The Fear Cure: Cultivating Courage as Medicine for the Body, Mind, and Soul

by Lissa Rankin

STEP 4: DIAGNOSE. Identify what lies at the root of your false fear.

For most of us, if we dig deep enough down to those roots, we find one or more (or all) of the Four Fearful Assumptions: Uncertainty is unsafe. I can’t handle losing what I cherish. It’s a dangerous world. I am all alone.

But it’s important to realize you are not a victim. You are a survivor.

COURAGE-CULTIVATING EXERCISE #23 Break the Chain of Generational Fear Pick a date when you feel ready, and tell yourself that for the next seven days after that, you are not allowed to be afraid. If fear comes up (it will), ask yourself where that fear comes from. Are you mirroring your mother’s fear? Are you rebelling against your father’s fear? Is the fear really yours? Regardless of where the fear comes from, set it aside for one week. Remind yourself that you’re not allowed to be afraid and go to the next emotion. Maybe you’re afraid to make changes in your marriage, but if you’re not allowed to be afraid, what emotion do you feel next? Do you feel guilt? Shame? Sadness? Frustration? Helplessness? If you’re afraid about making changes at work, what would you feel if you weren’t allowed to be afraid? What other emotions underlie your fears? At the end of a week, make a note in your journal about how this experience went for you. Did you realize anything about the source of the fears you’re carrying?

Every one of these Small Self Operating Principles—most of which stem from generational fears—is a barrier to living a courageous life. They get in the way of living your truth and following the guidance of your Inner Pilot Light—and when you’re not doing that, things don’t go well.

COURAGE-CULTIVATING EXERCISE #24 Your Operating Principles List your Small Self Operating Principles. What limiting rules are you living by? If you can’t think of anything, consider what you believe is right and wrong. Reflect back to the rules your parents taught you. What rules do you teach your children? What did you learn in the church or temple or mosque about how to live? What do you believe you have to do to get love? Success? Health? Money? Security? Write down any beliefs or rules that come up. List your Inner Pilot Light’s Operating Principles. Now consider who you are at your deepest core. What really matters to you? What do you yearn for? What do you really believe about what’s right or wrong? What are your core values? What principles are aligned with your soul’s integrity? Compare the two lists. You’re bound to see discrepancies! Which list drives your life? Which rules guide your decisions? What would it be like if you could operate on the principles of your Inner Pilot Light instead of your Small Self? Your Fear Diagnosis

Rather than jumping into action, the first step in every Prescription for Courage is to get crystal clear on the change you wish to create.

At some point, when you least expect it, a spark catches fire. The flame grows. The light outshines the darkness.

Almost every person I interviewed recommended meditation as an essential foundation to living a more courageous life, and I concur.

Courage lives in your spiritual essence, which you can only access in the space between your thoughts.

trust.

Anna recommends taking a moment and remembering a time when you felt like you were on top of the world: remember what you were doing, how you were feeling, what was surrounding you, who was with you, the smells, the sounds, the sights, then stand tall and let that moment fill you up with courage.

Bible, the Torah, the Koran, the I Ching, the Tao Te Ching, and A Course in Miracles,

30 BOOKS THAT COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer Falling into Grace by Adyashanti Daring Greatly by Brené Brown An Open Heart by the Dalai Lama The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D. Finding Your Way in a Wild New World by Martha Beck, Ph.D. Outrageous Openness by Tosha Silver Broken Open by Elizabeth Lesser Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl Peace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck A Path with Heart by Jack Kornfield Be Here Now by Ram Dass The Places that Scare You by Pema Chödrön Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson Care of the Soul by Thomas Moore My Grandfather’s Blessings by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D. The Dark Side of the Light Chasers by Debbie Ford Living in the Light by Shakti Gawain The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn Sacred Contracts by Caroline Myss Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav Love Without Conditions by Paul Ferrini Loving What Is by Byron Katie Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche The Courage to Heal by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle I Am That by Nisargadatta Maharaj

COURAGE-CULTIVATING EXERCISE #26 Write Your Prescription for Courage 1. Get a piece of paper or open a document on your computer, and title it “My Prescription for Courage.” (To download a Prescription Pad for your Prescription for Courage, go to TheFearCureBook.com and register for the free Prescription for Courage Kit.) 2. State a clear intention, either out loud or in writing. Why have you undertaken this process? What outcome are you hoping to create? What would “success” look and feel like? Why do you want to be more courageous? 3. Assess your readiness. Be honest with yourself. Are you really ready to change? It’s okay if you’re not. This is a natural gestation process, and there’s no need to pressure yourself. If you know what you need to do, but you know you’re not quite ready to do it, go ahead and write your Prescription. You don’t have to take any action now. You can set it aside until the time is right for you to draw that line in the sand and step across it. 4. Ask yourself, “What do I need in order to cultivate courage?” Write down anything that comes to mind: a practice you want to start, a class you want to take, a change in your environment, a person you want to call upon for support, a book you want to read, a boundary you want to set, or anything else that comes to mind. It’s perfectly fine if your Prescription for Courage lists only one small baby step. That one thing could change everything for you, or it could lead to other actions that will. ...

In the Bible, Philippians 4:6 says, “Don’t worry about

anything; instead, pray about everything.”

When you master the art of surrender, you come into right relationship with uncertainty, develop a healthy relationship with your desires, watch your fear dissipate, and become naturally brave.

Tosha Silver’s teachings from Outrageous Openness, as well as Martha Beck’s “Four Technologies of Magic” from Finding Your Way in a Brave New World.

Let your prayer be “This—or better.” Be open to miracles.

Imagining is about sensing what yearns to be created, rather than merely getting what you want.

Remember, it’s not about getting what you want; it’s about surrendering and aligning with what wants to become.

The six steps in Mind Over Medicine are the same steps as those in this book—BELIEVE, SUPPORT, INTUITION, DIAGNOSE, PRESCRIBE, and SURRENDER. In

To learn to be that vulnerable, to leave your heart that open, is the ultimate life test.

YOU CAN HEAL YOUR LIFE, the movie, starring Louise Hay & Friends (available as a 1-DVD program and an expanded 2-DVD set) Watch the trailer at: www.LouiseHayMovie.com THE SHIFT, the movie, starring Dr. Wayne W. Dyer (available as a 1-DVD program and an expanded 2-DVD set) Watch the trailer at: www.DyerMovie.com ______ ALL IS WELL: Heal Your Body with Medicine, Affirmations, and Intuition, by Louise Hay and Mona Lisa Schulz, M.D., Ph.D. DAILY LOVE: Growing into Grace, by Mastin Kipp DEFY GRAVITY: Healing Beyond the Bounds of Reason, by Caroline Myss LIFE’S OPERATING MANUAL: With the Fear and Truth Dialogues, by Tom Shadyac LOVE YOUR ENEMIES: How to Break the Anger Habit & Be a Whole Lot Happier, by Sharon Salzberg and Robert Thurman All of the above are available at your local bookstore, or may be ordered by contacting Hay House (see next page).