At the Core of Mind’s Fear – Trusting Life
At the core of almost every psychological fear in the mind is a deep-seated mistrust towards life. I continue to use the word “mind” to represent the thinking aspects in our human self as well as our non-physical self (the soul). If you don’t believe, or are skeptical, about your identity as a soul, or […]
Link back to full article: https://www.calmdownmind.com/core-of-minds-fear/
Any reason you decided to post again after 7 years away? I’ve been coming back to reread everything every now and then since 2014.
Dear Sen,
I have been following your work for 8 months now and through your teachings have been able to reduce my mind momentum considerably. I got to the point where I could see my thoughts— negative or positive— and just let them flit by without the pull to engage with them. Recently I experienced a trauma that drew me back into identifying with the fear based thoughts. I thought I’d lost all the positive momentum of the last months in a couple of weeks.
Then I began rereading your posts especially Reducing Mind Momentum is the Key and others that relate to that. As soon as I began to sit in awareness, not only did my anxious body calm, but I felt my awareness move to the forefront of my mind/brain and felt expanded. I understood how the thoughts come and go and was prepared to allow them but it was like the thoughts just stopped — there was only silence. I was enveloped in total peace.
My question is — do you know why the thoughts just stopped? Is this a state that I should aspire to? I know not to go chasing states but this one wiped out all the fears and negativity within a few minutes.
Also I was wondering if all the allowing I did in the past had actually been accumulating so when the trauma hit I did not have to go back and start over from scratch.
I’d appreciate any of your thoughts on this.
Thank you for all you do. 🙏🏻
Hello Sen,
I’d like to ask you a couple of questions regarding awareness. For years now, I have been living in a state of extreme anxiety and negative feelings. It wasn’t until about half a year ago that I tried to truly let go and release the imbalanced energy within me, by basically letting all negative thoughts and emotions come up, whenever I would be aware of them. For the first month or so, I felt like I was on the right path, strong emotions would emerge, usually resulting in waves of muscle tention and breathlessness, and after coming to a climax, a relaxing feeling would follow.
However, after continuing this for about 3-4 months, I realized that I wasn’t really improving, infact, my mind seemed to have an even stronger pull towards the negative thoughts. It occured to me that maybe the reason for this was that my awareness was still quite low, hence my mind had a huge influence over me, so I started practicing staying present(being aware of my sense perceptions, my inner body, breath etc), which I felt was the missing piece, since being aware of these things would often result in the feeling of aliveness and lightness in my body, and an improved ability to catch my thoughts, with the negative feelings and anxiety often dissipating faster.
My question is, is practicing staying present what I should be doing now, until I naturally become stable in awareness? After which, I should continue releasing the imbalanced energy? I am a bit confused, and see the previous practice of letting emotions wash over me and my current practice of staying present as two completely different approaches.
Also, there are days when its extremely hard to stay present. During those times, should I force myself to do it regardless, or is it okay to just rest and not try to focus for the time being?
Thank you kindly,
Tom
I’ve been starting this process 10 yeas ago, I’ve stopped because I am afraid of the releases… I’ve married a girl become a husband, she is all I’ve got, in the bottom of my heart I knew what the flavor of the ego is all about neediness and attachment but I’ve let it happen naturally… my whole world is centered towards her… she’s all I’ve got, I still very aware everything about my self, my thoughts and everything I madly in love with my own wife i am so terribly being attached to her, The more I become attached to her the more unhappy I was upon this thought what if one day I am going to loss this person i am going to die in pain… . The first 10 years of our marriage works fine even without having a baby, but suddenly our lives shifted from sweetness to misery… she is physically and mental sick because of her depression about her sickness, it hurt so badly seeing her like that and the memories that we’ve been through in the past years elevate my pain, the sky, the road, the trees and songs always reminded me our happiest moments… I started allowing again, the process that I am avoiding in the past… suddenly an inspiration of doing the path that I’ve avoided in the past sparks again, I decided to continue my journey but it feels like i am dying, stuck and helpless from
fear about me and her… In the first place I know that everything is changing,Moving and naturally slipping in my hands but how come did I let it happen to fall in love, decide to marry and be hurt with the truth… I know this feeling is all about me and me and me and me but I’ve let it happened. I am dying to say I cannot take this anymore, the story of my life my mind had telling me is horrible. I sense my entire being all the time but it doesn’t seem to ease my pain…
I came across your website after a few months and I am so happy to see a new post from you! I have been reading your articles since 2015 and with time I’ve experienced many things but I always come back here for self awareness when I know I am going in that loophole again because something in your posts resonates with my inner being that I so deeply want to explore yet there’s some sort of resistance still holding on to negative patterns. Those things aside, I just want to say that I am sooooo happy to see that you are back with a new post and I look forward to reading many more soon! Much love
So glad for your returning active online presence. The oscillation, like a sine wave, from awareness and its pleasing sense of wholeness to amnesia and its mind labyrinth of stress has been occurring at such a high frequency as of late. Perhaps life flow is just amped up currently. 🙏
Thank you so much, Sen. I am so happy to see you posting again. I found you much later than you were actively posting on this site, when I was going through debilitating anxiety and compulsive thoughts about 2 months ago. I love what you say about understanding the polarities in life, being present, and understanding the mind so that we are not manipulated by it. When I observe things that are triggering and upsetting to me, my mind has had the tendency to compulsively replay them over and over, until it effects me neurologically and I feel physically unwell. I question myself and the life i have come to know when these intrusive thoughts break forth into my mind. Am I bad? What is wrong with me? Why does this effect me so much? I fear myself for the thoughts that keep circling my mind and making me upset. A ‘Good’ person wouldn’t get stuck on these thoughts. Why can’t i handle these things? Why does my mind compulsively conjur them up and upset me further? I am in the process of healing myself emotionally, mentally and spiritually, and understanding the nature of the human mind. A loved one shared with me that when we experience a stimuli (through movies, the news, interactions, etc.) that is so shocking, we can have the tendency to replay it and our mind spirals further and further down into it, to get to the root, to try and make sense of it. And it can be difficult to separate ourselves from it if it is shocking, or heavy, or scary enough. Because it has the power to maintain a grip on us (or we give it that power because we are so afraid or affected by it).
Do you think obsessive-compulsive thoughts can be triggered by fear? By darkness? By anxiety? It’s not often people complain of obsessive-compulsive thoughts of happy things. Of peaceful things. Otherwise, the compulsion wouldn’t present a problem, or contain the energy of a mental illness. Why do you think human beings get stuck on the negative energy in life, the scary things, the darkness so easily? We know these negative energies are not healthy, and yet we remain stuck or trapped, or in the case of ever-circling thoughts, drawn to them. Does it all come back to fear?
Anyway, I am not sure if you actively are on this website, Sen, or if you respond to comments. But I am so, so grateful for your contributions to the world, and how you shed a light that both clarifies these things that we seek to understand, while also adding complexity to the human consciousness that I never was aware of. Regardless, it feels relieving in a way to share my thoughts in a place where people who have felt like me may visit. I wish everyone peace and tranquility in conquering the labyrinth of their conscious minds.
Thank you, always
-Sarah
Beautiful article, Sen. Thank you. Glad to have you back. Your articles have helped me tremendously the last couple of years.
Heck Yeah thanks Sen! I check calmdownmind every so often because I love your articles and I’m happy you posted a new once since it’s been so long.
It takes courage to detach from the mind and follow your heart. Your writings have helped me on this path.
Dear Sen,
I have been sitting and feeling my fears, anxieties, shames etc. for few years now. And life is only getting worse. I think I got it all wrong. I thought I was releasing and I think that I actually got my mind and body addicted to the fear/terror/anxiety chemicals and it’s now manifesting these nightmare scenarios to get those chemicals.
Any thoughts?
Sen, do you recommend journaling?
Hello Sen. So happy to see you’re posting!
I’ve been following your blog, it’s been a great value to me.
Through introspection, I’ve come to the conclusion that the emotional/feeling component is the root of all my mind problems! When I have this feeling/contraction in my stomach, my mind is non-trusting, hyperactive, judging, obsessing and full of negative thoughts. It looks like thinking/obsessing is an escape route from the feeling. It’s hard to know the source of my motivations. Furthermore, it’s hard to make any decisions as well. I feel so stuck.
You have mentioned that allowing is not a practice. If I don’t show effort on allowing or relaxing my awareness, I always end-up perpetuating this cycle, it’s as if am an addict. I find myself over working in useless projects only to drop them the next week, daydreaming, obsessing a certain person, or consuming “niche” arts which I’ve noticed don’t pull me much when I feel less contracted, or when the feeling is not so strong. I’m stuck on this loop for a long time now, and it’s making my life a misery!
Any pointers would be welcomed.
Wow!! You are really back after a long hiatus. Unbelievable.. What it is for.
Thank you Sen, so glad your publishing still. I got excited when I saw this new post.
Great timing in these rather uncertain times.
Keep them coming.
Love & peace,
Melly
Your articles have helped me understand myself and sort out many of my issues. Whenever I am confused or feeling down, I browse through your articles and I always get some new understanding about myself and end up feeling better.
That’s how it happened now too. I fully agree to what you say. How much ever one tries to bring the mind to trust life, it always finds its way back to its original state of mistrust in life. And to bring it in complete trust of life seems to be long drawn, time taking process.
Hello Sen.
After 7 years of reading your blog posts.
I can now comment here and say thank you so much for your writings. It has guided me during those years and up until today.
Whenever I re-read your posts. My understanding keeps expanding.
A lot of changes and growth happened to me and will continue to happen.
Looking back and I am still here.
Life really takes care of you.
And fears ruled most of my life in the past and hinder me for so long in the physical world.
I’ve got a huge load of momentum released.
Your blog is such a big help to me in transcending the influence of fears.
Thank you so much Sen.
– Len
I totally forgot how I found this blog and I was so happy there was so much material in the archives but slightly bummed it hadn’t been updated in quite some time. This most recent post is quite possibly one of the best to help me “calm down mind.” Blessings and gratitude to you, Sen!
Sen,
What is your view/opinion on the study and practice of philosophy? Is it a pursuit that will never have the potential to be someone’s natural expression because it is just an “intellectual game” and will never reach a conclusion, or can someone’s natural expression and aptitude consist of becoming a philosopher?
I ask because many mystics discourage philosophical studies like Buddha and OSHO, so I was wondering what you thought about it and whether such a subject should be pursued, let alone even exist, at all?
Yours Sincerely,
Shankaran
Thanks for the writing Sen. How would you explain if someone trust in life but somehow the person loses everything in the process? The former stability, finance, relationship, friends, energy to do things, an almost total collapse. A few years ago I felt the pull to let go, and in the process, I have found myself in a mental, emotional and physical fatigue. I am now rebuilding myself but at the same time, there is a lingering fear about to what extent I can ‘trust’.
Great Article as usual Sen! Refreshing to see an article from you after so many years!
Hi Sen, it is good to see you writing again. Looking forward to more interactions.
Welcome back!
Hi Sen,
It is nice to hear from you again after a long time. Your article is right on the spot, as always. I just wonder what’s your take on shame or shame based living? Your blog covers most of the emotions but I could not find any article on shame. I am somehow finding it more difficult to accept and allow shame.
Thanks for your great articles, you really supported me in my life when I needed the most.
All the best,
In the accent of Mrs. Weasley – ‘Where HAFF you been?’
Have been introduced to your articles through Matthew Pallet when I was absolutely going bananas after 2 months of intense forced positive emotions, affirmations, vibration raising activities for multiple hours a day. Then when I consciously did my first ‘release’ – aka facing the thing I feared the most, BOOM, the floodgates opened and it’s been almost 24/7 with the same fear operating as different aliases in the background almost constantly, with a few days of bliss or my natural self in between.
Either I’ve gone crazy, or I’m experiencing what you’ve written in your writings – especially in the post ‘Reducing Mind Momentum Is the Key’.
My only question is – when the mind starts feeling better after a ‘release’, or a period of facing fear or allowing, it starts to automatically surpress the fears without permission, which have grown smaller and more manageable. This leads to another momentum build up. When we are sitting with the mind and watching it the fear seems to behave but when performing other activities it seems to jump for attention. Why is this so? If the fear is on our side, why does it want to play when we are trying to perform another task and why does it behave when we are consciously allowing? Also has it ever happened that the fear wont let you think that this will ever be over? If you try it’ll come at you with some different angle, trying to prove that your ‘fear is your fate’ or that God only wants you to suffer endlessly, which now sounds quite bizarre but try convincing my head about that!
– Ishan from Kolkata, India
I am so grateful that you are back! Have been reading your articles a lot these past couple of years.