lodged in your system.
So I sat down, tuned in, and began releasing the emotions that were still clinging to that experience.
Not surprisingly, the first emotion that came up for us was Fear. Then Anxiety. Then Dread. Then Shock.
Each one got acknowledged… and released.
What happened after was remarkable.
I felt a sense of peace start to return. Relief. Like my body could finally exhale.
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.
As someone who has a history of shutting down when I have strong emotional responses—and someone who often needs extra time to process—this is huge.
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.
It supported me in coming back to myself.
And it wasn’t just me.
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.
Animals are much better at shaking off fear and resetting their nervous systems. They don’t usually hold onto it the way humans do.
We, on the other hand, tend to cling to those experiences—sometimes for years or even decades—whether we realize it or not.
This was a powerful chance to help both of us let go.
So I want to ask you:
- Have you been hit with a big dose of fear, anxiety, or emotional shock recently—or even years ago? 😱
- Do you notice certain memories, patterns, or triggers that still feel “too big” or sticky, no matter how much you journal, think, or talk about them? 😞
- Do you find yourself shutting down, going numb, or looping on the same emotional rollercoaster? 🎭
If so, please know this:
Nothing is wrong with you. This is part of being human.
But you also don’t have to carry all of that alone.
So much of what keeps you stuck isn’t just in your mind—it’s in your energy system.
Those trapped emotions don’t make you weak. They’re simply unprocessed experiences your body has been trying to hold for you.
Energy work—like Emotion Code, Body Code, and Belief Code—can help you gently release what’s been stored there, so you can respond to life from your values and your present self, instead of from old shock, fear, or pain.
If you’re reading this and thinking:
“Yep, I’m still carrying something. I can feel it.”
I’d be honored to support you.
As a certified Emotion Code, Body Code, and Belief Code practitioner, I help people release trapped emotional and energetic baggage from experiences just like this—so they can feel safer in their bodies, clearer in their minds, and more aligned with who they truly are.
If you’re ready to explore this work.
👇You can book an Energy Healing Session with me here:
Book an Energy Healing Session
In your session, we’ll tune into what your body is ready to release, identify the trapped emotions and beliefs that are weighing you down, and gently clear them so you can move forward with more freedom.
Let’s start 2026 with freedom from old fears that aren’t yours to carry.
P.S.
A few days after that intense experience, something pretty incredible happened.
I felt this quiet nudge from my intuition: “Go see Norby. Ask for his foot.”
Honestly, a part of me thought, There’s no way he’s ready for that after what happened.
But I listened.
I walked up to him, softened my energy, and gave him the smallest ask to lift his foot. Something he hasn’t been able to do before.
And he did.
Not only did he pick it up—he held it so softly and calmly that I could’ve balanced it with a feather.
In that moment, I knew deep in my bones that it wouldn’t have been possible if we hadn’t cleared the fear, anxiety, and dread from our shared experience. The energy work helped both of us reset, so we could meet each other from trust instead of trauma.
If you sense there’s something in your system that’s ready to be released—old fear, shock, or emotional weight that’s been holding you back—I’d love to support you in creating your own version of that softness and trust.
You can book an Energy Healing Session with me here and give your body and heart the chance to finally let go.
