Phantom Bear, Phantom Ghost

Metaphorical Narrative

A few days before, the body braced as if chased by something—maybe a bear, maybe a ghost, maybe both. Teeth clenched, stomach tight, nerves alert. The strangest part? No bear. No ghost. Just phantoms running circles inside.

So appetite disappears, yet heaviness stays. As if you’re sprinting on empty, but carrying a pack of rocks no one can see. The body doesn’t ask if the threat is real—it just runs, convinced safety depends on speed.

Core Insight

This is the nervous system’s leftover signal. Phantom fear can be as heavy as the real thing because the body doesn’t sort fact from fiction. Ghosts of danger live in muscles and gut until you remind them: the race is over. Nothing’s chasing anymore.

Saturday Experiment

• When heaviness shows up, pause and say aloud: “Phantom. Not real.”
• Take three slow steps forward, as if walking out of the forest into daylight.
• Place a hand on your stomach, breathe until you feel it soften.

Sunday Reflection

What if he saw himself as no longer running from anything?
What does he notice when the forest of phantom fears is behind him?
When his body is heavy, could he ask: “Am I carrying a ghost?”