Anxiety can both protect us and pose a danger. When does it shift from being a useful signal to an invasive projection of our fears? This book offers a phenomenological analysis of how anxiety disrupts embodiment, time perception, and fantasy. Stefano Micali uses Bakhtin's polyphonic method and draws on thinkers like Kierkegaard, Freud, and Heidegger to create new categories for understanding anxiety. He examines its complex relationship with fear and trauma, integrating perspectives from art, cultural anthropology, psychopathology, and philosophy.