Overcoming Anxiety and Fear of Flying, Death, Failure and Other Fears, Anxieties and Phobias

Do you have a fear of flying, death, or failure? Are you afraid of the dark, heights, or public speaking? Does commitment phobia make you so anxious that that it impacts your inner peace, joy and love?Hale Dwoskin, the author of The New York Times bestseller "The Sedona Method: Your Key to Lasting Happiness, Success, Peace and Emotional Well Being," shares the secret of anxiety management at www.sedona.com/lp-anxiety.aspx. Dwoskin says, "One of the topics we explore in The Sedona Method is that anything that we are afraid of happening, we actually have a subconscious desire for or expectation of happening." Based on this premise, you may find the following exploration helpful for releasing your reactions to what is going on in the world, and for releasing your fears in general.Make yourself comfortable and focus inwardly. Begin by bringing to mind something about which you feel afraid or anxious—you may want to start with something small—in order to see exactly what it is that you fear is going to happen. Give yourself a moment to notice whether there is a strong feeling of fear at the moment, or a very light hint of fear. It doesn't matter which it is: simply observe and welcome it.Now, ask yourself: Could you let go of wanting this to happen? Or could you let go of expecting this to happen?The question may have made you laugh. Try asking the question again, and notice what else you discover.

In fact, you may already be able to discern a difference. So, focus on that same thing you're afraid of, or on something else, and then go through a series of questions for releasing fear in this simple way.What is it that you're afraid will happen? What is it you do not want to have happen? Now, could you let go of wanting that to happen? Or could you let go of expecting this to happen?Once you've gotten over the shock of the fact that you somehow want a negative thing to happen, it's often very easy to let go of the fear in this way because, consciously, it's not truly what you want.If you get stuck on any particular fear and are having a hard time letting it go, simply welcome the feeling as best you can and then let go of wanting to change it. Then go back to experimenting with this shortcut.Again, focus on something that you fear. It could be the same thing or it could be something else. Notice exactly what it is that you're afraid will happen.

If you're afraid of heights, for instance, underneath it there might really be a fear of falling.Could you let go of wanting that to happen? Or could you let go of expecting this to happen? Focus again on that same fear, or on something else that you do not want to have happen, on something that you worry about, or on something that makes you nervous. Maybe you have a fear of public speaking. This could include the fear of failure, or of seeming like a fool in front of a roomful of people.Whatever underlying fear you feel: Could you let go of wanting that to happen? Or could you let go of expecting this to happen? Check how you feel inside. Wasn't it easy to let go in that way? This process will help you clear out the hidden recesses of your subconscious mind. After you release something that you've subconsciously wanted to happen, you'll see a tremendous difference in your life in many areas, including how you feel.

Have fun experimenting with this shortcut on your own.Add this little trick to your toolbox of Sedona Method applications and enjoy the results. It's great for those occasions when fearful thoughts arise in your consciousness, but you don't have enough time to do an in-depth process. Whenever you become aware of yourself thinking about an unwanted outcome, simply let go of wanting it to happen by asking yourself the question: Could you let go of wanting or expecting that to happen?As you use this Method, you will find over time that the very situations and experiences that you used to find the most exhausting or disturbing will become less and less so, until you may even forget that you used to have those kinds of experiences. Hale Dwoskin is the CEO and Director of Training of Sedona Training Associates, an organization headquartered in Sedona, Arizona. He is an international speaker and featured faculty member at Esalen and the Omega Institute.

For over a quarter of a century, he has regularly been teaching the Sedona Method to individuals and at corporations throughout the United States and the United Kingdom, and leading facilitator trainings and advanced retreats since the early 1990's. In addition to being the author of "The Sedona Method: Your Key to Lasting Happiness, Success, Peace and Emotional Well Being," Dwoskin is also the co-author of the five-book series "Happiness Is Free and It's Easier than You Think."Sedona Training Associates currently offers seminars throughout the US, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Eastern and Western Europe, and Japan. It also publishes audio programs that are distributed worldwide. In addition, the organization publishes a quarterly newsletter, and maintains a website: www.sedona.com. More information about anxiety management can be found at www.sedona.com/lp-anxiety.aspx

Hale Dwoskin