What is fear? What are the symptoms of fear?

*Chapter 6 - Coping With Fear*

What is fear? What are the symptoms of fear? The symptoms are - an intense sensation in the body.

It trembles and the breath is ragged and there is a feeling that the ground is loose under your feet. 

There is a feeling of contraction. There is a tendency to hold on to something. There is a feeling of non-belongingness. 

There is a sense of void. There are all these feelings and an intense sensation between the navel and the heart or the throat area.

This is fear. When does this begin to develop? Very young kids do not have fear, but as they grow older, they develop it. 

Fear is directly related to the ego. As the ego develops, the fear also develops. What is ego? 

It is a boundary, a dissection from the universal existence. It is a feeling of being in an illusory compartment created by ourselves in the infinite or vast field of existence. 

It is a feeling of being somebody. Fear is only possible in the waking or dreaming state, not in sleep. 

But when fear intensifies you cannot even sleep. It leads to insomnia. We can connect this sensation, which is so intense to a particular event or a particular thing. 

This is where we perpetuate it. Suppose, we think the fear is because of heights then we are

anchoring this sensation or linking it with a particular situation. 

Trying to get rid of the situation does not eliminate the fear. There is only one thing that can eliminate it and that is awareness. 

When you become aware of it or if you are ready to experience it intensely and just accept it. You will find that the fear flips over and becomes love.

Love, fear and hatred are not different energies. They are the three different forms of one energy. 

That's why when you feel love or intense hatred the sensation is in the same area - between your navel and heart.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji

Waves of emotions