Healing is simply this: Meeting your fear with acknowledgment, empathy and love.
Suffering happens when our protective mechanisms become chronic. Protective mechanisms like: Hyper-vigilance, anxiety, physical pain… These are all “danger” alarms that our nervous system sets into motion to protect us. But when our protective mechanisms become chronic, they start to smother us.
Protective mechanisms are triggered by fear. Chronic protective mechanisms are held in place by chronic fear.
To heal the symptoms, we need to address the fear.
But if we address the fear as a problem to be solved or an unwanted part to be exiled, guess what happens?
Fear freaks out. Wouldn’t you freak out if you were treated as a problem or an undesirable?
Trying to fix fear won’t fix fear. Fear doesn’t need to be fixed. Fear needs these three simple things in order to feel safe again:
1️⃣ Fear needs to be 𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗱. Name the fear.
2️⃣ Fear needs to be 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 with. Tell fear you get it. You’ve been afraid before. You know what that feels like, and it’s a difficult thing to experience.
3️⃣ Fear needs to be 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱. Tell fear, “I’m here for you. I care about you. I’m your biggest supporter and I will take care of you. I’ve got you. I love you.”
But what if you’re afraid to try this approach? Then start by acknowledging, empathizing with and loving 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 fear. 💖
With total and infinte belief in you,
Anna
