Fear as a Choice

This is a post that Jodi Nelmes posted on the Universal Law Of Attraction group on Facebook, and below is my reply to her

I want to discuss an experience I just had that made me realize a few things about fear. What I essentially realized was that fear is a choice, and something very interesting about fear is why we chose to be afraid. I guess lots of people chose fear for different reasons, and maybe for some it is not a choice but I think often we do chose to be scared.

On Monday June 2nd I had open heart surgery. I had a hole in my heart called an ASD and I got it closed up. In September 2007, I learned that I was going to have open heart surgery so I had a long time to think about it and deal with the idea. Actually it was soon after I found this out that I was introduced to movies like The Secret and Abraham The Secret Behind the Secret. I feel like I did attract these things into my life because I needed them to help me deal with what I was facing.

At first I was scared to get this surgery. The thought of being cut open was quite disturbing. But when I saw Abraham the Secret Behind the Secret I realized that I am not defined by my body. I am something bigger than my body and I can have control over my body. With this realization my fear lessened. Thinking of myself as an eternal being also helped my fear decrease because I thought, no matter what happens, everything will be OK.

The week before my surgery I did many meditations and tried to feel as much love and peace as I could. It was during this week that I realized that I was not really scared anymore. I wondered why I had been scared before. It was probably the night before surgery that I realized why I had been scared. I was reading Louise Hay's Heal Your Body and the part about how all physical ailments are a result of either fear or anger popped off the page at me. I realized that our bodies give us indications of how we're out of alignment with our true selves, and having fear is one of the ways we get out of alignment.

So then why was I scared? I think that we chose fear because we think it serves us in some way. For me it was almost like a programmed fear. I just thought it is normal to be scared about surgery, so that is what I felt. In certain situations fear is a good thing to have because it makes us avoid dangerous situations or it helps us get out of dangerous situations. For example, if we're in a situation where we need to run to save our lives, fear releases adrenaline and enables us to have a physical reaction which helps us escape more easily.

But we often have fear when it does not serve us in this way. I think that we think having fear will protect us because in other situations it does. And then when we are scared we attract that which we fear and we think this confirms that we were correct to be scared in the first place. But if we weren't scared we wouldn't have attracted that which we fear so fear is really not the protective emotion that we think it is in many cases.

The night before my surgery I watched Abraham the Secret Behind the Secret again and I slept so well that night. I felt peace and love and I knew I could handle whatever happened. I also knew that if I chose to be scared it would be more difficult for me to handle what was to happen. I felt that if I was peaceful and happy my vibrations of peace would be absorbed by the staff performing the surgery and everything would go smoothly. Conversely I thought that if I was scared they would feel my stress. I told myself that I didn't have to worry about what was to happen when I was under the anesthetic because I wouldn't really be there. It was not my job to control that situation in detail it was just my job to be happy.

I feel that as a result of my peace, and joy going into surgery it went very well. I used to be very scared of needles but instead of being scared I said things to myself like, "They are giving me medicine of joy". When they took the drainage tubes out of my chest while I was awake, I said "I am releasing the tubes of Joy", and it was actually a pretty cool experience, instead of one that would have made me faint.

This might have been one of the best things that has ever happened to me, because it has shown me how much I can handle, and it has given me a greater appreciation for everything in life.

(HEMAL'S) REPLY:
Thanks for this post, Jodi

It's an excellent one about the mind and spirit and seeing beyond what we have believed our bodies to be, beyond the physical that we see and calling through to what more there is

Dealing with fear, oftentimes for people when they experience something physical or health related there is a panic, perhaps also from the (mis)conception that the physical is 'fixed', it cannot be changed, 'what could go wrong', etc. And the title of your post changes that perception which once was an instinctive reaction by people, to considering and realising their instinctive reactions.

The 'reality' is that your body is constantly replenishing itself and it is doing it by the blueprint from your thoughts and emotions.

Your approach of tapping into that larger part of you through your thoughts and emotions, perhaps maybe initially grabbing onto something for hope, and working it, and improving the vibration, and improving the vibration, and improving the vibration and so on, is a wonderful example and credit to you for your handling of it, and also your ability to share and communicate it with others.

You also used a word that people don't often use in the same sentence as surgery, 'joy' lol.

Comments

[Loren Fogelman]

Thanks for the post. One of the mottos that I have embraced this past year has been "if it is uncomfortable than I ought to be doing it." Taking that perspective and applying it is not easy. Need to separate the capabilities of your body from the limitations of your mind. The secret was in the mindset. Acknowledging the limiting beliefs and facing them head on. As a result of this philosophy, I have seen great changes and many doors have opened. Gave myself permission to strive toward reaching peak potential. Making the choice to take action will change your life.

[Hemal]

Thank you for sharing that Loren!
And you are doing great things in the world with the wonderful EFT work that you do ;)

[cash gifting practice]

Very interesting post Hemal. People tend to fear things because they've learned from most others that it is normal. Our natural state is health since the mind has power over the body.

When I become fearful I like to ask myself the two W's: why am I afraid, what am I afraid of. When I can identify whatever it is that I fear I am better able to clear it from my mind.

Ryan

[Ryan Biddulph]

Hi Hemal,

#1 - It's funny what the "cash gifting practice" guy said in a comment above, that dude knew nothing about netiquette ;)

#2 - Sensational breakdown on fear here. Fear is a bunch of squiggly little waves of energy in your mind. As you choose different little waves, what once seems terrifying, changes. Like the idea of your body being "you". Change the waves. "You" are not bound. You are not limited. You continue forever. So the idea of being bound by body dissolves, and the fears associated with a failing body meaning a failing "you" dissolve too. Which causes the new bunch of faith-filled little energy waves in mind - which you consciously chose - to create new vibe within that body thingee, a vibe in alignment with the idea of health, which creates health within your being-body. Simple. Choose different energy waves, based on the idea you are unlimited, and remain unlimited, until you allow fear or doubt to dominate your mind, and lose this idea of being absolutely unlimited.

Thanks Hemal!

Ryan