Phobia

Phobias are Frozen Mood Swings

Q: Are phobias the result of some evil happening in a past life? - Irfan Ahmed, Bangalore, INDIA

Irfan, there are some phobias that are the result of some evil happening in past life, but not all phobias. Understand, if anything that happened in the past life is affecting your present and future, it is an evil happening!

All phobias are nothing but mood swings. When mood swings are strengthened, they are called phobias; when phobias are in initial level, it is called mood swings.

Whether it is phobia or mood swing, there is only one thing to watch - whether they are able to repeat something in greater frequency, or you are able to repeat in greater frequency. They say ‘Life is bad’ hundred times, and you repeat ‘Life is good’ 120 times! Whether you are going to repeat more number of times, or the phobia is going to repeat more number of times, is the game!

If your phobia says, I am afraid, afraid, you say, I am beyond everything, I am beyond everything - that’s all! Don’t say, I am not afraid, because the word afraid is there. Just say, I am beyond everything. Or just do the mantra. A powerful antidote for phobia is ajapa japa – eN-Chanting. Understand, all phobias are frozen mood swings. The only solution is ajapa japa. Decide not to lie down along with phobia or mood swing - stand up with ajapa japa.

How is Phobia Different from Fear?

“Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is the ability to face your fears!” – Paramahamsa Nithyananada

A phobia is an irrational fear, usually of an object/person/ situation that poses little or no actual danger. When a fear gets so exaggerated that a person starts avoiding any circumstance in which they will have to face that fear, it is called a phobia.

When it is deep-rooted and extreme, a phobia can completely handicap a person, eventually costing him his job, his relationships, and the ability to experience life fully.

Specific phobias (eg. fear of heights or closed spaces or flying) are more common than we imagine!

According to the National Institute for Mental Health (USA), specific phobias affect an estimated 19.2 million adult Americans, and are twice as common in women as men. They usually appear in childhood or adolescence and tend to persist into adulthood.

In the Vedic system of medicine, phobias are usually traced to traumatic situations experienced in the womb, or even in previous births. That is why the suffering individual is rarely able to offer a logical explanation for his/her phobia.

Solution to Phobias

What is the way out of phobias?

Step 1: Acknowledge and bring awareness to the fear. Suppression of the fear, telling yourself not to be afraid of the dark or cockroaches because there is nothing to be afraid of only buries the emotion.

Step 2: Stop rationalizing. Telling yourself that, after all, a cockroach will not kill us! will work well until the moment a real cockroach is in sight.

Step 3: Do not condemn yourself. Understand that you are facing a situation that does not have a logical explanation, and a logical solution.

Step 4: Overcoming a known fear is the first step in eliminating phobias. Meditation is a wonderful way to flush out negative memories buried deep in your unconscious. Even as little as 20 minutes of meditation a day can bring about visible transformation in the way you handle the phobia. The suppressed energy can be released through meditation, allowing you to move back into life with confidence and courage and the ability to face any situation as it happens.

Step 5: Face that fear! A simple meditation to overcome phobias

Sit in a relaxed manner with closed eyes. Recall the situation which brings up the phobia in you. If you are in a safe situation to experience the fear, allow the sensations to happen in your or your child's body; the shaking, sweating, rapid breathing and heartbeat. Acknowledge the inevitable. Yes, you could die in a plane crash! Accepting the inevitability of the situation will change the whole nature of the fear's impact on you. You can also bring up the fear stimulus in the comfort of your home. Just imagine the fear stimulus, such as a spider, and experience the sensations.

References

http://www.nithyananda.org/article/get-out-phobias#gsc.tab=0 http://www.nithyananda.org/article/are-you-afraid-your-phobias-0#gsc.tab=0