“It’s Just a Voice in Your Head… But Loud Enough to Make You Tremble”

caulocare
Jun 4
4 min read

**“Night Terrors and the Spirit: When Sleep Isn’t Safe”**

By Dr. Phumlarp Caulo | Caulo Care New York / Jun 3, 2025

Fear is a universal emotion — and paradoxically, the most frightening of all.

It evolved as a protective mechanism, helping us survive in the face of danger. But when fear grows unchecked, when it becomes detached from real threat and begins to haunt every corner of the mind, it transforms from a survival tool into a silent destroyer. That is the essence of Panphobia, or the fear of everything.

📖 What is Panphobia?

The term Panphobia was first coined in 1911 by French psychologist Théodule-Armand Ribot in his seminal work The Psychology of the Emotions. He described it as:

“A state in which a patient fears everything or nothing, where anxiety, instead of being riveted on one object, floats as in a dream, and only becomes fixed for an instant at a time, passing from one object to another, as circumstances may determine.”

The word Panphobia comes from the Greek:

pan (πᾶν) meaning “all”
phobos (φόβος) meaning “fear”

The term also holds symbolic roots in Greek mythology through Pan, the god of the wild — a half-man, half-goat deity associated not only with forests and untamed nature, but with panic itself. According to ancient legend, Pan was capable of inciting mass hysteria — a fear so primal that entire armies would flee in disarray. Herodotus even recorded that Pan aided the Athenians in the Battle of Marathon by causing terror among Persian forces at night.

🧠 How Fear Is Understood in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), emotions are closely tied to internal organ systems. Fear (恐, Kǒng) is considered one of the "Seven Emotions" (七情, Qi Qing) and is primarily associated with the Kidneys (腎, Shèn).

🔍 Core Principles:

The Kidneys are the "Root of Life," responsible for storing Jing (Essence), governing growth, development, reproduction, and emotional stability.
Excessive fear disrupts the flow of Kidney Qi, leading to an imbalance across the body-mind system.

⚠️ Why is it dangerous?

Sudden fear causes Kidney Qi to descend, disrupting urination, heart rhythm, and mental focus.
Chronic fear can lead to Kidney Yin deficiency, which weakens mental clarity, sleep, memory, and causes emotional instability.

🔬 Examples of Fear Manifesting Physically:

Children experiencing nightmares or trauma → bedwetting
Adults under constant anxiety → insomnia, palpitations, shortness of breath
Elderly with weak kidney energy → fear of death, irrational suspicions

🧬 Fear from a Western Medical Perspective

In modern medicine, fear is biologically processed through the amygdala in the brain’s limbic system. It activates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), launching a “fight or flight” response:

Rapid heartbeat
Blood vessel constriction
Hyperventilation
Muscle tension

⚠️ Why is it dangerous?

Acute fear may trigger panic attacks, fainting, or cardiovascular overload.
Chronic fear elevates stress hormones like cortisol, leading to:
- Hypertension
- Immune suppression
- Cardiac disease
- Cognitive decline and memory loss

🧠 Psychological View: The Identity-Threatening Nature of Fear

In psychology, fear is at the root of several major disorders:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Specific Phobias
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Panic Disorder

⚠️ Why is it dangerous?

Persistent fear fractures self-identity — you begin to perceive yourself as fragile, incapable, or unsafe in your own mind.
Chronic fear disconnects individuals from the present moment, impacting work, relationships, and life goals.
Children raised in fear may internalize powerlessness, leading to depression or self-rejection in adulthood.

🧘 Healing Approaches Across Traditions

✅ Psychological Interventions:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – restructuring fear-based thought patterns
Mindfulness practices – building awareness without judgment

✅ Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM):

🌿 Treatment Principles:

Tonify the Kidneys
Regulate Qi
Calm the Shen (Spirit)

🪡 Common Techniques:

Acupuncture: HT7 (Shenmen), KD3 (Taixi), BL23 (Shenshu)
Herbal Formulas: Suan Zao Ren Tang, Liu Wei Di Huang Wan
Qi Gong & Meditation: breathwork and stillness to regulate emotion and spirit

🪞 A Mirror to the Modern World

In an age of 24-hour news, digital chaos, and existential threats, Panphobia — this amorphous, shifting anxiety — may be the emotional epidemic of our time. We may not fear one specific danger, but instead carry an ambient sense of uneasiness that quietly erodes our well-being.

“Is your fear protecting you — or paralyzing you?”Have you surrendered to a voice in your head… that’s loud enough to make you tremble?”

📚 References:

Ribot, T.-A. (1911). The Psychology of the Emotions
Herodotus. The Histories, Book 6, Chapter 105
Kaptchuk, T. J. (2000). The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine. McGraw-Hill
Maciocia, G. (2005). The Foundations of Chinese Medicine. Elsevier
Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Pan–Greek Mythology”