Are you looking to overcoming your fear of public speaking, fear of flying, fear of heights, fear of driving or fear of failure? Learn how to overcome your fears by understanding the process of fears forming in your mind and techniques to beat your fear.

Which is stronger, the power of the will or the power of the imagination? Most people think the will is stronger, but anyone who has had the experience of being overcome by fear would answer "imagination".

Fear is the negative effect of imagination and can occur spontaneously, and against our will. We can all experience different fears in many different ways, yet there is a common factor behind most of our fears - the way they are formed. Fears can be resolved.

Common Fears and Phobias

Here is a list of most common fears and phobias that people experience. Do you have one of these fears that you are looking to beat?

Driving phobia Fear of being alone Fear of clowns Fear of commitment Fear of crowds Fear of death Fear of driving Fear of dying Fear of failure

Fear of flying Fear of heights Fear of public speaking Fear of rejection Fear of speaking Fear of spiders Fear of the dark Fear or phobia of dentist Stage fright

The Process - How Does Fear Begin?

We are aroused by only two sensations, pain and pleasure. We all want to avoid pain and pursue pleasure. The emotional cycle which leads to fear begins in the present with our initial experience of pain or pleasure, and ends up with complex feelings which are "remembered" exclusively in the past. This cycle of emotions has been found by psychiatrists to follow the following pattern:

 

1. Pain in the present is experienced as hurt.
2. Pain in the past is remembered as anger.
3. Pain in the future is perceived as anxiety or fear.
4. Unexpressed anger, redirected against ourselves and held within is experienced as guilt.
5. The depletion of energy that occurs when anger is redirected inward creates depression.

"Hurt" is stored because the body retains a primitive subconscious ability to remember every incident that it experiences. This is called conditioning and it is part of the way we learn. These "hurt memories" do not usually form part of our everyday conscious awareness, but in fact our current action is influenced by hundreds of thousands of them! This primitive subconscious ability will remind you of a particular "hurt memory" through your feelings. Some childhood memories may be very painful and difficult to recall and may therefore be repressed.

If we encounter an incident which hurts us (slipping on a step while high on a ladder), and if we are unable to adequately understand, resolve or communicate our feelings about this incident, then it is automatically stored in the subconscious mind. If we then encounter the same or a similar incident (leaning over the edge of a tall building) at a later date, this "hurt" is automatically "recalled" by our subconscious mind. We are reminded that this incident is responsible for a "past hurt" through a change in our feelings. We will begin to feel uncomfortable, nervous, anxious, dizzy, weak. ,We may experience headaches, nausea or even complete paralysis. In some cases these symptoms can be experienced by just thinking about the situation!

From this example it is apparent that three skills must be learnt to overcome fear:

Firstly, a method of releasing or handling the subconscious "hurt memories" which have been stored.
Secondly, developing self-confidence to deal with the actual situation which triggers the fear.
Thirdly, developing new responses to express the emotions that are felt when the situation recurs.

In the Life Skills Seminar, overcoming fear is dealt with by teaching and practising:

 

1. The conscious ability to relax and release stress any time, anywhere.
2. The ability to focus the mind.
3. The ability to neutralise and reprogram subconscious "fear memories".
4. The ability to develop mind/body exercises to overcome fear.
5. The ability to develop greater self confidence to experience the situation which is creating fear.
6. The ability to program new responses to express emotions in that situation to overcome fear.

So What is the Next Action Step that You Can Take?

CALM makes suggestions on how you can develop your skills in dealing with Overcoming Grief and Loss using Sandy MacGregor's low cost Tapes, Books, CDs, Videos and Seminars which have been utilised by thousands of people successfully since 1990.

You May Ask "How Effective Are These Techniques?"

How about I let some of my seminar participants explain that to you?

I am writing to tell you about some of the wonderful experiences I have had using techniques you taught me at your CALM seminar. Since doing the Seminar I have been practising my PP and I really got the opportunity to test it out when I discovered I had to have some extensive dental treatment.

Since I was a child I have always been terrified of dental visits. The worst moment for me was always seeing and feeling the needle. As I child I used to regularly faint when having injections! This time however, during the first visit for treatment, before the injection, I went to my PP, which I can now do very quickly, and my mind went somewhere else. Almost straight away I was in Alpha state and I felt totally relaxed and happy, even during the injection, and right through the treatment. Even though a part of my mind was conscious of the fact I was at the dentist, I was not experiencing any anxiety.

I had to go for many subsequent visits and each time I practised my PP, sometimes going into a deeper meditation. I couldn't believe it - I was actually enjoying going to the dentist! My dentist was pleasantly surprised too.

Lindsay Roy, NSW

 

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Dear Sandy

I would fly when necessary but that was only a few times. I have no desire to go on holidays, just the thought of going into a travel agent would frighten me. My husband was taking holidays with friends - I was glad to drop him off at the airport - as long as I didn't have to get on that 'thing'!

I enrolled in a Fear of Flying course which enabled me to find out more about the mechanics of the plane and learned some relaxation methods. I even took a flight after that (flying high on scotch and coke) resulting in the flight attendant asking me to keep my voice down as people were trying to sleep, plus a few days of 'jetlag' or was it 'hangover'. Then there was the agony of knowing I had to get back on that 'thing' again to come home. Another time I took sleeping pills …. They had the reverse effect …. I was wide awake glued to my seat, knuckles white clutching the arm rests for four and a half hours, watching every move the flight attendants made. I lost two days either side of my trip because I had to get some sleep.

Last year my sister told me about the book "Piece of Mind", so I read it, then she informed me that Sandy was coming to Perth. I attended his seminar and decided that I had nothing to lose. I practised my Peaceful Place every chance I got and listened to the 'Overcoming Fear' tape at least once a day. I have taken 3 trips since then, which means I've been on a plane six times in a period of 6 months. I now have many more goals to achieve.

Thank you Sandy for passing on a positive and encouraging way of life.

Fay Rinaldi, WA

 

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I retired from secretarial/reception work in 1991 and started using massage and reflexology on family and a few friends. I was amazed at the number of sick people needing help with a variety of problems and thought about the lack of training in natural health in TAS. I thought about starting a school to teach these modalities, but that's all I did until I attended Sandy MacGregor's weekend seminar.

Following the seminar I decided to talk to an accountant about such a project. He was totally negative and said "You're too old, you might get sick", etc. I decided to talk to another accountant, and this one was very encouraging and said he would support me in any way he could. Following this I approached a local bank for a considerable amount of finance and the Finance Manager looked at me with one of those bemused looks and said I wouldn't have a hope of getting finance "at my age". He advised me to put in an application anyway. Several days later I was advised that finance had been granted for the premises I wanted to buy. Today I have two schools, one in Launceston and one on the North West coast of TAS, my own large modern clinic, I am a distributor for top quality essential oils, and to support this, a fully equipped modern office. Thanks Sandy, I will always be grateful to you - you gave me the confidence to realise my dream, you have enabled me to enjoy a greater quality of life (and overcome fear).

The photo I'm sending you is of me presenting to one of my graduating students, Maryanne McTurk at Reflexology Graduation in December 1995.

Pam Kelly, TAS

 

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So What is the Next Action Step that You Can Take

CALM makes suggestions on how you can develop your skills in dealing with Overcoming Fear and Anxiety using Sandy MacGregor's low cost Tapes, Books, CDs, Videos and Seminars which have been utilised by thousands of people successfully since 1990.