Fear is the great deceiver. When you buy in to the lies it sells, it takes your time, hope, and life force from you. You give away your natural strength. When you listen to fear's lies, obey its promptings and warnings, you've been sold a bill of goods, turned in the wrong direction, robbed of good sense and don't realize where your true safety is. But there's a simple solution.

Truth wipes out fear on the spot.
Just a little light washes lots of darkness away. Even a moment of truth begins to loosen the grip of fear. As soon as you see the truth of the matter, fear loses its power to harm you. As soon as you stand in the truth, cling to it relentlessly, the healing power of love appears. This is a fact. It is an indisputable law of the mind and heart.
    
Think of a lie fear told you that you believed and clung to mercilessly. Just realize now that it was a lie. When you realize it's a lie, what happens to the fear?

Living Life in an Orientation of Fear
Fear is not only a feeling – it can become an orientation toward life. An orientation of fear is one of restriction, punishment, guilt, bad faith, and continual vigilance against being hurt. This can make life a living hell.
   
If you live in an orientation of fear, little things upset you. Even during happy times, you are always looking for trouble on the horizon. You may be afraid of being blamed, attacked, or humiliated, or you may spend your days blaming others, or life, God, or destiny for the rotten hand you've been dealt.
    
But it is not other people who are robbing you; it's your own fear. This fear robs you of clarity, kindness, satisfaction, and plenty. You demand that everything should proceed according to your personal expectations and demands. And you begin to demand that others live that way as well, or else you reject and condemn them. In this state of being, you are constantly swimming against a riptide.

Catastrophic Expectations
Catastrophic expectations arise regularly from an orientation of fear. A catastrophic expectation is the belief or expectation that something awful is going to happen. Sometimes a small difficulty arises and in your mind you immediately blow it up into the beginning of something terrible.
     
For example, you may have a persistent pain in your body and begin to imagine that it is cancer. Then you begin to wonder how advanced the cancer is, and what treatment will be needed. It may be time to write your will.
    
When you finally discover that the pain is only a sprained muscle, the news may even come as a letdown. For some, it's easy to find a distorted pleasure in dwelling upon catastrophe, a falsely heightened sense of being alive, because of all the attention you get or the excitement you feel wrestling with danger.
    
When catastrophic expectations are activated, even if the event hasn't actually taken place (and most likely never will), you may have a full-blown panic attack thinking about the possibilities. All kinds of relationships can shut down in your life. You cannot think clearly or find creative solutions.
    
But, it is not the actual event that is causing most of the fear you are feeling, but the expectations and fantasies you are dreaming up about it. In this very moment, you can handle whatever is going on. This very moment you are safe, this very moment holds endless possibilities, and this very moment can be filled with joy.


UNDOING CATASTROPHIC EXPECTATIONS: Exercise
When a catastrophic expectation arises, when you catch yourself worrying about something that could happen, or building up fantasies about something that did, stop.

Get a piece of paper and draw a vertical line in the middle. On the top of one column, write: What Is Actually Happening. On the top of the other column write, What Could Happen. In the column that lists what is actually happening be very careful to include specific facts. For example, I’ve had a pain in my shoulder and I’ve had it for one day. In the other column make a list of all the outcomes that could happen, including the positive ones. For example, I could have a serious illness or it could be a slight spasm that could clear up in a couple of days.
    
As you consciously dream up various outcomes, it will become clear to you that these outcomes are merely your own expectations, not necessarily the truth. Each time you write down another expectation, go back and check the facts. Ask yourself, what is actually happening now? Can I stay with that? Can I focus upon what’s actually happening, and not what I’m imagining? Realize the choice is yours.

Brenda Shoshanna, Ph.D. is a psychologist, speaker, author workshop leader and longtime Zen practitioner. Brenda has offered over 500 talks and workshops on all aspects of personal and spiritual development and discovering authentic peace of mind. www.brendashoshanna.com. Her next workshop, is on Nov. 20th, Steppingstones to Happiness, based on the Sedona releasing method, and the practice and principles of Zen. She may be reached at topspeaker@yahoo.com.