Yes, it is quite easy to allow fear to become out of control and out of proportion to the situation. And as you point out, since we do this with our sense of anticipation and projection, we can just as easily — if we practice this – anticipate and project productive and empowering outcomes. Such is the power of our minds.

Your example of the fear of public speaking is a good one. We can feel that fear for a lifetime and if we do not act to surmount it, we will suffer its consequences eternally. But if — and this is the crucial point — we can project and anticipate the fabulous outcomes that are inevitable if we can somehow get past the fear and take on that opportunity to speak in public, we will create the courage to do so.

And when we act upon that courage by getting up on stage, we will then be able to realize those benefits. Reality responds to action, and action is triggered by awareness, intent, and courage.

Cheers,
John

It’s also true that our brains can’t really tell the difference between a real event and an imagined event- when we see ourselves quaking with fear at our next public speech- we create a fear from our imagination. Luckily, our imagination is just as good at imagining us keeping an audience excited and giving us enthusiastic applause.
Feeling Good´s last blog ..Feeling Good The New Mood Therapy updated Mon Jan 4 2010 3:21 am CST

I can imagine that a gymnast would have fear based on being physically hurt. I also imagine that part of the solution is to become physically aware of your body to a very fine degree, in order to release the restrictions that the mind imposes on the body to cause it to pull back at the critical moment.

Fear manifests in our bodies, and we can deal with fear through body awareness and training. When we experience fear, we can pinpoint where we feel it in our bodies.

This physical awareness ability comes strongly into play when we are exploring deeply in meditation. The physical sensations we feel at that point are quite subtle, so subtle that they could be called sensations in the spirit body or energy body.

Whatever you want to call them, they are invaluable in opening those gates. As we feel ourselves coming to an impasse with its attendant fear, we also feel these subtle physical sensations that compel us to retreat. If instead, we relax into those feelings and allow them to dissolve in our acceptance and awareness, they disappear — the gates open — and we move into more ease, more awareness, power and ability.

This subtle manoeuvre of the mind during meditation is quite a feat, and yet it is at such a fine level of intent that it does not engage the surface mind to the extent, that you are pulled out of the depths of your meditation. That’s why I call it mental gymnastics.

Love your blog by the way

Thank you. I wasn’t quite sure I was making sense

This kind of subtle but, as you say, extremely powerful fear, is kind of new to me. I have sensed it a couple of times, but have not yet had the consciousness and the courage to lock onto it and confront it full frontal.