Thank you, Red
I made a copy of this and it is all so true. I will keep it close by. I really have to talk to myself so much.Thank you again so much for printing this.
Take Care, Linda
Richard A. "Red" Lawhern said:
Linda and Donna, there is a sort of persona Mantra that I've always found helpful when dealing with fear. It is something you say to yourself repeatedly in the silences of your own mind. The following is expanded from something Frank Herbert wrote in one of the "Dune" series of science fiction novels:
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me,
to disappear into its native nothingness.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.The idea here is that fear doesn't come from outside yourself and is not beyond your ability to control or set aside. We can change what we feel emotionally, in any of a hundred ways. Rational Cognitive Therapy tools are one avenue of approach. For some people, prayer is another. The Yogas offer centering exercises for mindfulness that are powerfully effective for millions of people around the world in bringing relaxation and freedom from fear.
I note these effects, because fear is fundamentally not good for anybody, and perhaps more so for pain patients. It is a stressor that you manufacture with no external help. And stress is a facilitator for pain. If you wish to create a greater possibility of freedom from pain, then face the fear and relinquish it. You can, you know.
Go in Peace and Power
Red