To work in truly significant depth with fear, we need to take into account not only personal fear, but also collective fear — the kind of fear which could be called “our” fear and, especially, “the” fear, surrounding and permeating all of us with its energies and core message: we are threatened, we are in danger, we are at the mercy of far-from-benign forces…. » Read more: An Inside Look at Collective Fear
Personal Fear
The key to working effectively with fear is to get inside it.
This means, among other things, that we need to have a clear knowledge of all the ways in which we’ve learned to get away from fear, so that when one of them shows up, we’re capable of looking at it — rather than through its eyes — and, to whatever degree, saying “no thanks.”
So instead of fleeing it, we stand our ground, however shaky our legs might be. And the more energy we put into grounding ourselves, the better able we will be to face fear, be it personal or collective.
Getting inside fear means getting past its periphery, getting past its defining thoughts, getting past its propagandizing sentinels, getting past our problematic orientation to it. Entering the dragon’s cave. » Read more: Cutting Through Personal & Collective Fear
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Paranoia not only has insinuated its way deep into our culture, but has also managed to do so without being significantly recognized for what it is. We are in the midst of a paranoia epidemic, however pharmaceutically muted it might be. » Read more: Cutting Through Paranoia
(This interview, conducted by Crystal Arnold in Ashland, originally appeared in The Sentient Times in November 2009)
Crystal: Understanding how to work with and transform fear is one of the most important skills we can master. Listening to the news, one has a plethora of things to be afraid of: nuclear war, climate change, swine flu, and the economy. Then there are also the unique life experiences that create fear within each of us, such as abandonment, betrayal, dying, lack of intimacy, or scarcity. Clearly, we cannot afford to ignore or avoid this primal human emotion. How is fear used to create a culture of control? » Read more: Fear, Money, Intimacy, Breakthrough: An Interview with Robert & Diane
Follow the setting-up instructions for Guided Session #1. Once you are comfortably settled, turn on your recorder if you have one, and then begin the audio portion of this session.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Follow the setting-up instructions for Guided Session #1. Once you are comfortably settled, turn on your recorder if you have one, and then begin the audio portion of this session.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
We all have grief, however much we may mute its expression. It is what we feel when our heart registers a loss that is of considerable significance to us. There is grief over the death of a loved one, grief over missed opportunities, grief over damage suffered by someone else. It is » Read more: 4.3 Fear and Grief
Follow the setting-up instructions for Guided Session #1. Once you are comfortably settled, turn on your recorder if you have one, and then begin the audio portion of this session.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
As was said earlier, fear and anger are biochemically all but identical. Same adrenaline, different directionality — fear retreats, anger moves forward. Same adrenaline, different intentionality — fear avoids, anger engages. Fear disempowers, whereas anger empowers, so long as it is not allowed to mutate into aggression. When the » Read more: 4.1 Fear and Anger