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SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Fear

Deborah Norris, Ph.D.

Fear.

To fear something is to believe in it. If you do not believe in something, it cannot make you afraid. That is why religions suggest that we fear God, not because God is scary or that we should be afraid that God would hurt us, but because to fear something, you must believe in it. Fear is belief with uncertainty. It invokes an active physiological state in preparation for responding. In everyday life, we experience fear as a physical phenomenon in our bodies, referred to as the “fear response”, the “fight-or-flight response”, or the “stress-response”. Whatever the label for this experience, it is activated by our brain affecting our bodies for the purpose of some potential action, heightening our alertness and awareness. It is this greater consciousness of and indeed gratitude for being that we experience in our fear. It is ultimately belief in ourselves that provides us with fear. We believe that we exist. To fear God is to believe in God. To fear dying or danger is to believe in existing. That is the gift of fear.

Picture of Deborah Norris, Ph.D.

Deborah Norris, Ph.D.

In 1996, Debbie was diagnosed with severe fibromyalgia, which left her in chronic pain; doctors said there was no cure and nothing could be done. Debbie, a research scientist, began researching the underlying causes of her condition and took up practices to reverse these causes. Debbie began doing things to gradually increase her physical, mental and emotional well-being, including gentle yoga for the physical pain, nutritional changes to increase her energy and meditation to relieve stress. By incorporating these practices, Debbie reversed her condition and returned to an active, healthy life. After an accident in 1999, Debbie suffered a traumatic brain injury and was diagnosed with seizures, impaired vision and chronic headaches. Once again, Debbie researched ways to heal herself using mind and body practices, and once again, Debbie was able to heal herself and live a healthy life free of seizures and pain. In her practice, Dr. Norris draws on both her scientific research and ancient wisdom to integrate lifestyle elements of meditation, physical exercise, spiritual development, relaxation therapy, nutrition and herbs for maximal health and happiness!

Categories
JOURNEY TO WELL BEING MINDFULNESS SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Trust Your Inner Guidance

The journey to living an authentic life can, at times, be scary and challenging. Often, we want the people in our lives to approve of our choices, or validate our feelings. For me, there have been many decisions that I have made that sometimes weren’t fully supported by either family or friends. Regardless of my choices or their subsequent outcomes, I am fortunate and grateful for their steadfast love. Perhaps the realization and respect that we each have a unique path to follow allows this acceptance. One of the many gifts of mindfulness is coming to know who we are, the patterns of our thoughts, how beliefs arise, and the freedom to choose those thoughts and beliefs, regardless of past conditioning. It is a full acceptance of the self.

Suggested practice: Trust your inner guidance

If there is a question, decision, or simply something you are exploring, like a new city or activity, I invite you to engage this practice and notice how you connect with your inner guidance.

Connecting with the breath, arrive in this moment.

  • Settling in, perhaps notice how the breath is moving throughout the body.
  • Allowing yourself to simply sit easy with the sensations as they are arising, what do you notice
  • Perhaps thoughts are bubbling up to the surface.
  • Perhaps you are noticing tension, a holding in various parts of the body.
  • Simply noticing these areas, you might sense a gentle easing, a letting go as the breath calms the nervous system, calms the mind.
  • In opening the senses wide to the sounds, sensations, thoughts and the breath, what are you witnessing?

If you are processing a question or a decision, notice where the body speaks to you.  Perhaps notice all of the ways in which the body speaks to you, sometimes screaming, when we ignore it.

As you listen to that still, but interestingly, dynamic and flowing place within you, the answers might surprise you.  And as you trust it more, allowing your inner compass to guide you, that “voice” gets stronger and easier to hear.

Have a wonderful week!