Our brain is a complex network: It consists of an estimated ten billion neurons with about 100 times as many synaptic contacts. But how is order created in this seemingly incomprehensible system? Maybe a comparison with an ant colony will bring us a little closer to the answer. Every ant seems to be focused on completing a certain task, and ultimately a gigantic construction arises with thousands of tunnels and caves. The colony is a hive of activity, everyone works together, and the system works, even though no ant is intelligent enough to have a construction plan in its head. Our brain works in a similar way: The nerve cells work together, send and receive certain signals and pass them on. Like a single ant, no single cell "knows" what they are doing; nevertheless the result is "knowledge".

What is fear? Everyone knows the feeling: The body freezes, the mouth becomes dry and the heart rate increases. Sweat beads form on the skin, and all the sensory organs are in a heightened state of alertness. Anyone who lies beneath this 500 kilogram stone will see it swinging above their head and held up by just two thin ropes. This results in fear being generated, and each one of the following will react in some way: the heart, skin, pulse, stomach and intestines - their reaction being in response to the risk of danger that the hanging stone represents in the event of the ropes snapping. Where do you feel the fear in your body? Is it at the back of your neck? Do your knees turn to jelly? Sometimes everyday expressions have a way of hitting the nail on the head when it comes to feelings, and usually refer to the part of the body where the fear is felt.