Free Free Yourself from Fears by Joseph O'Connor

on you. In the second the emphasis is on what frightened you.The different emphasis will change your thinking.
    Present and past
    Pick something that you really fear. Say to yourself: “I am afraid of (that).”
    What do you feel?
    Now say: “I was afraid of (that).”
    55

    FREE YOURSELF FROM FEARS
    Notice that the second phrase is more precise. You were afraid of it in the past. How do you feel about that?
    Cause and effect
    Now say to yourself: “That made me afraid.”
    How does that feel?
    In this example, it seems like you have no choice in the matter, it was simple cause and effect.
    Inside or outside
    Now think about the phrase: “To live in fear.” What does it imply?
    It implies that fear is something like a container you are inside, it surrounds you—a very uncomfortable state.
    Now think about the phrase “living with fear.” Now fear is outside you.
    It is something like a companion, albeit an unwelcome one.
    Holding and letting go
    Now think about “to be in the grip of fear.” Fear is outside you but it has you, you feel caught.
    Another similar phrase is to be “paralyzed by fear.” You cannot move emotionally or intellectually, all escape routes seem to be closed or too dangerous. It is like the fear that strikes you when you are the edge of a cliff. You can do nothing.
    Now say to yourself: “I am free of fear.” How do you feel about that?
    Each of these phrases gives you a slightly different relationship to fear, and some may be more comfortable than others to think about.
    The first step in letting go of an unwelcome fear is to change the way 56

    THE LANGUAGE OF FEAR
    you think about it, and one of the best ways of changing the way you think about it is to change the words you use to describe it.
    Metaphor
    A metaphor is a comparison and a good metaphor is worth a thousand words. The word “metaphor” comes from the Greek metapherein , meaning “to carry beyond.” Metaphors carry us to different meanings and make us think about everyday things and feelings in a different way.
    Fear can be described in many ways, but what does it mean for you? What would be your metaphor for fear?
    Fill in the blanks:
    Fear is like . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
    Because . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
    For example, fear is like:
    A cold reminder of mortality.
    An alarm bell for danger.
    Drowning.
    A sudden vision.
    Cold water down the spine.
    A volcano in the stomach.
    Being strangled.
    A mind killer.
    Take a close look at your metaphor. It defines your relationship to fear.
    What resource fits the metaphor? For example, if fear is like molten lava in the stomach, then a resource is something cold. If fear is like ice in the stomach, then the resource is something warm.
    This metaphor can give you a valuable hint about what to do when you feel unreal fear. For example, maybe a hot drink would help if fear seems like ice.
    57

    FREE YOURSELF FROM FEARS
    The better you know your own unique fear feeling, the better you will be able to deal with it. The first step to conquering an enemy is to know them well, their habits, likes and dislikes, their routine. How you think of unreal fear will tell you this.
    The Bene Gesserit litany
    I will not fear. Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
    Only I will remain.
    THE BENE GESSERIT LITANY AGAINST FEAR, FROM DUNE BY
    FRANK HERBERT
    Dune is a great book of science fiction, made into a less than great film several years ago, and then followed by some even worse sequels.
    Frank Herbert created a world of memorable characters, some with great power, some with great fear. One part of the world of Dune is the Bene Gesserit sisterhood, a