Fear And Other Uninvited Guests: Tackling The Anxiety, Fear And Shame That Keep Us From Optimal Living And Loving
by Harriet Lerner /
2004 / English / PDF
175.1 MB Download
Bestselling author Harriet Lerner is at her provocative
best in this examination of fear as the key motivating force in
our lives.
Bestselling author Harriet Lerner is at her provocative
best in this examination of fear as the key motivating force in
our lives.
Often unrecognised, fear and shame drive our choices and
attitudes in ways that most of us never figure out. As Lerner
explains, fear is not an amorphous unknown to be transcended or
overcome but an emotion to be recognized, explored, decoded and
embraced. Once we befriend fear, it can actually help us achieve
calm, clarity and fundamental peace.
Often unrecognised, fear and shame drive our choices and
attitudes in ways that most of us never figure out. As Lerner
explains, fear is not an amorphous unknown to be transcended or
overcome but an emotion to be recognized, explored, decoded and
embraced. Once we befriend fear, it can actually help us achieve
calm, clarity and fundamental peace.
Lerner teaches us the best ways to deal with fear: to expect,
allow, and accept its presence in our lives, to mindfully observe
and attend to how it feels in our bodies and, ultimately to own
it. We can become experts on our personal triggers of anxiety,
learning when fear signals real danger and when it's best to
plough through it because it comes with the territory of making
necessary changes. The very worst thing we can do in the face of
fear is to run from it or try to avoid it. Fear is not something
to be conquered or eliminated––or even tackled, for that matter.
Instead, we need to pay close attention to the message it is
trying to convey.
Lerner teaches us the best ways to deal with fear: to expect,
allow, and accept its presence in our lives, to mindfully observe
and attend to how it feels in our bodies and, ultimately to own
it. We can become experts on our personal triggers of anxiety,
learning when fear signals real danger and when it's best to
plough through it because it comes with the territory of making
necessary changes. The very worst thing we can do in the face of
fear is to run from it or try to avoid it. Fear is not something
to be conquered or eliminated––or even tackled, for that matter.
Instead, we need to pay close attention to the message it is
trying to convey.
Using her wonderfully rich and inviting therapeutic voice along
with personal memories and examples drawn from her practice,
Lerner gives fear its due. We needn't let anxiety, fear, and
shame silence our authentic voice, close our hearts to the
different voices of others, or stop us from acting with dignity,
integrity and brio. We need to harness fear and put it in service
to our best selves.
Using her wonderfully rich and inviting therapeutic voice along
with personal memories and examples drawn from her practice,
Lerner gives fear its due. We needn't let anxiety, fear, and
shame silence our authentic voice, close our hearts to the
different voices of others, or stop us from acting with dignity,
integrity and brio. We need to harness fear and put it in service
to our best selves.