For many people, fear is a debilitating experience, reducing their ability to think rationally and make informed decisions. However, fear, when properly managed, is a useful and helpful emotional response. For the most part, fear is the subconscious mind letting the conscious portion of the brain know that something is different or out of place in a particular situation. It is up to the conscious mind to interpret this feeling appropriately and not simply assume that every feeling of fear is directly related to a dangerous situation.