Winter 2019 Solstice Insights: Working with Terror Energetically

Hello and happy solstice to you! Way to go, getting through 2019—phew! 

Today I am moved to write about how to effectively work with terror from an energetic perspective. I think of terror as the tremendous fear that arises within us—increasingly, perhaps, as we find ourselves in an era of accelerated instability that has become a new normal. 

Let me first share that I am really good at being afraid. You might even say afraid is something I’ve been programmed to be. So even though I’ve taken plenty of calculated risks in my life, and I’d like to think I’m constantly pushing my edges, terror is something I’ve really had to confront. (You didn’t think I was going to keep it light this time, did you? I might present as demure, but I’m a triple fire sign, Enneagramic 5/4 wing, Human Design Projector, Pitta dosha, y’all.)[1] 

We are all being tempered to tolerate more distress—more extreme highs and lows, happening in more rapid cycles. This requires more mastery over our terror, so we don’t get stuck in it. Last summer, I wrote about activating our true potentials. Working with terror plays a role in this alchemical process because in order to tap into these potentials, we must have greater control over our fears—as individuals and as a collective. Please note, herewith I’ll write about my process of discerning when it is important to work through the feeling of terror. This is different than when you or a loved one are actually in a dangerous survival situation. 

Terror is extreme fear, that can cause us to go into fight, flight, or freeze, and that makes us feel powerless. The dictionary defines fear as “an uncomfortable emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat”. Let’s break this down. By this definition, fear always includes a belief and a probability. This means that terror is subjective. It is dependent on a particular belief or set of beliefs and probability—the likelihood that something could happen. This gives us some space to work with here, because we get to choose what we believe about a potential outcome. Or even better, in some cases we might be able to let go of a potential defined outcome entirely at all and just trust in the divine plan.  

Terror usually involves the reptilian or dorsal region of the brain, the most primitive part of our minds. (Think of an animal that is playing dead to survive.) This can hijack even our strongest urges to push through fear. In other words: Our response to fear is automatic and subconscious, so rewiring it does require practice.

Sometimes we can access our big or even limitless potentials from a place of ease and comfort. But more often, it requires standing in the eye of the storm and finding movement and progress despite the instinct to contract and freeze (or fight or run away). If, like me, you are confronting soul-shakingly scary personal material in your life, the key is to learn how to move through terror from a heart-centered and conscious place. As always, these musings are inspired by my personal and professional practice, as well as my intuitive link to the collective consciousness. 

Accelerating Instability and Intensity: The New Norm

Vibrationally, we’re not living in the same world as we were ten years ago. Can you feel it? That was like another planet. That’s because we have entered a new era, defined by accelerated instability and intensity: politically, economically, environmentally, technologically, socially, and to a certain extent, cosmically. And there’s no turning back. So, let’s explore how best to show up for this time, right now. 

Increasingly, we are being asked to find balance and resilience in new and potent ways. Here at the tail end of patriarchy, instability is often a byproduct of progress: we are getting to witness the spectacular dismantling of many harmful systems. And all of this fallout is happening in tandem with new systems, new ways of being, new upgrades. And to effectively upgrade ourselves, we must face and process lifetimes of scary oppression, entire lineages worth of harmful belief systems and trauma. And that can feel utterly terrifying. The upside is that we get to clear all this karma, all this shadow and unconsciousness, to make way for new possibilities and paradigms. 

The Difference Between Fear and Terror

The stuff we are facing today goes beyond this lifetime. We carry the genetic codes of much ancestral trauma that many of us have chosen to clear in this incarnation. Science will continue to validate this phenomenon within the study of epigenetics and the relationship between our genes, trauma, and belief systems. If you don’t already, I encourage you to consider inviting your ancestors into your healing practice. Be mindful of and kind to those who carry heavy heritages, as this is not just an individual issue, but a collective burden we all must heal. 

Those with trauma histories can become dysregulated more easily, therefore each of us may not always have proportional responses to stress (e.g., interpreting getting rejected from a job as a threat to survival). We all have unique thresholds for experiencing fear and terror, and it’s important that we honor our own bandwidths—one person’s unmemorable bad dream could be another person’s nightmare. In short, we don’t need to add judgment to terror! Let us be compassionate with ourselves and others around what is truly terrifying to us. 

Balancing the Energy of Terror 

Working with fear is something I’ve written and spoken about consistently over the years. The process of working with terror, however, requires greater mastery than your average run-of-the-mill fear. Terror is a more intense response. It can actually paralyze us, and we can’t activate our true potentials if we are frozen with fear. The ultimate goal of effectively working with terror is to bring about more balance within the system, so optimal healing can occur. Let us not jump to a Western assumption that we can just treat the symptom or cut out the offending infection to feel better—this healing must happen from within. 

Before we begin, we must acknowledge two aspects of this work: discernment and honoring the unknown. Working with terror requires a decent level of discernment, being able to adequately assess what is safe and realistic to transmute. Working with terror will challenge you: are you physically and emotionally up for that challenge? You get to decide this and trust your decision. Much of what we fear lies within the great unknown. This is a domain we don’t get to control, but we can support a healthier relationship to the unknown. The unknown doesn’t have to be a bad or scary place at all. In reality, it is the land of limitless potential. 

Working with terror energetically requires a holistic approach. You cannot simply talk your way through terror, you must build a somatic awareness of it in your body. It’s even more helpful if you can observe the terror, name it, and identify the energetics that can bring balance to the situation. Balance creates the optimal state for healing to occur naturally. 

My process for working with terror energetically involves 3 steps: 

1) Name the state you are in.

2) Name the belief or beliefs associated with the terror.

3) Invite balance through complementary modalities. 

When I use the term energetic, I am referring to subtle energy, which has its own features similar to the tissue states we reference in western herbalism: heat/excitation, cold/depression, dry/atrophy, damp/stagnation, wind or dispersing/tension, and damp/relaxation. To this list I also add grounding. Tissue states refer to the energetics of a disease state, such as a dry cough. Emotional states have their own energetics, and offer us clues as to what direction or state the emotional energy requires in order to find balance. For instance, when resolving something super scary, you might be working towards a release, an integration—or both. Only you will be able to determine what direction the energy needs to move. 

Energetically, terror can present in many ways within the body. Some of the common presentations I encounter are: coldness, sinking or downward moving, floating or dissociating, numbness. Physically, it can show up as: shortness of breath, raised or lowered heart rate, dizziness, chills, or sweating. Over time, being in terror chronically can lead to major health problems, especially endocrine disruption, heart disease, insomnia, obesity, and fatigue. Can you think of any symptoms you have experienced? 

            Name the State 

Let’s try an exercise. If you feel safe and well enough to try, I encourage you to call to mind something that is really frightening to you. See if you can notice how this feels in your body. Borrowing from Focusing, the somatic integration tool I utilize in my practice, we’re only looking for the felt sensation here, not thoughts. Sometimes staying in your body is challenging with terror. Is it ok to notice this in itself is an excitation and/or dispersive energy? Or maybe the terror feels more like a rock in your stomach, a sinking (depression) or stagnation? It may take time to even know what you are feeling. Working with a somatic practitioner or someone who does another modality like breath work can assist you in the naming stage of this process. 

See if you can name the state you are experiencing—that’s it. No need to go into any judgment or story about the physical sensation. A lot of times we can hold anger and sadness for the parts of ourselves that feel uncomfortable. Instead, see if it’s ok to just notice fear or terror. Naming is a powerful ritual in itself. It also tempers us. It helps make us able to tolerate distress and get a little closer to it—, so we can work with it more intentionally. 

            Name the Belief 

This is where we get to look at the role perception plays in our terror response. Remember, terror is largely about what we believe and what we believe could happen. Is the decision to leave your job really about survival for you? Or does it just feel that way? Is the worst-case scenario of what you fear a rational reality? For example, I am publishing a book next year and that is both thrilling and petrifying to me. I have a belief that “I’m going to be either rejected or ignored for sharing my truth.” Let’s unpack this belief. First of all, this is a probability not a certainty. Could I be rejected or ignored? Sure. Is it less likely than I fear? Probably. At the end of the day, I don’t get to know. I have to be ok with not knowing. That’s not necessarily comfortable for me, but it is manageable—and increasingly so, the more often I work this process. I actually welcome the unknown, because there I get to experience potential beyond my control and my limited mind, which is way more fun and interesting.

            Invite Balance

Hopefully after naming the state and belief that are behind what’s so frightening, you are beginning to move into a more comfortable place with your terror. At this point, perhaps you can invite in other emotions, such as curiosity, humor, or compassion. It’s much easier to work with terror when we safely allow the state and circumstances to be there—when, we are not in resistance to them. In general, we want to engage the parasympathetic (rest and digest) system as much as possible. 

Some additional resources for energetically balancing terror: 

Ask for support from your angels, guides, ancestors, anyone in your spirit team. This could be God, your late grandmother, any benevolent energies or beings that you want to invite into your healing circle. 

Who’s in your support team? Terror has a significant relational aspect to it—especially if you experienced the developmental stages of life (i.e. your childhood) with an insecure or disorganized attachment. If that’s the case, you probably aren’t wired to easily regulate yourself. Is there anyone you feel safe sharing your fears with? Is it ok to ask for help? 

Spend time with supportive animals. Animals can entrain our hearts to feel unconditional love and compassion. 

Nature is always part of my health regimen. The negative ions found in nature promote relaxation and help you attune to the frequency of the Earth, not the hyperactivity of the mind, where a lot of anxiety gets activated. 

Presence. Terror oftentimes has a past or future orientation. Bringing yourself back to the present moment naturally takes you out of the fright zone. 

Restorative Yoga or Yoga Nidra are effective and gentle approaches for helping the body access deep relaxation, and they encourage gamma brainwaves, that dreamy dozy realm that feels nice and is very healing. 

Flower Essences that assist in balancing terror: 

Alaskan Essences Bog Rosemary –Indications: lacking trust; immobilized by a fear of the unknown; inability to take risks in order to grow or heal. Healing Qualities: promotes the release of fear and resistance held deep in the heart; strengthens trust in Divine healing and support to open to the flow of blessings

Alaskan Essences Foxglove – Indications: fear of the unknown; lack of perspective on how to deal with a challenging situation; unable to see the lesson or issue at the heart of a conflict or difficulty. Healing Qualities: stimulates the release of fear and emotional tension; enables our perceptions to expand to connect with the truth of the situation.

Alaskan Essences Yellow Violet –- fearlessness; gives us the strength and confidence to naturally express the essence of our beings without limitation, compromise, or self-consciousness, in all circumstances; gives protection to the act of verbal expression, especially when there is a challenge or controversy around what needs to be said.

Bach Essences Aspen fear of unknown things “The Psychic Flower”, from dark premonitions to conscious sensitivity. [Develops] the Soul’s potential for sensitivity” [M. Scheffer, Encyclopedia of Bach Flower Therapy] Positive qualities: Trust and confidence to meet the unknown, sensitive attunement to the spiritual world; perceptive awareness of psychic realms Patterns of imbalance:  Fear of the unknown, vague anxiety and apprehension, hidden fears, nightmares; easily startled or frightened.

Bach Essences Mimulus “The Bravery Flower”, from fear of the world to trust in the world. [Develops] the Soul’s potential for courage and trust.” [M. Scheffer, Encyclopedia of Bach Flower Therapy] For confidence to face daily challenges and fears; for those prone to phobic personalityPositive qualities: Courage and confidence to face life’s challenges; radiant light that shines outward to the world. Patterns of imbalance: Over-exaggerated concern for daily life events; extreme apprehension of new thresholds of experience

Bach Rock Rose – “The Liberation Flower”, from panic to heroic courage. [Develops] the Soul’s potential for courage and steadfastness.” [M. Scheffer, Encyclopedia of Bach Flower Therapy] Positive qualities: Transcendent courage when facing adversity; ability to assume control in catastrophic situations by remaining grounded and present. Patterns of imbalance:  Gripping terror, panic; fear of death or annihilation; lack of embodiment and presence for the immediate situation. 

Delta Gardens Pennyroyal –  Protects from negative thoughts recycling into the energy field. Protects from obsessions and obsessive fears

Delta Gardens Dog Rose – “The still heart knows love” Helps the anxious heart, for those who fear being hurt; for those who access fear when feelings of love arise

Flower Essence Society Monkshood Aconitum - For those with a strong memory of overwhelming spiritual experiences, responding by trying to shut down or dampen its psychic faculties, creating an emotional numbness. This repression can also be reflected in the sexuality, which may be closed down in some manner, or expressed in a secret, duplicitous way that is not completely open or understood by others. At a deeper level, Aconitum can heal very extreme, paralyzing fears, such as a near-death experience

[1] Sometimes I need to take it to an apocalyptic place, because these are indeed the times we are in, but I promise to do it respectfully, while firmly remaining tethered to reality, and with an ample measure of hope, and hopefully a little levity.