Susanne Potma

„I feel a strange sensation. I am sweating. I can not breathe. I feel in agony. I can’t think straight. It’s too much. I’m in a horrible state or mind.“

At first, I usually experience fear in this or similar ways. As a physically unpleasant state that I want to be rid of as soon as possible.

Then I remember: „Breathe, Susanne“ „Breathe all the way down and let the ribs expand. „Feel the body.“ „Your body knows how to deal with fear.“

For a moment I am still resisting, frantically trying to keep above the intensity. That’s when I feel the fear of my own fear.

Then I take that first deeper breath, release my shoulders, relax my jaw muscle a bit, relax my eyes and my upper abdomen. I do what I can. And now I feel the tremor of fear inside of me.

 

experience your fear as power

Sometimes I feel very hot. Sometimes I get cold and my body is trembling inside. Sometimes I allow myself to shiver. Relaxing the muscles relieves the inner pressure. From now on, this whole fear episode becomes more comfortable. I feel more at ease with myself again and more collected.

 

I used to make a pressure cooker out of my body, whenever I was anxious – very uncomfortable. And when I relax my body, all this fear that has been awakened in me, can spread out. I become focused. My mind calms down – even though my body is still full of energy. I feel more able to deal with the situation and feel more alive.

„Your fear is your friend and working for you.“ This idea from the Grinberg Method made me curious. Is it possible that fear can be useful for me? Is it true that fear is produced by my own body to keep me alive? Is it possible that this power can really make me clearer, more efficient and more creative? Is it really the case that fear works for me?

How can I experience my fear in that new way? Through the bodywork I set out on an adventure. My interest in a different way of dealing with fear was sparked.

Now I had to readjust: instead of holding my breath or panting, I need to BREATHE.

Breathe and give my body the chance to deal with the wave of fear. Fear is not solved by only thinking about it and analyzing it. When fear is felt in the body, it can unfold its true power. And that is without that inner pressure and panicked, paralyzing or contracted reaction. I learned to let myself be carried by the wave of fear within me.

I learned to stop my „fear of fear“. During my learning process, I understood that the discomfort I called fear before, was not yet fear itself. It was my reaction to my fear. My „fear of my fear.“

Where does my body tense up? Where does it get tight? I learned to let go in my body at the same time as allowing afraid.

„Yes ha-ha! That’s exactly the opposite of what every cell in my body does in pressure-cooker-mode.“ And yet very time I bring myself to breathe and let go, I get the confirmation:
I just feel better when I relax into my fear. Then I am no longer paralysed by this fear but experience the power that comes into motion in my body. I feel empowered.

Today I want to share with you my new perspective on fear.

Recently I participated in my role as a practitioner in the pilot workshop „Fear as Power“ by Avi Grinberg with three of my clients. There were over 120 of us across Europe, listening to the lectures and participating in the guided sessions. And everyone experienced, in their own individual way, what fear can actually be for them. New possibilities open up when we feel our fear with the body.

Fear, with its thousand faces, is present in many one-on-one sessions that I give. Many clients are surprised by what their own fear can contribute to their well-being.

Did you get curious too? Then start reflecting on how you think about your fear and how you normally react to your fear. Under the right conditions, the body is a specialist in dealing with fear. We can learn in a quite straightforward way to gain strength from our fear.

I wish you all the best for the coming weeks. And if you write to me about what you think about the topic „experiencing fear as power“ I very much appreciate it. Let’s see what there is to be discovered about the true nature of fear.

 

 

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