"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" FDR.
These words suddenly came to me tonight as I was working through some emotions that were very overwhelming. I had been in contact with a close relative who had brought up so much panic and fear inside of me that I almost quickly descended into a funk of darkness. It was the moment of feeling these emotions that made me panic even more, but not about the issue, I was starting to panic because I had started to feel anger, fear,... anger, ...and um yea anger oh and also fear. I became acutely aware that I had a choice at that very moment to undo much of the work I had done over the last months, or I could continue on with my work, and not go into the fear. I called on every snippet I had read in one of the many self help books, particularly one quote or a statement from Marianne Williamson, ( who I kinda want to be like) and there are so many, but I remember she said to walk in the direction of love not the direction of fear. This is not verbatim, which explains the lack of quotations. And then another by Caroline Myss, who explains that we are on the right path if we are not betraying ourselves. Which basically means the same thing.
And so I stopped my madness and collected myself and started to say it over and over. If I walk in the direction of love, I am going to love myself, and that means to not go into fear, believe in myself and my abilities and keep on keeping on. So FDR's oh so famous quote, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" was a bunch of words that became iconic because they are the perfect conglomeration of vocabulary words that rang true and resonated in the hearts of every human being. We all know this, fear is learned, which in turn becomes insidious and easy. Learning love is harder because it makes us culpable or accountable for our behavior towards ourselves. Having fear lets you off the hook to not do the work, but Love, does not. Anyway, I am now feeling softer, more tired and less angry and fearful. I know what I have to do. All I have to do is continue to love myself.
Why do I talk about Fear in an acupuncture blog? Because fear as with most emotions, plays out in our bodies. Our energy becomes constricted if love is not at the forefront of how we move in the world. Not only will we feel it in the form of pain in some way, but we will experience the manifestation of it in the world too, like in a relationship. The stuff is no bueno I tell you. How can acupuncture help you ask? Well, If you do carry it around, and maybe not even know it, by stimulating certain points and releasing the body of constriction, the emotions can be guided out. A shift can be perceived. An acupuncture treatment such as this needs two aspects to work best. A good practitioner who is willing to guide your emotional life, and also a patient who is willing to be guided.