Step 2

Sober up to what is actually happening

Sobriety
Focus is our bare attention of the situation. It is an accurate, empirical risk appraisal, rather than merely an assessment of our perceived risks. Our initial appraisal of the situation is often erroneous, and can lead to over-reaction. When we soberly appraise the risk of a given situation, we wake up to the fact that things are rarely as bad as they seem. There is almost always a solution.

Humans tend to be fairly neurotic. We project our negative expectations onto the world, and thus live in a world of negative outcomes. We think we are living in the "real world" when we actually reside in negative expectation. In fact, we are engaging in "Depressive Realism". Rather than consider the possibility that everything is going to be OK, we tend to brace for impact. This worldview is no more real than the Pollyanna perspective that leads us to sit back and wait for someone or something to save us. In order to be completely sane and sober, we must awaken to what is real, and work with things as they are.

Clearing Your Head
The mind of the average human being on this planet is out of control. It flows where it wants to, like a child with no parent. The untrained mind drifts to whatever the environment suggests, whether or not it is in our best interest. This is why mental training is so important for transcending fear. We must learn how to let our preconceived notions go, and wake up to what is actually happening around us.

Meditation practice is the ultimate tool for developing our ability to let go of thought. By spending time in the state of consciousness devoid of thinking, we begin to define this realm of mind as normal, as opposed to the busy clutter of thoughts that is not within our intelligent control. Studies have shown that many meditation techniques promote quiescent activity in the brain, the calming parasympathetic systems that return us to a state of positive expectation and constructive thinking.

When we experience fear, it comes as a result of thinking. When we are totally focused on the task at hand, there simply is no room for extraneous thinking. It is in the moments when we hesitate and disconnect from the flow of our experience that we make room for negative thought patterns. This is the freeze state. The opposite state of mind is the meditative state, the mode of consciousness that is without thought, and is filled with our bare attention of the present moment.

Every time we freeze in fear we are one step away from relaxed focus. All we need to do is soften our bodies, slow our breathing, and let our thoughts go. The only difference between freezing in fear and relaxing into a state of meditative readiness is where the mind is focused. Despite what most people have accepted, the choice is always there.

We all have the ability to lock onto the task at hand. We can focus our awareness to the point that there is nothing in our minds but the necessary actions that move in parallel with our goals. These actions are not brought to our attention by way of our thinking minds, but through our focused awareness of the situation. We move at the speed that is appropriate, and we pause when it is time to pause.

When there is nothing to actually do, the mind does not always gravitate toward acceptance of what is. If we were to be totally logical about our appraisal, we would decide whether or not there was anything we can do to improve our situation right now. If there is nothing to do, we can fully accept where we are and return to the resting state. Unfortunately, this is not how the human mind works, at least not without training.

When we enter a situation in which there is nothing to do to improve the reality of their situation, we tend to ruminate. We chew on the situation with their minds, mulling over the predicament over and over again. Our minds keep bumping against what is, like a moth against a light bulb. We try thinking about the situation from every possible angle, assuming that "linear logic" will get us through the danger. This is the aspect of the freeze state called "Worry". There is no greater waste of our energy.

Worry is like stepping on the clutch and the accelerator at the same time. There is a lot of noise and heat, but we aren't getting anywhere. We are simply wasting fuel. We do this because we think that we are helping the situation. We think that we can solve our problems by thinking. Yes, our minds are ultimately how we solve life's problems, but when there is nothing to actually do or our thoughts are not taking us where we want to go, we must return to rest.

The epiphanies that solve our problems do not come from the worry state of mind. We believe that thinking is the answer, but if we consider where our best ideas have come from, it is not this state at all that is the source of our answers. It is the peaceful, happy state. When we relax the mind, it works for us. When we try to squeeze it to produce when it is in a negative state, we might as well be trying to get water from a rock. Let go, and trust that your positive state of mind will sublimate your answers.

This brings us to the idea of "Bare Attention". If we observe the situation without manipulative thought, we will see the world as it is. This is the nature of true focus. Perfect focus is an unlabeled observation of the present moment. This is how we get in sync with the situation, and find our way through danger. We simply open our eyes, and pay attention.

The previous is an excerpt from Brian Germain's Book: Transcending Fear, The Doorway to Freedom
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