Fear Itself from CBC Radio

In our final episode, we shed some light on the fear of the dark. A coal miner explains what pitch black really means. Ryan Knighton gives a visually impaired person’s perspective on the dark and Christy Ann explores the darkness of the ocean with diver Annette Thompson.

We all have a capacity for violence that can terrify us. But in the relatively safe context of some sports it can electrify us – despite the danger and fear involved or maybe even because of it. We look at the relationship between fear and violence through the lens of some sports we take part in.

A look at how the unrelenting fear of death shapes our behaviour. Deanna Foster talks about the history of hangings. Terri DiSilva on the fear of involved in living with stage four breast cancer. And palliative care counsellor Stephen Jenkinson talks about what we are really afraid of when it comes to death.

Today we crawl out from under the bed to wake up some childhood fears. Horror photographer Joshua Hoffine on why he likes to unravel our childhood fears through his work. And storyteller Angela Reynolds explains how ghost stories around the fire give us a safe place to scream -- no matter how old we are.

This week we explore how fear is reflected in art and culture...From horror films and video games, to zombies, demons and ghosts, these frightening experiences and monsters of our times reflect both our personal and shared fears. What is it about these creations that draw some of us, and repel others?

In Danse Macabre, Stephen King writes, “The good horror tale will dance its way to the centre of your life and find the door to the secret room you believed no one but you knew of..." We’ll speak with some of the people who hold the key to that room including writer Andrew Pyper and filmmaker Karen Lam.

We all have secrets. Some of us live in fear having those secrets exposed, secrets we are sure will ruin our lives if anyone finds out. Christy Ann talks with some people who’ve made it through that terror to find out how they lived with the fear of getting caught.

Like Nik Wallenda crossing Niagara Falls, we all look for our own way of crossing the tightrope of fear. This week we meet people who have overcome the fears of their daily life in different ways.

In this episode we explore the fear of water and the ocean. An ocean diver reveals how she trains divers to overcome fear. How near drowning experiences can lead to a lifetime fear of the water and a fisherman's wife talks about how she deals with the loss of her partner at sea.