Fear is Yesterday
by Robert Holden
IN 1989 I OPENED THE FIRST Stress Busters Clinic, paid for by the
National Health Service, in Great Britain. Over the next few years I
worked closely with people who suffered from stress, anxiety,
depression, heart disease, cancer and AIDS. The clinic quickly gained
an excellent reputation. We won government sponsorship; the BBC
broadcast a thirty-minute Stress Busters TV documentary; and my book
Stress Busters became a bestseller.
If I could sum up what I learned, it would be: fear is the root of
every illness, every pain and every problem. Look behind every stress,
angst and anxiety and you will find fear lurking there. At a certain
level, there are no problems, only fear; there are no illnesses, only
fear; there are no conflicts, only fear; and, there is no devil, only
fear. Heal the fear, and you rediscover your freedom.
Fear is frightening! Even more so if you refuse to look at it. Fear
plays tricks on your mind. Perception is easily fooled by fear as it
conjures up a hell, magics away all hope, and makes illusions of
powerlessness. Fear will dress you up as a victim of the world. Yet
you are not a victim of the world; you are the light of the world.
Your light cannot be diminished by any amount of fear.
The most important thing to understand about fear is, fear is
yesterday. When you are totally present, the mind is perfectly clear
and whole. There is no split, no fear, no doubt and no angst. When you
are afraid, it is because you are not present. Fear is always
referencing the past. Fear is always counseling you against the perils
of "now" because of something that happened once "before".
Fear is yesterday. For example, I have counseled women who were
afraid to start dating again, not because they couldn't find anyone
but because their last relationship was so painful.
Fear is yesterday. I have counseled men who were afraid to commit
to marriage, not because there was no love, but because their parents
had divorced and they were afraid of the same fate.
Fear is yesterday. I have counseled people who gave up carpe diem
for cynicism and defensiveness because of unresolved hurt. Defenses
always hide old wounds and old fears.
Fear is yesterday. I have counseled financially well-off people
who habitually overwork, not because they need to but because they
once had no work, or because they grew up poor.
Fear is yesterday. I have counseled people who were afraid to
start anything new, not because they had no talent but because of past
failures and recriminations.
Fear is yesterday. I have counseled people who were afraid to be
happy now, because the last time it all ended in tears.
Fear is yesterday. I have counseled people who resisted feeling
well again for fear of more pain, more heartbreak and more illness in
the future.
Fear is yesterday. I have counseled people who do not follow their
dreams because of old self-doubts, old self-criticisms, old beliefs
and old fears.
According to the fear lobby (the one inside your head), fear is
necessary, fear is good, and fear will keep you safe. In fact, fear is
your one and only obstacle to joy. When you give up the belief that
fear is necessary, you are letting go of the inner oppression that
causes all pain. Healing is release from fear.
Fear is an inside job. It is a form of "small thinking" - an ego virus
that blocks inspiration, impairs vision and causes countless errors of
judgment. It betrays an allegiance with ego and not your Unconditioned
Self. Fear is not in things; fear is in the meaning you give things.
Hence, fear vanishes when you ask your higher mind to reinterpret all
your perceptions, thoughts and meanings for you.
Be present; be powerful. Face your fears and let go of yesterday.
Whenever you are in fear, ask yourself, "Is this fear a fact, or is it
just a fear?" Remember this - a fear is often a fantasy experienced as
real.
First, feel the fear.
Second, say, "Thank you for sharing!"
Third, open yourself up to inspiration, soul guidance, a higher
thought and God's help. Fear is always a call for help.