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The Fear Project: What Our Most Primal Emotion Taught Me About Survival, Success, Surfing . . . and Love [Hardcover]

Jaimal Yogis
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)

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Book Description

January 8, 2013
An epic adventure full of incredible characters, death-defying athletic achievement, and bleeding edge science, THE FEAR PROJECT began with one question: how can we overcome our fears to reach our full potential?

Who among us has not been paralyzed by fear? In The Fear Project, award-winning journalist and surfer Jaimal Yogis sets out to better understand fear—why does it so often dominate our lives, what makes it tick, and is there even a way to use it to our advantage? In the process, he plunges readers into great white shark-infested waters, brings them along to surf 40+ foot waves in the dead of winter, and gives them access to some of the world’s best neuroscience labs, psychologists, and extreme athletes.  In this entertaining, often laugh-out-loud narrative, Yogis also treats himself like a guinea pig for all of his research, pushing his own fears repeatedly to the limits—in his sport, in his life, and in love. Ultimately, Yogis shares with his readers the best strategies to emerge triumphant from even the most paralyzing of fears.

THE FEAR PROJECT gives readers insight into the following:

  • How fear evolved in the human brain
  • How to tell the difference between "good fear" and "bad fear"
  • How to use the latest neuroscience to transform fear memories
  • Why fear spreads between us and how to counteract fearful "group think"
  • How to turn fear into a performance enhancer — athletically and at work

In pursuing this terrifying—and often thrilling—journey with Yogis, we learn how to move through fear and unlock a sense of renewed possibility and a more rewarding life.


Frequently Bought Together

The Fear Project: What Our Most Primal Emotion Taught Me About Survival, Success, Surfing . . . and Love + Saltwater Buddha: A Surfer's Quest to Find Zen on the Sea + West of Jesus: Surfing, Science, and the Origins of Belief
Price for all three: $39.31

Buy the selected items together


Editorial Reviews

Review

"There is a hell of a lot of fun packed between these two covers. Wonderfully reported, unflinchingly honest and definitely big-balled. If Jaimal Yogis’ deep dive into fear doesn’t make you want to go out and push your limits—well, you’re probably already dead." --Steven Kotler, author of West of Jesus

"Nothing holds us back more in life than fear. Jaimal Yogis explores this primal emotion in depth from an evolutionary, neuropsychological, and philosophical perspective, all wrapped up in a highly engaging personal narrative. The Fear Project offers the keys to overcoming excuses and anxiety, and stepping into the life you've always dreamed of having."--MeiMei Fox, co-author of the New York Times bestseller, Fortytude

"The Fear Project is an enchanting autobiographical journey. Yogis deftly explores our current scientific, religious and philosophical views on our most fundamental emotion, and the reward is as significant as it is palpable. I absolutely loved this book and will share it with everyone—in particular, high performance athletes."--Michael Lardon, author of Finding Your Zone

"Jaimal Yogis weaves together neuroscience, dramatic true stories, and practical wisdom in a fascinating, important book that moves with the page-turning verve of a thriller." --Rick Hanson, author of The Buddha’s Brain

"Like a mammoth wave moving across the ocean, The Fear Project takes us on a wild ride into the heart of our deepest primordial fears and onto the shores of light."--Stuart Coleman, author of Eddie Would Go and Fierce Heart

"From the first chapter about his swimming in the dark, shark-infested waters surrounding Alcatraz to stories of surfing 80-foot waves at Mavericks, this book is alive and pumping with adrenaline! It brings you to the edge of fear over and over again with a lasting lesson on confronting fear in ways that are healthy and powerful."--David Romanelli, author of Yeah Dave’s Guide to Livin’ the Moment

"This book is worth the price of admission for the Maverick’s chapter alone: the first and, as far as I know, only literary first-person account of riding one of the greatest big-wave breaks on Earth. Yogis is a man on an authentic mission—to face down his deepest fears and interrogate the deepest sources of meaning in every aspect of human life. From his Alcatraz swim to surfing Maverick’s to that biggest challenge of all—fatherhood—Yogis writes with confidence, clarity, and brio. This is a heartfelt, hard-won, and utterly worthwhile book."--Dan Duane, author of How to Cook Like a Man

"Jaimal Yogis combines harrowing personal experiences with cutting edge science to bring us remarkable insight into fear. The Fear Project will transform how you approach this primal emotion -- and your life." -- David Agus, MD, author of the New York Times best-seller, The End of Illness

"The Fear Project not only tells the riveting story of the science of fear, but helps us understand how we can deal with fear when it stands in our way. Effortlessly weaving together science and everyday life, this book gives you insight into your own fears such that you can face them head-on and perform at your best.--Sian Beilock, Ph.D., author of Choke

"The Fear Project is an engrossing and insightful book that blends memoir, research, interviews, and the author's honest search for meaning and safety in an unpredictable world of nature and relationships. It's a solid read that entertains, educates, and at times challenges readers to push themselves just a little harder."—About.com

"The true strength of The Fear Project is its versatility. Our fears are so personal and precise, but Yogis somehow manages to leave no stone unturned in looking at the full spectrum of fears, be they developmental, situational, comical, or extreme. He crafts a charming narrative based in accessible science reporting and his own experiences, and readers are certain to find echoes of their own fears and anxieties throughout the book. The Fear Project is smart, funny, and essential reading. --Mark Lukach, author of Where the Road Meets the Sun

"Honest memoir with thorough reporting on the things that scare us all... readers can use what [Yogis] learned embracing his deepest fears to dispel their own." --SPIRITUALITY & HEALTH MAGAZINE

"The Fear Project is replete with practical advice (all backed by scientific research) like getting more exercise, using breathing techniques, finding time to meditate, thinking positively and facing your fears."—Monterey County

"Yogs' descriptions of his inaugural Mavericks session make fear palpable." -- OUTSIDE.COM

"This book will give you insight as to why fear can dominate your life and ways to use fear as an ally...This book took me to the depths of my fears--the current one of uncertainty--and gavem e insight to relate to it in new and emerging ways.When you are ready to explore fear as an ally, go read this book."--TONINGTHEOM.COM

"An adventure-seeking surfer triumphs over his anxieties and proves you can, too."--O MAGAZINE

"In Yogis’ beautifully candid exploration of his own heart, our cerebral processes, and the way fear can debilitate and sometimes even motivate us, The Fear Project offers up the means to see between the folds of our grey matter…and make changes to how we perceive the inherent and inevitable trials and travails of life…This is a fascinating and sagely penned work that’s full of ideas and philosophies--EASTERN SURF MAGAZINE

About the Author

Jaimal Yogis is an award-winning journalist who has written for ESPN The Magazine, The Washington Post, The Surfer’s Journal, The Chicago Tribune, AFAR, San Francisco Magazine and many others. His critically acclaimed first book, Saltwater Buddha, is currently being adapted into a film. Jaimal is an avid surfer and lives in San Francisco with his wife and son.


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Rodale Books (January 8, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1609611756
  • ISBN-13: 978-1609611750
  • Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jaimal Yogis is an author, journalist, and outdoors-man. His first book, a coming-of-age memoir called Saltwater Buddha, was praised by The Times of London, The Age, Publishers Weekly, The San Francisco Chronicle, and is currently being made into a film. Jaimal's second book, The Fear Project, is a personal and journalistic investigation into our most primal emotion. To report the story, Jaimal plunged into the water with great white sharks, surfed waves as tall four-story buildings, traveled to some of the world's most cutting edge neuroscience labs, and interviewed some of the top extreme athletes and psychologists in the country.

A graduate of Columbia Journalism School, Jaimal's magazine reporting has won awards like the 2005 Leslie Rachel Sanders Award for Social Justice Reporting, a 2007 Maggie Award for "Best Magazine Feature," and two Scripps Howard reporting scholarships. In 2010, The Common Wealth Club voted him "The New Face of San Francisco Media" for his popular writing in San Francisco Magazine. His stories have also been published in ESPN Magazine, AFAR, Runner's World, The Surfers Journal, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, and many others. He has been a guest-lecturer at UC Berkeley, Columbia University, and San Francisco State.

Jaimal lives near San Francisco's Ocean Beach with his wife Amy and son Kaifas.

Customer Reviews

Jaimal's writing style makes it an easy-to-read, page turner. Kristyn M. Klei  |  8 reviewers made a similar statement
I read the book and then gave it to him to read. Debra L. Whipkey  |  4 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Jaimal Yogis' book is a series of stories peppered with research and wonderful insights about coping with fear. He talks about some truly daunting life situations, but also the life situations many of us find ourselves in -- falling in love, having children, creating art. One of my responding thought processes while reading it was that we *must* venture out, we *must* challenge our comfort zone -- because that's what courage is, and what being human is, and it's how we fuel creativity and diversity and learning and growth. Embracing fear is an art, and this book is a very nice way to start that adventure.

He writes: "In almost all primate species -- and we are one -- there is a phenomenon scientists call voluntary dispersal or voluntary transfer. A monkey, usually around adolescence, will leave the safety of his or her clan and family to go and mate with a monkey from another area, a huge risk. The monkey must leave the familiarity and safety of the clan, travel alone, and expose itself to what may be an abusive or dangerous group of monkeys. Romeo seeking Juliet is the prime human example of this, and while the importance of this brazen act is likely to keep us from all dating our cousins, it may be one of the origins of what we call courage."

In the next paragraph, he quotes Robert Sapolsky: "...We do know that following this urge is one of the most resonantly primate of acts. [snip] To hell with logic and sensible behavior, to hell with tradition and respecting your elders, to hell with this drab little town, and to hell with that knot of fear in your stomach. Curiosity, excitement, adventure -- the hunger for novelty is something fundamentally daft, rash, and enriching that we share with our whole taxonomic order.
... Read more ›
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Good content but uneven February 9, 2013
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book contains intellectual candy of a similar vein to Malcolm Gladwell. Where it falls short is when the author personalizes his "journey". He just wasn't able to make me care very much about his ever-so-awesome friends or his inability to commit to a woman. It's a pity, because when he is able to get over himself it's a great read with lots of useful and thought-provoking content.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Combination of Neuroscience and Storytelling January 8, 2013
Format:Kindle Edition
I was lucky enough to get an early copy of Jaimal's book. I was already a fan of his work after reading Saltwater Buddha. If you've read his other book you'll note a clear evolution in his voice as a writer. The Fear project is a beautiful combination of funny, heartwarming, stories and incredible research based insights. I read 100's of books that fall into this genre, and the practical insights on mastering fear are fantastic. Definitely worth reading.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Changed my daughter's life March 21, 2013
By bugZ
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I wish I could meet this man in person. If I could, he would get the biggest hug ever. I randomly heard Jaimal on the radio late one night while on a long drive home. I caught the interview in the middle but everything he was talking about really reminded me of the issues my daughter had been struggling with for years. She had been to doctor after doctor and was given prescription after prescription. Nothing ever worked though and she was feeling very hopeless. I bought her the book the next morning and asked her check it out if she felt like it. All I can say is that she is a new woman. She is happy again and isn't taking any medication! Reading Jaimal's book was like flipping on a switch for her. She no longer feels like a prisoner of her fear and anxiety. Thank you, Jaimal.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars OK, but serious flaws-and not worth the time. March 21, 2013
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have mixed feelings about this review. There are some good aspects to this book, but in the end I graded it down due to its flaws.

The Good:
-This book is in the manner of many science books written today for the general public. I enjoy this category of books,and I looked forward to learning about the subject of Fear. He does provide some information that I will benefit from.
-The writing style and quality is good.

The Bad:
-In many books of this style, it's common for the researcher to discuss a particular patient who has problems that are being discussed. The problem here is that the patient is always the author, and as often happens, when an author writes about himself, he goes into excessive detail and doesn't know when to stop. One would think that this book is about Fear, but in reality it's about his breakup, and then getting a new relationship, and then getting married, etc. A good editor would have trimmed this book down substantially. It feels almost as though the author didn't have enough material, so he padded the book with personal data. There were many times when I would simply skim 10 - 15 pages because he was talking only about himself.

As I said above, he does say some good things about brain research and its relationship with fear, but as other reviewers have said, the book could have been much shorter. If you're interested in this subject, I'd recommend you use a different book. For the cost of this book, and more importantly, the time committed to reading it (and I did finish the book), I don't think this book delivers.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Fearsome March 16, 2013
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is, in general, a reasonably good book. I like the way in which Jaimal uses surfing as a way to talk about fear. This is indeed good, as it makes it more real. However, I felt that he wanted to put too much into the book. I like the fact that he used everyday language, and this makes it approachable for most people. However, in concentrating so much on the stories, and his life's journey, he left little space for something more serious, more satisfying.

What I found much better than the book, are the end-notes, as these represent a wealth of material and contain a wealth of resources. For this, I thank him

Fear is indeed fundamental to us, and is a fascinating subject. This needs more in-depth treatment, however.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Laughter Sparkles
Explained so much in understandable language. I have already recommended this book. I believe that it will help with situations in my life.
Published 1 day ago by K. Agmann
5.0 out of 5 stars An incredible read
Fantastic delivery of complex science in a very easy to read story filled with adventure.
One of the best books I have ever read.
Kudos to Jaimal Yogis.
Published 28 days ago by Romney Noonan
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!!
I truly recommend this book. It is a great read and has a lot of great stories. I really enjoyed it.
Published 1 month ago by Jorge Garcia
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Jaimal Yogis has done his research. This book was interesting and intriguing. It really makes you think about your daily activities, your actions and how you react physically and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Craig Leslie
3.0 out of 5 stars Not as I expected
I had high hopes of this book and thought it will distill down and present nice results of studies. In this day and world, fear is part of lives and one has to use common sense. Read more
Published 1 month ago by rpv
3.0 out of 5 stars 3/4 good
has some good point and references to over coming situational fear, applys to athletic fear and other situations to apply to
Published 1 month ago by TDS
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting read!
I have not finished reading the book yet but I was impressed enough with the bit I read at the book store that I had to hurry home and buy online. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Wesley
4.0 out of 5 stars Fear is a good thing
The Fear Project is a very good book to read. I think it can be used for athletes and blue collar individuals. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Avery Flex Rhodes
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Informative & Entertaining
Practical advice with scientific evidence to back it up written with the author's personal experiences make this a book with valuable insights for everyone.
Published 2 months ago by Daisy Lewis
4.0 out of 5 stars Great writing style and discusses how fear effects us from many...
Yogis does a great job of defining fear both at a physical level as well as spiritual. While the parts of how our brain works and some of the scientific studies covered a lot... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Hair Band fan
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