Triggers, Fear, and Memories: Oh My!

The characters we encounter in childhood stay with us forever and continue to evoke the same emotions we experienced as children.

Created by Author with Microsoft Designer ai

The Wizard of Oz

I remember the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz and the book by Frank Baum as some of my childhood favorites. I always got excited when it was on TV. However, the movie had some scary parts, especially when Dorothy’s house began to spin, and the Wicked Witch of the East rode by on her bicycle. I still get anxious when I think of it or see the movie.

Dorothy and her companions coped with their anxiety on the way to visit the wizard, repeatedly reciting the meme “Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!” to distract themselves. I enjoyed that movie. However, another scary part is when the Wicked Witch of the West orders the flying monkeys to find Dorothy and bring her and the slippers back to the Wicked Witch. It was incredibly frightening when the flying monkeys took Dorothy away, leaving her two companions behind. The fear of this scene also stays with me today.

ET

As a preschool teacher in the early 1980s, I remember one parent telling …