22 Jul The Fear Prison
Fear often keeps us stuck in ways that we don’t really understand, and aren’t fully conscious of. If we live in a fear mindset, as many people with mind-body issues do, then we are in a state of constantly seeking safety. Often times when we live in a state of general fear, we aren’t even aware of it, because it simply feels normal. It takes a lot of conscious effort to dial down that sense of vigilance against danger. When we see the world as excessively dangerous, our body is bombarded with fight or flight hormones all the time, and that feeling of adrenaline in our blood feels normal. If we don’t feel it, we might feel unsafe. So, when we make a conscious effort to shift our way of being in the world, we often face resistance from our unconscious brain which is primed for vigilance. Awareness of this gives us the ability to gently unwind from that. It can be uncomfortable. Meditation helps because it reveals the patterns of behavior. Journaling helps for the same reason. However, this involves efforts at revealing the unconscious patterns, so that we can use our brain as a tool rather than a prison.
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