08/28/2025
When panic or anxiety hits, our first instinct is usually to fight it or run from it. But what if the way through is actually the opposite? 💭✨
The DARE response gives us a science-backed framework:
🙅♀️ Defuse→ Notice and step back from automatic thoughts instead of fusing with them. You can say something like: “Oh, this is just anxiety- I know what do do with this” or “So I’m feeling some anxiety or panic- no big deal, I’ve got this”. The key is to step back and take some of the “charge” out of it. (Anxiety and panic typically want us to say “ Oh NOoooooo! This is terrible; I can’t handle this.”)
🤲 Allow→ Make space for the feelings instead of resisting them, which lowers distress over time. this may be one of the very trickiest parts at the beginning. Some people find it helpful to label anxiety or panic as just a big “adrenaline rush” coursing through their body like a wave; when we view it this way, we know it won’t hurt us, it just needs to pass.
🏃♂️ Run Toward→ Lean into the sensations, reminding yourself they’re uncomfortable but not dangerous. This is called a paradoxical intervention (doing the very opposite of what feels natural!). However, when we say “ok, I can lean into these sensations” or even “bring it on”, we reappraise the situation to one of threat and avoidance to one in which we have power and control.
🎯 Engage→ Redirect your energy into something meaningful, pulling your brain out of the anxious loop. DMN refers to Default Mode Network, the part of your brain that becomes activated when you are more inwardly focused than outer focused (so think- scanning, hypervigilant, and ruminative behaviors).
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