I know how cold and paralyzing fear can be. I know
how much strength, courage, and hard work are
needed to conquer it. Most of all, I know that there
are few victories in life more liberating than the
victory over the low, dark clouds of fear that block
our spirits from their rightful place in the sun.
sylvia browne
If we have not yet conquered our fears, much of our time is spent reacting automatically rather than acting creatively and appropriately. The tyranny of fear keeps us tied to outmoded patterns of behavior. Not recognizing our internal dragons of fear allows them to indulge their nasty habit of emerging from their caves in destructive forms. I call these unconscious and recurring themes the “faces of fear.”
Fear wears many faces, and we each have fears that are unique to us. I’ve chosen to discuss seven ways of disguising fear that I’ve found to be almost universal among the women with whom I’ve worked. Exploring these common faces of fear—and how we act as a result of them—gives us a model for transforming fear into positive and growth-producing energy. Fear can act as an impetus rather than an impediment.
The seven faces of fear are:
• Appeasing
• Compulsive Action
• Exhaustion
• Resistance
• Addiction
• Illness
• Depression
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