Edward T. Welch talks with Joyce Handzo
about Running Scared - Fear, Worry and the God of Rest

Added January 25, 2008

Joyce: In the Library Reviews welcomes Edward T. Welch, author of Running Scared.

In your introduction to Running Scared, you admit that you're a "fear specialist" Can you explain that term and tell us why it applies to you?

Edward: The description can be taken in two ways: either I am an expert about fear or, among the various problems I have in life, fear and worry are the ones I experience the most. I have certainly tried to think hard about the problem of fear, but when I think of myself as a fear specialist I am thinking that fear and worry are high on the list of my besetting struggles.

Joyce: The beginning pages of this book take a close look at fear and its effects. This section reveals both your sympathy and your empathy. Did you have special fears as a child?

Edward: Thank you - an encouraging comment. I would say that my early fears were fairly standard: bogeymen under the bed, bogeymen in the closets, communists who were going to torture me (I am showing my age), and, of course, the dreaded, "what will people think about me." I would have been considered quite shy.

Joyce: Can fear ever be a healthy response?

Edward: Absolutely, fear is like anger in that way. Anger is good and appropriate at times, but give it a long leash and you are in for trouble. Fear mobilizes us to teach our children about busy streets, strangers who want you to keep a secret, and all things scalding. Fear can keep us from stupidity that could have bad consequences for ourselves and others. But we are more familiar with fear's debilitating and distracting nature that turns our attention from the important matters at hand to the vagaries of a future threat.

Joyce: What are the differences between fears and phobias?

Edward: Before I think of the distinctions between them, I think of their common ancestry. Both are predicting a threat to something beloved. Phobias are specific - mice, needles, airplanes and other things that have a loose connection with death and pain - while fears and worries are more diffuse and can change depending on the day.

Joyce: Who is your target audience for Running Scared?

Edward: Like many authors, I can probably be a bit grandiose and say that the target audience is all humanity, but hopefully you know what I mean. A book on bipolar would be for the diagnosed person, the person's family, and maybe a few friends who want to help. Fear, however, really is deeply etched in all human beings. But to be more specific, I was thinking about a group that can acknowledge that they don't have it all together, don't want "five minutes to a happy, stressless life," and are open to considering the personal and spiritual features that cling to everyday fears and worries.

Joyce: When did you decide to write this book? Does it connect to your previous books?

Edward: I wrote an earlier book entitled, "When People are Big and God is Small." It addressed our fears of failure and the opinions of other people. As I was writing it I saw that there was so much more to be said about fears and worry, but I took a decade detour and wrote about other problems like addictions and depression. I suspect this writing agenda can sound a bit dark, but I wouldn't write about personal problems unless I could write about them with hope.

Joyce: In your book, you mention that fear is directly linked to depression and anger. Could you explain how these three emotions are related?

Edward: The link between fear and depression can be heard in the way many people describe their depressive experience. Fear is simply prominent in the self-report. Also, when you look at depression you can often see paralysis and isolation, which betray the fearful roots that can feed depression, i.e., paralysis might be the deer-in-headlights phenomenon, and isolation is an attempt to move away from relationships because they are so unpredictable and the potential for hurt is high. Of course, isolation only breeds more fear.

With anger, I know many men who are angry but their anger is a cover for fear. They feel weak and unable to manage their world yet don't have the vocabulary or the permission to speak of weakness and fear. Also, the mottoes for anger and fear are almost identical. Anger says, "I deserve something and I am not getting it." Fear can say, "I need something and might not get it."

Joyce: Are you working on another book? If so, could we have a preview of the title and topic?

Edward: Nice of you to ask. The next book will be a study guide about fear and worry. It was originally intended to be a companion to the book, but as I started work on it I found that there was still more than could be said about fear. I haven't decided on a title yet. After that I have a book on how to deal with the perceived bad opinions of others, directed at teens. That will be followed by a short book directed to people actually struggling with addiction. No titles on those yet either. I am presently working on a book about shame.

Joyce: I sincerely thank you for your time. Your books are filled with significant spiritual insights that have the potential to change people's lives.

Keep writing!

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