BACK TO THE SOURCE
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Parting the Waves
  • Change Coaching
    • Change Coaching
    • Source Facilitation
    • Testimonials
  • Conscious Dying
    • Conscious Dying Therapy
    • What is 'dying consciously'?
    • Testimonials
  • Media
    • Articles >
      • Glossary
    • Book
    • Audio Meditations
  • Contact Me

My writings

From my heart to yours

'Walking into the Abyss' - an exercise for confronting fear of the unknown

20/7/2017

3 Comments

 
Picture
This is a practice I developed a couple of years ago.  At first it was just a bit of fun, designed to see how far I could go with it.  However, I quickly realised that this exercise could help me to confront all my fears about uncertainty in a relatively safe environment.  It challenged me to literally step into the unknown.  Even though I knew that I was safe doing so, the exercise brought up my fears very quickly and I was able to confront and soften into them.  
The great thing about this exercise is that even though it’s safe enough, it will still challenge you very, very quickly.  It will bring up all your fear about stepping blindly into an unknown situation, but without any major consequences for your life.  It also provides a very effective way to deal with the fears that arise, so that when you do need to step into the unknown down the line, you are already hard-wired to be able to cope with it. 
The other great thing about this practice is that it is so simple and so flexible that it is possible for everyone to do.  It can be done alone, in pairs, or in groups.  I do it mostly alone, but it can be very powerful in a pair too, especially as an extra safety net.  It can be planned or spontaneous, for example when out for a walk in the countryside. 
So here it is:
  1.  Find a place which is well known to you, that is relatively open and has few obstacles or dangers.  You could use your garden, an off road footpath, or a field for example.  I would not recommend doing this next to a road unless you are with a very attentive partner. 
  2. Pick a route which is relatively straight forward and close your eyes.  You could use a blindfold, but I would recommend just closing the eyes as you can open them very quickly at any time. 
  3. Begin to walk along your planned route.  Keep your eyes closed for as long as you can. 
  4. You will likely begin to experience some kind of discomfort or fear very quickly.  When it begins to arise, slow down or stop.  Observe the sensation of fear.  What does it feel like to you?  Where in the body can you feel it?  Accept the fear and don’t attempt to push it away.
  5. Walk a few more paces, observing the fear grow.  At this point, although logically you know you are safe, your fears of the unknown will likely be overriding this.  Other fears may also start to arise, for example, ‘what will people think of me if they see me like this?’
  6. Walk slowly forward.  Know that the fear is just a transient feeling.  It is not who you are.  Breathe deeply and work to relax as much as possible around the feeling of fear.  It is important that you don’t work to push the fear away as that will just create another identity (‘I am not afraid’).  Instead, simply allow the feeling and relax around it.  The fear can be felt floating in space, but you are just observing it.  It is just an experience – it is not you!
  7. Stop.  You’ve done great.  Breathe and relax.  The fear may not be completely gone, but that’s okay.  You are not defined by it. 
  8. Slowly open your eyes.  See that everything is alright.
  9. Celebrate with a smile. 
This exercise, when done fairly frequently, will give you a great tool for dealing with any situation which brings up fear of the unknown.  Feel free to go at your own pace.  You don’t need to complete all 9 steps each time.  Feel free to make your own alterations to the exercise.  Be creative, and have fun with it. 
3 Comments

Cry, Heart, But Never Break: Children's Book on Death (Review)

3/7/2017

0 Comments

 
Cry, Heart, But Never Break
One of the hardest things in literature, and especially children's literature, is to portray death in a way that invites a less fearful or condemning attitude towards this phenomenon. 

There are a few children's book that have sought to introduce children to death.  How to breach such a sensitive subject to minds who are innocent and not yet understanding of the impermanence of life?  It's tricky for sure. 
Cry, Heart, but Never Break
However, I would say that 'Cry, Heart, But Never Break' has managed this in a magnificent way.  While portraying the character, death as gentle and understanding it also does not shy away from the realities of death.  This is especially great for kids who have or are experiencing the death of a loved one and don't know what to make of it. 

Written by Glenn Ringtved and illustrated by Charlotte Pardi, the book is a masterpiece, and highly recommended for parents who have grieving children or who simply want to teach children about this delicate subject in a gentle and sensitive way.
One of the things I especially love about the book is the emphasis that death is needed and that it makes life all the richer. 
For more information and another great review of this book, check out Cry Heart But Never Break: A remarkable meditation on loss and life.
0 Comments

    Author

    My name is Richard.  I love to write, and here you can find my general musings, observations and articles.  Enjoy!

    To stay up to date with articles follow my Facebook page
    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Archives

    December 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016

    Richard West

    Categories

    All
    Conscious Dying
    General Spiritual
    Humour
    Music
    News
    Poems
    Processing Energy
    Quotes
    Reviews

    RSS Feed

    BACK TO THE SOURCE

    Picture

    Bringing you home

Home
Contact
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Impressum
Parting the Waves - conscious relating


Articles List
  • Letting go - how to do it
  • Being in the moment vs. daydreaming
  • Why Die Consciously?
  • Too much noise: steps toward 'Inner Peace'
  • Shores of Avalon - Transition into Death and other Densities
  • 'The Observer' Pt1: What is the observer?
  • 'The Observer' Pt2: Simple steps to cultivate the observer
  • 'The Observer' Pt3: Going beyond the mind
  • 'Be as a Lake': A fresh perspective on pain
  • Destiny: Knowing your purpose in life
  • Is Morality Judgmental? Taking Inspiration from Life without Limiting Ourselves
  • ‘I told you so!’ Simple yet powerful ways of improving communication with loved ones
  • What makes you feel truly alive?
  • The importance of balancing the big picture with the little picture in current global events
  • How to Channel your Sadness into Beauty
  • Recovering from Loss of Identity
  • Understanding Grief
  • 'Who am I?' - Finding your Essence
  • Dying to Live - Embracing Change
  • Heaven in Your Eyes - Opening up to the Twin Flame
  • Overcoming Fear by Embracing Death - Pt 1: Our fears
  • Overcoming Fear by Embracing Death - Pt 2: Identity and the 'Self'
  • Overcoming Fear by Embracing Death - Pt 3: Unity Vs. Individuality
  • To BE or not to BE: How to Live your Spirituality
  • True Healing: How It's Possible For Everyone
  • The Hugging Dilemma: Deep Connection vs. Personal Boundaries
  • Breaking Free of the Box: How to Overcome Guilt from Unreachable Standards
  • The Healing of the Divine Masculine
  • Are You Responsible for Other People's Suffering?
  • Why You No Longer Need to Fear Death
  • The Paradox of Passion
























































  • Home
  • About Me
  • Parting the Waves
  • Change Coaching
    • Change Coaching
    • Source Facilitation
    • Testimonials
  • Conscious Dying
    • Conscious Dying Therapy
    • What is 'dying consciously'?
    • Testimonials
  • Media
    • Articles >
      • Glossary
    • Book
    • Audio Meditations
  • Contact Me