This post on “Affirming Truth over Fear” is the ninth post in a series on Faith over Fear.
The emotion of fear is a powerful message we receive from our subconscious mind. It lets us know when we are in danger and need to take immediate measures to face the threat. When fear fulfills its purpose, it gives us the opportunity to be alert and demonstrate courage in the face of danger.
Sometimes, however, fear arises when there is no significant danger. (Remember the story of 5-year-old me in K-Mart.) Sometimes thoughts and beliefs take root in our subconscious mind that trigger fear when there is no real or imminent danger. Ironically, one of those beliefs is that fear is harmful. When we believe fear is harmful, that’s when we begin to fear fear itself (with apologies to Franklin Roosevelt).
A Strategy for Replacing Unhelpful Beliefs
When such erroneous thoughts and beliefs trigger anxious fear, it’s time to replace those unhelpful beliefs with the truth. Yet some beliefs that are deeply-rooted are tough to shake. When that’s the case, here’s a 5-step process to try, with an example to follow.
- Identify the false belief. Write down the belief you want to free yourself from.
- Decide what true belief to embrace instead. Avoid reference to the false belief; just state the true belief in a positive way.
- De-escalate the false belief. Undermine your subconscious minds’ faith in this belief, by reducing your level of certainty step-by-step.
- At the same time, affirm the true belief. Affirm the true belief to your subconscious mind, again using whatever evidence is available to you.
- Reinforce the true belief. Continue to bring the true belief to mind and feel its truth until it takes root in your subconscious and becomes part of your internal operating system.
An Example of Replacing Unhelpful Beliefs
Here’s what this might look like in real life.
Situation: I can’t sleep because of the monsters in my closet.
- The false belief is: It is unsafe to sleep in my room because there are monsters in the closet.
- The true belief I want to embrace is: It is totally safe to sleep in my room.
- De-escalate the false belief, knocking it down one level of certainty at a time:
- Identify your current level of faith in the false belief. It might be: I know my room is unsafe because there are monsters in my closet.
- Knock it down a level: I believe my room is unsafe because there are monsters in my closet. Consider the difference between believing and knowing.
- Knock it down another level: I’m not sure if my room is unsafe or if there is a monster in my closet. Consider that there are other valid perspectives.
- Knock it down a final level: I don’t believe my room is unsafe or that there is a monster in my closet. Consider all the reasons why you know this isn’t true. Try also to feel it in your heart, whatever that means for you. Maybe you’ll laugh or scoff at the idea.
- Spend a few minutes each day teaching your subconscious to abandon this belief until you are free of it, probably at somewhere between 30 and 90 days.
- At the same time, affirm the true belief: I know I’m totally safe to sleep in my room. (Don’t even mention the imaginary monsters.) Take a few minutes each day, after addressing the false belief, to convince your subconscious mind of this new belief. Close your eyes and imagine yourself in your room after dark and feeling totally safe.
- Reinforce the true belief: You can do this by finding ways to remind yourself throughout each day to think and feel that it is totally safe to sleep in your room. You might post Bible verses or other sayings around the house that reinforce a sense of safety. You might come up with a song or poem that you identify with safety and listen to the song or read the poem just before bed. Find your way to continually remind yourself that you are totally safe to sleep in your room. The more often you do so, the more quickly your subconscious mind will get the message.
Affirming Truth at Both Levels
Our subconscious mind triggers fear of things like monsters in closets, because we’ve taught it to believe that there is danger. The above process is meant to assist you in embracing and affirming truth, first at the conscious level, and then the subconscious. (For more on the subconscious mind and how it works, see, for example, Psychocybernetics by Maxwell Maltz, which was first recommended to me by my theology professor, F. Leroy Forlines.)
By the way, just another reminder that while we are talking about strategies for overcoming fear in this space, this is not intended to replace the care of a physician or mental health professional. If you are experiencing debilitating fear or anxiety—fear that is keeping you from performing basic functions like getting up in the morning, going to work, taking care of yourself, or fulfilling other responsibilities—I urge you to seek the help of a qualified mental health professional.
Return to the beginning of the series.