From an intellectual perspective, clinicians often refer to three kinds of fear:
Rational Fear: Rational fears occur where there is a real, imminent threat. …
Primal Fear: Primal fear is defined as an innate fear that is programmed into our brains. …
Irrational Fear: Irrational fears are the ones that don’t make logical sense and can vary greatly from person to person.
I don’t know that I spend much time with those definitions though. I like to keep it simple and refer back to the two kinds of fear (listed above) that our literature talks about primarily because the main problem I have centers in my mind and because the root of my problem is selfishness and self-centeredness. Those two seem to make sense to me. It’s generally really easy for me to identify two parts of fear – the problem and the solution. There are many places in our literature that identify the two, but here are a few
THE PROBLEM
- “Then came the night when the physical and mental torture was so hellish I feared I would burst through my window, sash and all.” – Bill’s Story
- “We were having trouble with personal relationships, we couldn’t control our emotional natures, we were a prey to misery and depression, we couldn’t make a living, we had a feeling of uselessness, we were full of fear, we were unhappy, we couldn’t seem to be of real help to other people…” – We Agnostics
- “Selfishness—self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate.” –THE SOLUTION
- “When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is, or He isn’t. What was our choice to be?” – We Agnostics
- “We finally saw that faith in some kind of God was a part of our make-up, just as much as the feeling we have for a friend. Sometimes we had to search fearlessly, but He was there.” – We Agnostics
- “As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter. We were reborn.” – How It Works
- “Once we have taken this step (S5), withholding nothing, we are delighted. We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator.” – Into Action
I will forever be grateful that Bill W. identified on the top of page 35 in More About Alcoholism that the crux of my problem is my “mental states” (my thinking) and just ten (10) pages laters in We Agnostics on page 45, he identifies the solution to my problem – developing a relationship with a God of my understanding. I may think my problem is my spouse, my job, my family, the IRS, the balance of my checking account (all which can create fear in a heartbeat); but the only solution I have ever found that works is asking my HP to remove it from me so that I can turn down the volume in my head and learn to be of maximum service to God and it’s kids.
Is fear (fancied or real) ruling your life in this moment? Ok, well… then… you know what to do!
In love & service,
