Doc,

I have a lot of experience in controlling fear as a condition of mananging risk. If you think this would help you, tell me and I'll go into it.

Rob

Hi Doc-

You got me thinking. What IS fear anyway?

I get two impressions - "If you are scared, you just don't understand the situation," and on the other side, "Once we understand the situation, fear vanishes."

The first, of course, if everyday thinking, like when the IRS decided to audit me, or my car did a wheely on ice. The second seems to come from very advanced spiritual souls.

I am far from the level at which I could simply foresee interrupting my present activities, even to go off to some other assignment from God, without a substantial feeling of trepidation. I'm not horrified at ending my stay on this planet, but I certainly feel uneasy about it - those little hairs stand up and tingle down my back.

My take on my own feelings is that both I lack total confidence in my knowledge, and second I am attached to stuff that I fear to lose (and I can still agree that the attachments are useless, maybe even detrimental).

I recall that Nisargadatta Maharaj said that all of our hassles in this world arise from fear, and that fear comes from ignorance. Well, if ignorance is bliss, maybe I'm on the verge of a major blister.

dave

The "false evidence" idea has helped me a lot.  Think about how we make up these dooms day thoughts and then self inflict pain/stress on ourselves before anything ever real happens.  When an event happens that triggers your imagination into dooms day, try to recognize that early and don't give it any credibility.  You need to set up a good rationalization process.  Every event is different, and calls for different rationalizing.  However, you be surprised how a basic thought process can cover a great number of situations.  Example:  I put my fear sparking events into three categories.  1. Not immediate  2. Immediate  3. Attachment.  The "not immediate" events are a good place to start and I think they create the most fear and stress in our lives.  My thought process for "not immediate" (ex. Rumor of job loss, strange lump found on body, bird flu, terrorist etc.) is: 
A.  I'm perfectly fine right now. 
B.  The weak evidence I have here really doesn't prove a definite bad out come. 
C.  I have the skills and power to deal with this when and if anything does come my way. 
D.  "Gratitude" If it does come my way, this challenge will benefit me somehow even if I can't see that yet. 
E.  Move and stay back in the present.

For immediate events you are really going to have to prepare ahead of time.  lol.  Remember, if immediate danger is bearing down on you... Fear will be the one thing that will prevent you from executing a necessary action.  As you know fear can cripple you.  Here are some of my favorites:

The action I need to take is something I have done a million time successfully in the past, the fact that this in a different environment doesn't stop my ability.  Examples - I can walk across a six inch wide board on the ground, I can do it five stories up to avoid a fire.  I can swing a baseball bat at a baseball, I can swing one at a pit bulls head no matter how mad he looks.

Remember, the storm will sink the ship only if you let it in the ship.

Basically, like spitfire mentioned, it's about better understanding your situation and the facts.  Developing an effective thought process can help manage fear.  For me when I bought into the "false evidence" belief, it help me create a more positive thought process which gave me better understanding.

Take what you can if anything from this.  I know everyone needs to create their own set of unique thoughts to deal with fear.

I did not talk about attachment because I have nothing for it.  This is the one fear I might have to live with.  Example- I fear the loss of a family member and I don't think I want to let go.  If anyone has any ideas to remove this fear please share.

Hi Matthew and all,

There seems to be many connotations to fear in our belief systems.  We all seem to have the same basic fears such as fear of illness, death, poverty, rejection, loss, or lack of safety, etc.  On one hand we say fear causes our discomfort and illnesses, yet on the other hand we say there is such thing as healthy fear that motivates us toward what we believe are positive results by motivating us to confront the fear and living through it and thereby releasing fear by changing the belief regarding it.

Take someone who has been having chest pains.  There can be a myriad of fears connected with this experience.  The person may try to suppress these fears by saying nothing is wrong and avoids going to the doctor.  If the pain continues, then eventually fear may surface to a greater extent and lead the person to have a check up. Perhaps further testing is needed and this person is afraid of having the tests and procrastinates until finally able to face the fear and do it anyway.  And in the end when the person has lived through his fears, a great sense of relief or acceptance may be felt because years may have been added to their life.  The person may still have a fear of death, yet it has been put off for a few more years and the person has learned from the experience.  Perhaps this is what the person wanted to create and thereby is satisfied with his creation.

Fear is like a vicious circle that can spiral out of control.  Sometimes our fears are so great that we refuse to confront them and we don’t get the results we wanted.  Those cross-purposes we all have.  It seems like our fears keep us locked in a never-ending story of confronting and releasing fear.  I’d say this is the story of all of our lives.  So what is the answer?

From my perspective it’s about the movement of our life energy as it flows through us.  Our fearful beliefs cause us to block our life energy from flowing freely through us and in this way we cause ourselves pain.  We do this because we manipulate and distort the energy by pushing against it and creating friction.  When we stop creating this friction we find our self to be in a state of acceptance for whatever it was that we were pushing against.  While none of us can do this all the time… watching the events of our lives unfold while being in a state of acceptance regarding them to me is the answer.  Rather than creating beliefs that motivate or necessitate us to act from fear, we create and cultivate beliefs that motivate us to act from a state of acceptance as we go about the business of living our life.

Much love and blessings to you Matthew as you go through whatever you are experiencing.

Kathy

Mathew,

Fear is one of those issues I need to examine and understand. Beside my bed is a book to read called "Intelligent Fear" by Michael Clarkson, in which he explains, for one, the chemistry of fear...so that we can understand the root of the *physical* sensations as just that...chemical reactions taking place that we can prolong or divert depending on the emotions we use. I have yet to really read the book.

I am trying to experience fear differently. Instead of identifying the feeling as "fear" I have told myself "this is energy!" and see it as a change in my energy, energy made available to my self to use in the moment I am in. So as I am driving my car at night in a blizzard, instead of letting the anxiety sensation get rolling, my thoughts about "this is Energy for me to use" help me focus more on being present and not feeling uncomfortable with it. I haven't perfected this, it is a path, and I am learning.

It is more like Akido (or how I understand martial arts). The energy is not seen as something to be avoided or blocked, so much as used to transform the situation. You allow the energy close enough to you that you can use it to move it . Ah, I don't think I've explained it well. It is only one way I am beginning to see.

Love,
Carolyn

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Rob,

I am interested in your experience and perspective if you feel like sharing it.

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Thanks Mair. I see anger as energy too, energy that calls for action or attention and examination, some kind of change.

It's all energy. I think that's what we do, experience different kinds of energy and we change it in some way, depending on our approach, thoughts, or actions.

Love, Carolyn