| Are you afraid of snakes? Spiders? Clowns? | | | | toward you, giving your young mind the impression that |
| Whatever you are afraid of, it is likely something that is | | | | all spiders have psychic powers and are conspiring |
| not really dangerous. Which means that your fear is | | | | against you. Of course if spiders had psychic powers, |
| irrational. Some fears are entirely rational, and should | | | | they would guess the lotto numbers and all spiders |
| be respected. Falling off a building, crossing a busy | | | | would be rich. And since it's a well-known fact that |
| street, a hungry tiger chasing you. These present real | | | | spiders live in poverty, this can't be the case. On to the |
| dangers, and our mind/body system has evolved | | | | procedure. |
| naturally built in fears to keep us out of trouble. | | | | Imagine that you are sitting in a movie theater. And you |
| The fears that can clog up your happiness are the | | | | see yourself sitting about six rows up. And on the |
| fears that don't really make any sense. Think of a | | | | screen of the movie theater, is the first scene from |
| snake, for example. Of course, if it is a poisonous | | | | your memory where you learned to be afraid of |
| snake, or a thirty-foot boa constrictor, then by all | | | | spiders. Watch yourself watching the movie. Watch it |
| means, flee in panic. That would probably be the best | | | | with the following series of modifications: |
| choice. But what about a normal variety garden | | | | First, watch it in normal view. From beginning to end. |
| snake? It doesn't even have any teeth to bite you with | | | | Then, watch it in normal view, from beginning to end, |
| if it decided for some strange reason to do so. Or | | | | but sped up. |
| how about a spider? Again, if it has a little red | | | | Then, watch it backwards, in normal speed. |
| hourglass on its stomach, RUN! (Or squish it). But what | | | | Then watch it backwards, in fast speed. |
| about most spiders, that don't pose any threat? Again, | | | | Then repeat all the above, in black and white. |
| these are false fears that threaten to upset your highly | | | | Then repeat all the above, except the spider (or |
| toned bliss by showing up when they are least | | | | whatever fear is the star of your movie) is wearing an |
| expected. | | | | obnoxiously colored party hat. |
| But there's hope. There is a simple mind trick that can | | | | Then repeat all the above, but add the "Numa Numa" |
| kill these fears once and for all. Many of my popular | | | | soundtrack to it. |
| blog articles are about easy ways to improve yourself, | | | | You'll be surprised to find out that your old fear doesn't |
| and this is one of them. You can go there if you want, | | | | have near the hold on you that it used to. In fact, next |
| but until after you read this and find out how. | | | | time you see a spider (or whatever) you might just |
| The first thing you need to do is think of an early | | | | burst out laughing. Of course, with long held, and really |
| memory regarding the fear you will be getting rid of. | | | | powerful fears, you might have to spend a few |
| Maybe when you were in third grade, your neighbor | | | | minutes really getting into this exercise. But that just |
| threw a snake at you. Or maybe when you were four | | | | means you'll be able to have so much better results. |
| years old, you saw a big spider and were paralyzed. | | | | And what is better than a life unencumbered by a |
| Maybe just when you noticed it, it started to crawl | | | | bunch of irrational fears? |