An Experience in Fear, or is it?

False
Evidence
Appearing
Real

Get comfortable, close your eyes for a moment., and have someone read out loud to you..

Imagine.. that you’re standing in the middle of a very small terrace on top of one of the tallest buildings in the world like the “Sears (Willis) Tower”. Look down at your feet in your minds eye and notice what you’re standing on. Are you standing on asphalt, marble, concrete, wood,  tile or granite? What is this Terrace made out of? … See it clearly. Feel the surface below your feet. Then imagine looking up and seeing what time of day it is. Is it daytime or nighttime, ..sunrise or sunset? As you look up you also notice what the weather is like. Is it overcast or sunny? You may feel the sun on your face.., a warm breeze blowing, or the cold on your skin..

(Pause)

You can also hear several different sounds up there. They might be traffic noises from the street below, the wind, a passing helicopter, or possibly the air-conditioning system.., whatever it might be, notice what you hear.

Now, in a moment, ..I’m going to ask you to slowly walk to the edge of the terrace. And I want you to realize ..there is no railing at the edge of this Terrace.., (pause)

Let’s begin.., I want you to very slowly and very carefully walk over to the edge of the terrace.., when you get to the edge, I want you to  put your toes right up against the edge and look down. As you’re looking down, way down below, you can see the little tiny dots of people walking and the cars moving down the street.

…Notice what you’re feeling in your body .., ( pause)

Now, ..allow yourself to walk or crawl back to the middle of the terrace.., When you get back to the middle, open your eyes.

By show of hands, how many of you felt something happen in your body as a result of experiencing this vision?

Lets consider the following questions:

• Even though you had this experience in your mind, where was your body, really?
• So, what was your body responding to?
• Who created that image?
• And, who created the experience you had in your body?

Can anyone think of other examples of images you create, which produce physical reactions in your body?

To demonstrate the same skill of mental imagery and let it be used for a positive rather than a self defeating way, let’s close your eyes again and return once more to the top of the terrace on the skyscraper. However, this time you will imagine this scene with the full awareness that you have the capacity to fly.

Now close your eyes, and follow along again..,

As you close your eyes, if you are willing, take a deep breath and let yourself relax.., Take another breath, and let it out with a sigh, ..and let go of thought. Now, imagine once more that you’re standing on top of the same terrace on top of the same skyscraper.., notice your surroundings, the noises, only this time you are totally confident in your ability to fly.

You realize that you are totally safe!! You allow yourself to walk to the edge of the terrace and when you get there, you just gently bend your knees, push off, and fly…

Notice what it feels like to fly.., you’re totally free now.., free to create what ever experience you wish … (PAUSE) After awhile, let yourself fly to any place on the planet that you would really like to be right now.

It might be a favorite vacation spot.., a place you like to go when you want to be alone, ..or a special place you like to go to be with someone you really like. When you get there, you just let yourself gently land and spend a minute there enjoying yourself .., doing whatever you’d like to do there…, (pause for one minute)

In a moment, I’m going to ask you to open your eyes and return to the room. Whenever your ready just gradually open your eyes and bring your visual awareness back to the room, take as long as you want opening your eyes, ..giving a smile to your reader and receiving a smile in return.

Now, let’s consider the following questions:

• Did you experience your body differently this time?
• How was it different?
• What made it different?
• How do you think these insights could affect the way you live your daily life ?
• What are other areas in your life in which you scare yourself with negative thoughts and images?

Is the fear real?