Any advice on what to do with completely irrational fears?

[Seamuslee]

Heyo all. I used to be on this forum a couple years ago and im just now getting back into lucid dreaming . This stuff is fun. One thing is holding me back though, i have reaaally irrational fears. Ive been deathly afraid of being dark hallways, mirrors, crap like that, ever since i was a kid. I had mostly been completely over it, until i started getting back into lucid dreaming . Cause you know, in reality you can just tell yourself nothing can happen, but in dreams, if you EXPECT a crazy demonic little girl to be staring at you screaming when you look behind you, she will be. This is what scares me about trying to lucid dream again. Ive kinda been psyching myself out, reading these crazy horror stories of people with SP being visited by demons and not being able to move or react. Bottom line, what can i do to maybe prevent this? Grow a pair? Or what... Its never about being afraid of what happens AFTER little creepy girl screams at me, just the visceral fear of the moment, surprise mixed with horror. Feeling like your being chased or watched. Ugh, just typing this out makes me glance around my room feverishly. Why did i have to be so creative? My mind has no trouble at all whipping up completely terrifying beings and situations at a moments notice for me to be afraid of. Mostly i had been over this... Curse you, lucid dreaming! But hopefully instead of just putting my fears out of my mind, with LDing i can confront them and walk away with new confidence. Good plan right? But its just so terrifying, like, of course if you tell yourself "Dont think of something terrifying", you will immediately. And in dreams, if you think of something very strongly, if you believe it will happen (Which sadly, on an animal level, i do believe im being stalked by creepy demons) then it will just happen. In the same way that if you believe there will be a 20$ bill in your wallet in a dream, which of course there will be if you really believe it, there will also be a 6 eyed spider demon monster right behind you if you truly believe it, right? Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[sisyphus]

I read this in a book recently and it resonated with me. The book was Dreamgates by Robert Moss. It's kind of like some new-age hippie crap, but it still resonated with me. If you take a small leap of faith, it can be an effective way to think about fear. The thing that makes afraid is not the object of your fear. It is actually a guardian protecting you. Let's say it's a demon in front of a cave. The demon is protecting you from going into to the cave. You aren't ready to enter the cave. Maybe you need to learn something before you are ready to enter the cave. Often it is the concept of fear itself that is a danger to us. By guarding the cave, the demon is ensuring that you are safe. But we misinterpret the guardian as frightening because it is so powerful and mysterious. Instead, think of the guardian as a friend. Talk to it. Ask it for help. Even if it's an inanimate thing like darkness or a mirror. The guardian will help you understand what you are really feeling and why you are blocked from entering some other level of understanding. The guardian was put there to protect you from some danger. It is part of your life's story. And when you are ready to move through, that guardian will become a powerful ally.

[Seamuslee]

=0! Thats a great way to think of it... Thanks a lot. Newagey Hippyness ftw. I will try that next time im paralyzed with irrational fears , especcialy in dreams. Danke

[Sedurut]

Thanks... I was going to try LDing again after I had a really nice nonlucid last night, and now I can't stop thinking of monsters, mirrors and creepy little girls. -_-

[Seamuslee]

LOL, your very much welcome sederut

[PXUmais]

I read this in a book recently and it resonated with me. The book was Dreamgates by Robert Moss. It's kind of like some new-age hippie crap, but it still resonated with me. If you take a small leap of faith, it can be an effective way to think about fear. The thing that makes afraid is not the object of your fear. It is actually a guardian protecting you. Let's say it's a demon in front of a cave. The demon is protecting you from going into to the cave. You aren't ready to enter the cave. Maybe you need to learn something before you are ready to enter the cave. Often it is the concept of fear itself that is a danger to us. By guarding the cave, the demon is ensuring that you are safe. But we misinterpret the guardian as frightening because it is so powerful and mysterious. Instead, think of the guardian as a friend. Talk to it. Ask it for help. Even if it's an inanimate thing like darkness or a mirror. The guardian will help you understand what you are really feeling and why you are blocked from entering some other level of understanding. The guardian was put there to protect you from some danger. It is part of your life's story. And when you are ready to move through, that guardian will become a powerful ally. That is ONE INTERESTING way to take that... I had never thought of it like that, wow... Thanks I have the EXACT same problem, Irrational fears like mirrors, hallways and even plain old screaming girls... Shudder... Oh well, I'm running on the fact that I might get over them one day..