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The 60-Second Anxiety Solution
by Hale Dwoskin
We live in anxious times. With warnings about terrorism and other world crises, we
can be left feeling completely powerless and very afraid. Yet the heightened tension
and uncertainty in the world is only the most talked about part of the problem.
The following questions will help you to identify just some of the anxiety and stress
triggers that you may be facing in your life. If you answer yes to any of these questions
you will gain some immediate benefit from this article.
• Are you feeling anxious about the current world situation and the level of recent
terror alerts?
• Are your bills piling up because you know there is not enough money in the bank,
or are you concerned about your job security?
• Do you feel anxious and out of control when you hear those dreaded words, "We
need to talk?"
• Do you feel knots in your stomach when you know it is YOUR turn to stand up and
give a speech or when you are late for a deadline?
• Do you wake up in a cold sweat, your heart racing for no reason whatsoever?
• Do you feel pressured and out of control even when things seem to be going well?
A 60-second solution to stress, anxiety and fear, known as Holistic Releasing, will
reduce or eliminate these and other anxiety and stress triggers.
Many of us have gotten so lost in fear and anxiety that it appears to be with us
all the time. We no longer even need an external trigger to feel as though there
is impending doom, or for our bodies to function on "high alert." Anxiety
is so prevalent, in fact, that millions of people had been diagnosed with anxiety-related
conditions even before September 11, 2001. Plus, tens of millions of prescriptions
continue to be dispensed every year for anxiety reducing drugs like Paxil, Zoloft,
and Xanax. Yet, it does not have to be this way. Since the mid-1970s, tens of thousands
of people from around the world have been benefiting from a simple solution to anxiety
and fear called the Sedona Method®.
Fear can prevent us from doing what we'd like to, or need to do, because we construct
elaborate "what ifs," or expectations, around taking action. Fear also
stops us from letting go of our "problems," because we can't predict what
will happen when we drop our guard.
There is an acronym -- FEAR equals False Evidence Appearing Real -- which we often
share with the students in our classes. For, of course, most people's fearful expectations
are totally unfounded. Even when fear appears to have a foundation in reality, these
are usually blown way out of proportion to the actual risk, if there is any. It is
clear that anything that can help us to let go of fear more easily can make a tremendous
difference in our lives.
The following technique is based on the Sedona Method and the book Happiness Is Free.
It is designed to help you begin to let go of your anxiety and fear right now. In
fact, when you master this technique, you will find that these unwanted feelings
can be gone in 60 seconds or less.
Let it go
Holistic Releasing is based on the premise that everything we experience in life,
whether real or imagined, arises in pairs or polarities - in duality. Because of
life's underlying unity, if we have "in," we also have "out."
If we have "right," we also have "wrong." If we have "good,"
we also have "bad." If we have "pain," we also have pleasure."
This is quite obvious. However, we live life as though we can hold onto the good
and get rid of the bad. We miss the inner truth that when we try to hold onto something
good like peace or inner security, it always slips away. Whenever we try to clutch
onto what we judge as good or preferable, it tends to move through our awareness.
Then think about the converse. What happens when we resist or try to hold away what
we don't like -- anxiety, fear and stress? That's right. It persists or gets even
bigger. So, in effect, what we're doing is pulling what we don't like towards us
and pushing away what we do like.
At Sedona Training Associates, we've discovered that when you bring the two sides
of a polarity together, it's like bringing matter and antimatter, or positive and
negative energy, together. The opposites neutralize each other and you're left with
much greater freedom, presence, and understanding. You see solutions, not problems.
You feel more open, alive, and at peace.
As you work with Holistic Releasing, you'll discover that this effect magnifies over
time. You'll start to discover more possibilities and see things more clearly. Every
time you work with any of these suggestions, you'll get more out of them -- more
inner understanding.
Now, the way we do this is very simple. We simply focus on both sides of the polarity
by going back and forth repeatedly between both sides. For instance, a very important
polarity has to do with anxiety. Most of us are either feeling relatively safe or
fearful from moment to moment, and we focus on only one side of the polarity, not
the other. Here is how it works:
Silently ask yourself the following two questions alternating between the two sides
of the polarity at a pace that is comfortable for you. Allow yourself to feel each
side as best you can. Also, do your best to lead with your heart or your feelings
as opposed to your mind or your thoughts.
• Could you allow yourself to feel
as anxious and stressful as you do in this moment?
• And then, could you allow yourself to feel as relaxed and secure as you do in this
moment?
• And as anxious and stressful as you do in this moment?
• And as relaxed and secure as you do in this moment? Do this a few more times and
then notice how you feel inside. Here are a few other polarities that you can use
to conquer your fear, anxiety and stress right now.
• Could you allow yourself feel as insecure about public speaking as you do?
• Could you allow yourself to feel as secure and confident about public speaking
as you do?
• Could you allow yourself to feel as out of control as you do?
• Could you allow yourself to feel as in control as you do?
• Could you allow yourself to feel as insecure with your job or career as you do?
• Could you allow yourself to feel as secure with your job and career as you do?
Experiment with this on your own and you will find that you will easily begin the
process of letting go of fear, anxiety and stress.
Hale Dwoskin is the co-author of Happiness is Free and It's Easier than You Think.
He is also CEO and Director of Training of Sedona Training Associates, an organization
headquartered in Sedona Arizona that he co-founded in 1996 to teach courses based
on the Sedona Method and other mental and emotional releasing techniques inspired
by his mentor and co-author, Lester Levenson. Sedona Training Associates is an educational
training organization dedicated to removing an individual's personal blocks to abundance,
health, happiness and success. Sedona Training Associates currently offers seminars
throughout the US, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Eastern and Western Europe,
and Japan. It also publishes books and tape programs that are distributed worldwide.
Visit www.the-anxiety-solution.com for more information.
Copyright © 2003 Hale Dwoskin
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