Construct a Plan of Practice
A Plan of Practice consists of a series of real-life situations that evokes fear in small doses. The Plan of Practice has step-by-step escalation and thereby strengthens the links between the thinking brain and the brain’s alarm centre. This technique is scientifically known as “cognitive exposure”.
Talk with people you trust and use your imagination when you need to construct a Plan of Practice that suits your challenge.
When you, in small doses, provoke your fears in your plan of practice (or maybe just from inner visualisation) you must calm your body down. Fear is removed when your body is at peace. The body learns a new pattern, and the alarm centre learns to calm down. Read: Body and Mind.
The simplest way to calm your body is to practice deep relaxation breathing and keep doing it until you feel the fear becomes less and disappears (read more: Breathing). you can also practice how to move your attention to something other than the fearful thoughts (read: Attention – Spotlight of the Brain).
It is essential that you stay with your relaxation practice until you feel comfortable and have a sense of small victory over the fear. If you provoke the fear to much, the thinking brain cannot control the alarm centre and your fear will increase. If it´s the other way round and you flee or walk out of the situation to early, the alarm centre will just be confirmed in its cautiousness. Even severe fears can gradually be reduced by this simple technique.
Read the Real Life Story about Fear.