To have a peak experience, an element of risk is required. Facing and overcoming our fears expands us. Giving in to our fears or running away from them shrinks our spirit.  We all do that sometimes, and there’s no shame in it and learning from the experience. But peak experiences are created when we viscerally learn that we have nothing to fear. In working to create a peak experience, we deliberately choose things that we are afraid of and confront them, in as common sense of a way as we can. This is different from doing stupid and reckless things!

How do we overcome fear? There are a number of methods. Here are some handy tips and tricks:

• Use the fear. Most accomplished athletes are familiar with using their fear to heighten their awareness in a way that they perform better. By seeing fear as a healthy reaction to force us to perform, some of us do better. Using fear is helpful, but we’ve all also seen people “choke” or ourselves “choked” in a situation where our fear overwhelmed us, so…
• See the object of your fear as the transient experience that it is: even your worst nightmare won’t last. When you are deep in the grip of your fearful experience, and nothing else is working, remember that it will be over soon. Now that may not be reassuring if you think the experience will end in death so…
• We can’t really die, we are immortal spirit that goes on forever. This is reassuring if you are not attached to thinking you are your body and personality so…
• Meditate deeply to feel your higher eternal self and go beyond your attachments and ego.

When we confront the things we fear, they lose their power over us. As Rama – Dr Frederick Lenz says in his poem “Fears” – “the antidote to your fears, of course, is courage; the courage to change who you are. When you become someone other than you have been, your fears become confused because they can’t recognize you. They zip around searching for you for a time and they simply up and leave, never to return again!

The act of courage necessary to change your identity is to meditate deeply. When you meditate deeply, you bring your mind into light. Then the person you have been dissolves in the clear light of reality. It’s that simple!”.