Breaking Free
Apr 24th, 2007 by John
There is objective fear and there is psychological fear. Objective fear is when you’re standing in the road facing a speeding semi or on a bridge getting ready to bungee-jump into a canyon – the reptilian brain is assessing the raw data from a primitive place of organic wisdom.
On the other hand, psychological fear is when we project the past onto a situation and the limbic brain starts a cascading effect of emotional and mental respones – some conscious and others unconscious. These are patterns of reactivity that run our lives, that we often assume to be part of who and what we are, that bore us to tears with their repetitive nature AND we often defend them to death – literally.
The optimizing thrust of life is on our side. It is constantly urging us to break out of our shells and frequently in an act of compassion will crack a few eggs.
Investigating Basic Trust
Hi John,
I have stumble on your blog a few days ago. I find it very original. I especially like to read your A.H. Almaas quotes. I really enjoy your way of associating these quotes with artistic images.
I’m studying the teachings of Almaas by myself. For various reasons, I have not been able to join a formal Diamond Approach group yet.
Your Break Free post with the distinction between objective fear and psychological fear in relation with the optimizing thrust of life is directly related to some of my personal life issues and my actual phase of life. Thanks for this useful distinction. My main thread of investigation is presently related to «Basic Trust». I’m deeply longing to break free from my paralysing and blinding psychological fears.
Regards
Psychological fear has an intimate relationship with not-knowing. Our normal sense of self is built of repetitive impressions in the soul. The soul becomes structured and takes itself to be this structure. The soul knows by becoming – absorption.
This structure is often referred to as the “false self.” This false self has a difficult time with not-knowing. Not-knowing is a vast, grand space. Space will dissolve the structure.
The nature of the soul is space. There is a deep longing in the soul to return to her natural state as aware unbounded space. This desire was referred to as thantos by Freud.
Could you please clarify what I would appreciate to be obviously obvious?
Hi John,
In your comment (2) on the relationship between psychological fear and not-knowing you refer to some specific concepts — mainly not-knowing, absorption, space, deep longing— and understandings that are for me closely related to the specific teachings of the Diamond Approach. Absorption is particular difficult notion that I still have difficulty to totally grasp. The way you talk about absorption in this particular comment has illuminated for me a meaning of this complex notion. Thanks for you comment and its illuminating effect on me.
I would like to know what your actual relationship with the Diamond Approach teachings is exactly. Are you a Diamond Approach’s books fan? What book(s) have you read so far? What book(s) are you currently reading? Are you a student of the Diamond Approach? Are you engaged in a formal work group or in a relationship with an official teacher of the Diamond Approach? Can you tell me more about you and your relationship with the Diamond Approach teachings in a comment or in a post? The more precise and specific you will be, the more I will I appreciate it! Your main interests in the Diamond Approach and your actual relationship with the Diamond Approach are not obviously obvious to me and I’m really curious about them.
No Rush!
Regards
Curiosity & Not-knowing. Where does the curiosity arise? Who is it that wants to know? What’s it like to just sit in the not-knowing (curiosity)? What happens if no definition is allowed? Are knowing and defining the same thing?
Ah, questions. I’ve got a million of them also!