The Antidote to Fear: Presence

Got fear? The standard new-age-self-help mantra tells us that “the opposite of fear is love.” But that’s not going to be too accessible or useful in an emergency, unless you’re a totally enlightened being vibrating at the highest frequencies of universal oneness at all times. Chances are, when the sky is falling and you’re in a panic, chanting “love, love, love” may be a bit indirect.

However, there is a solution. A quick, easy antidote to fear is presence. Presence is being in the now: centered, stable, aware. Without emotional reaction or ego.

Most people don’t realize they can get present instantly, without much effort, with a quick energetic command. Try it now – just think “I am present” while focussing simultaneously on your breath and Third Eye. (Your Third Eye is in the center of your head, between your eyes.)

Do this for a few moments, then ask yourself “Is the worst-case scenario of my fear actually happening right now?” Are you currently homeless, abandoned, starving, suffocating? If not, become aware: what’s happening now? And what’s merely your reaction? If the worst does happen, get present anyway. Presence dissipates fear, empowers you to take action.

Fear is never useful, unless it motivates you to overcome it! Fear is always about the future, never the present. Even if something horrible is happening in the moment – for instance, you’re being mauled by wildcats or losing your house to foreclosure – your fear projects catastrophes into the immediate future. “I won’t be able to survive, I’ll get rabies, I’ll be left for dead in the gutter.” But what’s actually happening would more likely be something like the sensation of pain, or the realization of loss. These are separate and distinct from the fear that you’re also experiencing.

Discern the layers of your experience. Learn to distinguish fear from physical pain, or loss, or the latest news. When entangled with fear, events amplify negativity, and weaken you. Disentangle*** them, to regain your Center, your inner power. How? The simplest and most immediate way is to get present – by going to your Center.

Notice what’s true right now. You’re… reading this article. And though that might be a worst-case scenario for some, it’s not the end of the world!

By Elma Mayer. Originally published in the Los Feliz Ledger.

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© 2009 Elma Mayer. www.nowhealing.com Email: info@nowhealing.com

*** To learn more about the Disentangle Command… take the Now Healing 101 Course: