Facing Your Fears

All of us have fears. Most of them come out of early experiences that took place prior to us having an adult capacity to make clear choices, to evaluate and to discern.

I had one such experience at the neighborhood pool when I was 8 years old. I was fearless and loved the water. I particularly loved to dive. On one particular day when I standing on line for the high dive, I could hardly wait till it was my turn to go. Once all was clear I climbed the tall ladder with a bit too much enthusiasm. Once I reached the top, I tried to get on the board too quickly and my hands slipped.

I fell backward off of the board and plummeted all the way to the cement below. 

Fortunately, I relaxed into the fall and merely knocked the wind out of my chest. But it could have been quite serious and people came running from many directions to help, which only added to my fear.

Once I had an actual experience of falling, associated with a child's perception of threat, my nervous system was imprinted with deep fear. Particularly without any nurturing guidance and encouragement that I was safe to try again, simply with a need to be more careful and cautious in how I grabbed the railing, I avoided going back up on the high dive that I had loved so much.

I tried a few years later to go back up. However, once I reached the top, my memory took over and I froze. I had to have someone help me back down the ladder.

Now as an adult, not wanting to be ruled by early fears and mishaps, I decided to face my fear of heights and of falling. I was just attending an amazing event for leaders and entrepreneurs called Camp Maverick. While at this amazing gathering, there was a chance to go on a zip line, which starts much higher than a high dive from the tree tops below... 

And so I filmed this new experience, which I nurtured myself through. I also opened to receive support and encouragement from friends, which you will hear if you choose to watch.

I share this experience, because I know that we all have certain experiences from our early years that became imprints of fear. Any time we felt unsafe or un-nurtured, we will have had an experience that involved certainly levels of feeling unsafe.

The great news is that it is never too late to create new, adult experiences that are fully safe. In this case, I used my adult capacity to evaluate and discern that I felt safe with this set up. Once this was clear, I was determined to give my nervous system a new impression of heights and doing adventurous physical activities.

I know from 27 years of doing emotional work that most people carry fearful impressions of their early years that are associated with certain feelings. And I am thrilled to share that I have spent that many years helping people to face their feelings in very nurturing ways. Not one time has anyone found they were unsafe as an adult to reconnect to their feelings.

This is a huge revelation for many people. And so I encourage you to get the emotional guidance and support that you need in order to face and resolve your fears. It is entirely possible.