Fear Is The Teacher

We all have fears.

Experiencing Ophidiophobia?

Fears come in all shapes and sizes and can cause myriad forms of reaction. 

While some fears can  seem silly or strange, others are All fears are very serious to those who experience them.

Fears can cause different reactions as well. Fears may cause nervousness, crying, laughter, or full out panic attacks. Fears can cause the "fight or flight" responses, such as running away or striking out. Fears may even cause some people to embarrass themselves by way of bodily functions.

Experiencing fear is not cowardice. Fear is the mind's warning system. It is your mind reminding you that something possibly dangerous or scary is about to happen based off the remembrance of a past (life) event that may have caused you pain of some kind. Fear is a hyper-sensitivity to certain situations or things. 

If we acknowledge what we fear and learn why we fear what we do, we can overcome it's hold on us. We may still experience a twinge of fear, but you won't have the same strangle-hold that it once did.

Let me walk you through a personal story.

I have many fears and some I have had to face by force and others I have chosen to face in little steps.

One of the fears I have is a fear of heights, otherwise known as Acrophobia.

As a small child I used to have a recurring nightmares. In one of these I was getting ready to sit down at the very top of the huge metal slide at the park where I played at. All of a sudden I would fall off and as I was falling the slide, as I was falling past, turned into very large, old stone bricks and I could almost hear waves below me. The stone bricks would become the rocks of a cliff and the waves would get louder. I would see the grass of the park rising up to meet me, but I could almost see waves crashing in the grass, almost like a memory in my dream. Just seconds before I was about to crash into the grass, I would barely start to taste, smell, and feel salt water, I would startle and jerk awake.

A past life coming back to warn me?

Or just a coincidence that I also have a fear of heights?

I have tiptoed around this fear most of my life.

When I was younger I would tease myself with this fear. My dad was hospitalized several times when I was growing up. When I would go visit my dad in the hospital, he would usually be placed in one of the top floors. I would purposely lean on the windows and look as far down the building as I could. I used to love getting on the higher, scarier rides at carnivals. I used to love to sit at the very edge of cliffs.

I used to love that hair raising tingle when the fear would buzz through me. The adrenaline rush I would get was so stimulating.

Now as an adult I take my fear more seriously. Yes, I do think that it is based on a past life experience. Suicide or murder? Either way a fall that resulted in death, I am most certainly sure.

I experience Acrophobia.

I still tease myself with my fear. I love going on nature walks in the high country and going for hikes or drives on back roads in the forested mountains

The picture you see is of my son holding my hand. He is walking with me across a train trellis. It is maybe 30 feet above the ground, but it does make me a little nervous. He knows this and so he reached for my hand to help me get across. He tried telling me not to look down, which of course I had to do so I could make sure I didn't step in one of the openings between the ties.

We not only made it safely across, but he held my hand as we crossed back when our little nature walk was over.

We face our fears everyday and it should not be a daunting task. It does help if you have someone who is willing to hold your hand and guide you across the precipice. It helps if someone is willing to help you take those small steps. It helps when someone is there to encourage you to continue moving when you happen to look down and see just how far you might fall. It is very rewarding when someone goes the whole way with you and celebrates with you when you reach the other side.

Blessings and Love,

Andrea Faye