Fear itself
Last night I went to see the movie, “Paranormal Activity”, which has been all the rage on blogs and social media. It was great! Shot entirely with a handheld camera in a documentary style, it was sort of a modern day Blair-witch for people who are really into all those cable ghost-hunter shows. It had all the stuff you’d expect – creaking doors, phantom footsteps, heavy breathing coming from the walls. It had some other suprises too, that I won’t ruin here.
When I left the theater – scared out of my pants – I felt exhilarated. My heart was pounding, my adrenaline was rushing, I felt really alive. And it got me to thinking about the energy of fear, and how it affects us.
Fear stimulates in the body an energy that brings your attention into the present moment in a very attentive, urgent way. This is the body’s response to whatever creates the reaction – sometimes you’ll hear this called “fight or flight.” It brings you into the present moment so you can make life or death decisions in survival situations.
Fortunately for most of us, life is not about survival anymore. We don’t have to fight over the latest kill with waring tribes, we don’t have to be on the lookout for wild animals around every tree who might pounce and kill us.
So what role does fear play in our world today?
Some people can become addicted to fear – well, more exactly, this body level response to it. You know these people – always looking for the next high, the next mountain to jump off of, the next daring adventure. For some people this, is very fulfilling, and they get a great deal of satisfaction from putting themselves, continually, in this state.
But some people become addicted to fear without realizing. They are constantly in “fight or flight” – always responding to some unseen impetus to run or attack. Always on the lookout for the hidden danger. Their bodies have been conditioned by energies outside of themselves to be constantly in a state of fear. This can be exhausting to your body, creating (instead of exhilaration) lethargy, un-focus, and confusion. It can also make it incredibly hard to create an intimate relationship – with yourself.
When I left the movie theater last night, I was aware at how stimulated my body was. But using the energy tools that I work with, I was careful and conscious of clearing the energy of fear out of my space so that I didn’t remain in the energy of fear for the rest of the night. Who wants to be on a roller coaster that never ends?
In some ways, I think FDR was absolutely right. Since there’s so little to actually be “afraid” of nowadays, the biggest fear we have is fear itself. Being conditioned into it against our will, where it hijacks all our senses and our lives become trapped in fight or flight.
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Where are you living in fear? If you’re finding it hard to overcome energy blocks around being afraid, a reading may help you find clarity. A healing may help you move the energy effortlessly. An energy coaching session may help give you tools to manage and shift the energy on your own.
