interesting... If I'm reading this right, I agree with you. I think the first step in healing is always finding self acceptance. And of course that means for the whole self, not just the comfy parts...

There's a word I like to use: "deimophobia". It isn't in any dictionary, but it should be. It means: the fear of fear. I think deimophobia is such a common condition that few people even recognize it anymore. Simply put, IMO avoidance of fear and other uncomfortable emotions stunts the emotional body, whereas "showing up for the dread", as you put it, makes it possible to be true to oneself.