That really sucks and sounds like tough journey there! Very ironic the meditation meetup story. Sounds like totally the wrong signals coming in from everything outside of that!
i dont really have anxiety just an irrational fear of hights on manmade structures...not on mountains, but one there is a tower on the mountain I wont enter it.
I dont really try to beat it I honestly say, I am in acceptance of it, call it the easy way..but it functions perfectly fine
Id definitely say that fear has a bloody good function!!!! 🧡😂