Embodied therapies for releasing fear

Most people have no idea what I'm talking about when I say that embodied therapies can help release suppressed emotions. How might this kind of therapy work in the case of fear? If there is intense fear in the subconscious mind, which means it is also stored somewhere in the body, we can use guided meditation to begin to access it. You can meditate alone, but, in the case of deep fear, you may need someone to support you through the process of excavation.

We approach fear through tension spots in the body. Our tension will lead us, the more we are present with it, into a memory, an emotion, or a sensation. It's like following a thread, and it happens in slow motion. It’s very different from thinking. We work with the sensations in our body until something emerges that we can use. For most people, what arrives is some kind of fearful memory.

There are several steps we take when we start exploring our emotions to ensure that when we inquire into our fear, we are well supported and well rooted in our current-moment safety. We go into observation mode; we approach as a witness. If it is our scared child that comes forward, we observe him or her, offering presence and love, rather than re-embodying that child’s fear.

We don't want to re-enter the trauma. Rather, by bearing witness, the monster in the closet loses some of its power. Gradually, then, we can learn to tend to that fearful part of ourselves and teach him or her how to feel safe.