Stopping the Fear
by Jackie Kosednar

 

Worry is a useless activity. If the brain is worrying, it means it doesn’t have a solution. If it doesn’t have a solution, it goes round and round, creating more fear.

It seems there is a lot more fear in the world these days. Having struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PSD), I at first believed it was only me who was afraid. But as I began to notice that wide-eyed look more often in the eyes of others -- clients, schoolteachers, shop clerks, and especially my own – I realized I was seeing fear.

Since the beginning of the new millennium, there has been a lot more to worry about. Remember the Y2K fear of a world-wide computer crash? For the first time in history, we were all afraid at once. On New Year’s Eve, the world held its breath until it figured out everything was okay. Then the real thing happened - September 11, 2001, and the after events, making our global world truly rock with fear. With the near instantaneous ability of communication technology, mass fear spread like a far-reaching fog, affecting everyone to one degree or another.

Our brains can go crazy from imagining the worst. Our money is unsafe because the stock market is unsafe. If our money is unsafe, our families are unsafe. War can happen any minute – our physical safety is threatened. Add to that the strange weather patterns and big, unusual earthquakes that have touched us in Alaska. Because there is more to be afraid of, our mental health can be severely challenged.

Fear manifests in different ways. Perhaps we become sharper than usual with people; perhaps we have more fights and conflicts with others, or simply more “bad days.” Maybe we’re worrying more, making little things out to be bigger than they are. If you have been traumatized or have PSD, it doesn’t take much to trigger an over-reactive brain. When that happens, internal fire alarms go off, forcing the body to produce the chemicals we need to get ready to fight or run. Fear can thus cause a lot of problems in the psychology and relationship departments.

We all have a survival part of our brain that is designed to help us stay safe. When it can’t get us safe, it never signals the body to relax and release the peaceful healing chemicals that follow a fear episode. And so we live in a state of tension that stiffens our muscles. This tension can be subtle as vague, increased worry, or it can be as severe as a panic attack.

Fear energy is not only destructive, it’s contagious. Not only do we manufacture it without thinking about it, but we can catch it from others. Think of how mass panic occurs – it is simply fear-energy gone wild. We all pick up a lot of fear when we read about terror and murder in newspapers or talk about fearful things with others. To stay in such a state of constant tension is a strain on the body and mind. Too much can wear down our mental and physical health.

The good news is that there are many antidotes for fear. When we know the nature of something, we can figure our how to master it. We can take control of our thinking and refuse to entertain fear thoughts as best we can. Worry is a useless activity. If the brain is worrying, it means it doesn’t have a solution. If it doesn’t have a solution, it goes round and round, creating more fear. When you catch yourself worrying, you are free to just turn it off -- think of something else: God, your family, the tulips you planted months ago.

We can control our brains. We can train the brain out of fear thinking. We can drown out persistent negative thoughts with positive affirmations such as, “God is with me; all is well.” Create a thought that comforts you and repeat it over and over instead of thinking. This is especially effective with restless nights. Lull yourself to sleep by repeating a positive phrase. When the brain thinks, it triggers chemicals to match the thoughts. When you’re resting, you want only rest chemicals and healing brain waves.

You can even practice not thinking at all in your daily activities. Much thinking is a waste of time as it is preoccupied with worry. Practice turning your brain down or off. If you have a problem to solve, talk it over with yourself and find a solution. You don’t have to talk to yourself 24 hours a day, especially if your self-talk is negative.

Another mental antidote to manufacturing fear is to stop negative talk. Don’t talk about scary world events with people and look on the dark side. Give up scary novels and web sites. Give up the newspaper for awhile. You can cut down to only Sundays or read only the headlines to stay informed. Avoid negative news programs and documentaries. All these things excite the primitive brain and make us more fearful and uncomfortable. Don’t go into agreement with the mass panic the press perpetuates. Don’t contribute to the fog of mass fear.

In your personal life, don’t allow your brain to imagine the worst or buy into worst-case scenarios. Look on the bright side; make up positive stories about what could be happening rather than negative predictions of what might happen. Avoid negative gossip.

If you are highly over-reactive in the fear and anger departments, there are many therapies to reduce and eliminate emotional overloads and post-traumatic stress disorder in just a few sessions. Get the help you need to eliminate the panic attacks, anger and restless nights.

The most powerful antidotes for fear are spiritual. The opposite of fear is love. Fear begets stress, for all stress is some degree of fear. Love always begets peace and safety. The most peaceful place in the world is in the arms of someone who loves you. That is why we get so upset if the ones we love leave us. The mind and body need to feel safe, protected and loved. When they do, feel-good, healing chemicals are produced that support the health of the body. The brain tells the body what kind of chemicals to produce according to the thoughts it thinks. Thinking “All is well,” “We are safe,” or “I am loved” allows both body and mind to relax, unwind, rest and rejuvenate.

We may also find peace in our relationship with a higher power. Spiritual people develop a core belief system from faith that may go something like this: “I am okay because God is okay. No matter what, God and I are forever. If this world passes away, I will still be with God. I am not sure what that looks like, but I trust God enough to know that I will be okay with it. The world is God’s business, and I can let God handle it. God will always love and help me.” With a belief system such as this, the brain can produce a core feeling of safety.

Because the whole world is more stressed these days, it is important to make more time for stress reduction. Fit stress reduction into your budget. Buy that Jacuzzi tub you have been wanting forever. Go get a massage a few times a month or do other kinds of bodywork. Take a meditation class or learn to deepen your practice of meditation. Make your daily prayer time a higher priority. Spend relaxing time with your family, and remember to love those you love.

By using these ideas or others, we can all reduce stress, not only for ourselves but for our world. The more stress we reduce, the better our mental and physical health, and the more successful we function on all levels. Our life takes on a higher quality when we stop and smell the roses.

Jackie Kosednar is a psycho-spiritual therapist, personal growth trainer, and the publisher of Alaska Wellness Magazine. She is also the author of the book "One Miracle After Another." www.healingtoby.com.

Dealing with Anxiety
by Skip Hrin

 

What happens when we experience too much anxiety? What can we do?

Since the September 11th attacks, a day has probably not gone by without a mention in the media of something having to do with the looming threat of future attacks (what color is the threat level today?). Add to this the circumstances of war, the dreadful state of the national and local economies, child abductions, local incidents of violence and tragedy and you have, unfortunately, the evening news. Save for a few minutes of weather (coincidentally foreboding, too) and some local sports, the threat of violence and its potential effects are so prevalent in the general media that there’s hardly space for a 30-second human interest piece.

It is difficult to imagine that the abundance of this type of coverage on television, radio, and the newspapers does not have a profound impact on all of us. What can we do to take care of our families and ourselves? Understanding the impact of such news may be an important first step.

Fear & Anxiety
Distinguishing between fear and anxiety can be difficult. In fact, it has been debated whether the two emotions are separate. The most common way of distinguishing them is to ask whether there is a clear and present source of danger. When there is an obvious danger, the response in fear. With anxiety, the danger cannot clearly be identified. Instead, there is worry or dread of possible future threats or danger.

These two emotions can feel and look much the same. However, while fear is a healthy, useful response in the face of a threat to life or safety, anxiety is a less healthy, less useful response to something that does not present a current realistic threat. Again, the "threat" is often imagined, exaggerated, or misperceived. Here are examples:

Fear is what you feel when being charged by an angry bear. The bear represents a real threat to your life and safety. The experience of fear thus triggers a biological response -- "fight or flight," which prepares you to take action. Your heart rate increases, pumping blood to the muscles for reaction. Your pupils dilate to allow in more light. Your skin constricts to limit blood loss in case of injury, and your blood sugar increases to provide energy.

Anxiety is what you might feel when you have to give a speech to a large crowd of people. In this case, rather than a real threat to your life or safety, public speaking can represent an imagined, exaggerated, or misperceived threat. Anxiety is not necessarily a useful response; it can, however, motivate you to prepare for the speech. Anxiety can trigger a similar biological response as fear. Your heart may race and your breathing becomes rapid; your muscles tense – but for what purpose? Attacking the audience or running out of the room is not going to help you (in the long run, at least).

So what happens when we experience too much anxiety? At a physiological level, anxiety involves a state of chronic overarousal for dealing with danger should it occur. Anxiety can impact the body through the suppression of the immune system leaving the individual vulnerable to disease from which it would normally be immune. Overarousal can also lead to an adaptation by the body to these increased levels of response to the point the body is unable to return to a more natural anxiety response level. It appears that, over time, there is a degree of wear and tear on the system. An astounding variety of physical and psychological symptoms and behaviors can be caused by anxiety.

What Can I Do?

	Talk it out! Let others know how you’re feeling. They may be feeling the same emotions, and a dialogue could benefit all.
	Limit exposure to coverage of traumatic events or possible dangers. Being well informed does not have to include fear and anxiety.
	Perform random acts of kindness. Reassure yourself that there is tenderness and thoughtfulness in the world.
	Maintain normal routines (this is not the same as President Bush’s urging you go shopping and support the economy). Do the things that you enjoy.
	Sit under a tree, look at the mountains, watch a river, and notice the sunset. Enjoy the expanding daylight and prepare for spring and summer activities.
	Spend time with family and friends.
	Use existing supports groups of family, friends, and church.
	Establish a family emergency plan. Feeling that there is something that you can do can be very comforting.
	If you do have concerns regarding an attack, plan for it. After planning, however, “put it away.” You’ve done what you could. Remember, worry is not considered further preparation.
	Ask for help when you need it.
	Take a break when you need it.

Things To Remember When Dealing With Anxiety

	It is normal to feel anxious about you and your family's safety.
	Profound sadness, grief, and anger are normal reactions to an abnormal event.
	Acknowledging our feelings helps us recover.
	Focusing on our strengths and abilities will help you to heal.
	It is common to want to strike back at people who have caused great pain. However, nothing good is accomplished by hateful language or actions.

At times, a little anxiety can be helpful. It could create the desire to prepare for that public speaking engagement instead of running out the back door, for example. Chronic or excessive anxiety, on the other hand, can damage relationships, health, job performance, and enjoyment of life. Notice anxiety in your life and observe your responses. Pay attention to how severe it gets, and what form it takes. Being aware of the presence and effects of something allows you a choice: participation or non-participation. Making a decision and taking an active role in your response can be a powerful deterrent to the effects of anxiety.

Dr. Skip Hrin is a licensed Clinical Psychologist with over 11 years experience in mental health field helping individuals, families, and couples with a wide range of difficulties. Phone: (907) 350-9603.

Panic Attacks and Treatments
by Skip Hrin

 

Panic disorder (the presence of recurrent, unexpected attacks) strikes between three and six million Americans, and is twice as common in women as in men.

Anxiety is a prevalent and, in my opinion, all too accepted problem in our lives. There are various ways anxiety presents itself, such as through diminished health, poor sleep habits, and decreased satisfaction with life. In this article, I will be discussing a specific development of anxiety – panic attacks.

Panic attacks are discrete periods of overwhelming apprehension, anxiety and fear. They appear abruptly and often for no apparent reason. After the onset of the panic attack, a person will experience both physical and mental discomfort. Symptoms peak in about ten minutes and attacks can subside as abruptly as they began. Panic attacks can last anywhere from seconds to several hours (most panic attacks, however, pass in a few minutes). The frequency of these attacks may vary from several times a day to only once or twice a year.

The physical and psychological symptoms can include the following:

	Chills or hot flashes
	Chest pain or discomfort
	Increase in heart rate or palpitations
	Sensations of not being able to breathe or shortness of breath
	Feelings of “going crazy” or loss of control
	Feelings of lightheadedness, dizziness, or unsteadiness
	Nausea or abdominal discomfort
	The fear of dying (i.e., “my heart is going to explode!”)
	Sensations of tingling and numbness or trembling and shaking
	Feelings of being outside oneself (depersonalization)
	Feelings of being cut off from reality (derealization)

Panic disorder (the presence of recurrent, unexpected attacks) strikes between three and six million Americans, and is twice as common in women as in men. It can appear at any age, but most often begins in young adulthood. Panic disorder is often accompanied by other conditions such as depression, and may also spawn phobias, which can develop in places or situations where panic attacks have occurred. For example, if a panic attack strikes while riding an elevator, one may develop a fear of elevators and start avoiding them.

Some people's lives become greatly restricted as they avoid normal, everyday activities such as grocery shopping or driving and, in some cases, even leaving the house. They may also only be able to confront a feared situation if accompanied by a loved one or other trusted person. Commonly, sufferers avoid situations which they fear would make them feel helpless if a panic attack were to occur. When people's lives become this restricted by the disorder, as happens in about one-third of all people with panic disorder, the condition is referred to as agoraphobia.

Most specialists agree that a combination of cognitive and behavioral therapies is the best treatment for panic disorder. The first part of this type of therapy is largely informational; many people are greatly helped by simply understanding what panic disorder is, and how many others suffer from it. Many people who suffer from panic disorder are worried that their panic attacks mean they're “going crazy” or that the panic might induce a heart attack. Cognitive restructuring (changing one's way of thinking) helps people replace those thoughts with more realistic, positive ways of viewing the attacks.

While cognitive-behavioral approaches teach patients how to view panic situations differently, they also demonstrate ways to reduce anxiety. For instance, cognitive therapy can help the patient identify possible triggers for the attacks. Doing so can create an awareness and, therefore, distance between the once automatic connection linking triggers and attacks. Once the person understands that the panic attack is separate and independent of the trigger, that trigger begins to lose some of its power to induce an attack.

The following are examples of cognitive-behavioral therapy that can be applied to panic attacks:

	Learn to change your breathing. Habitual over-breathing can lead to hyperventilation (responsible for shortness of breath, racing and pounding heart, dizziness and feeling detached from oneself) present in panic attacks. Concentration on relaxed breathing is practiced and implemented into one’s life with the expectation that it will replace the problematic breathing style.
	Learn to change anxiety creating thoughts. As important as faulty breathing is towards inducing panic attacks, it is not the sole factor. Learning to change fearful thoughts producing anxiety (i.e., “this is not a heart attack”) is integrated into daily practice.
	Reduce Stress. Learning to deal with stressors as they present themselves can prove helpful in avoiding the overwhelmed feeling that often accompanies (and initiates) panic.
	Interoceptive exposure. Intentional experiencing of sensations associated with panic attacks is practiced, which can “normalize” the feelings and help better prepare for unexpected future sensations. For example, spinning in a chair can induce dizziness associated with panic attacks.
	Relaxation. Easy relaxation techniques (such as visualization) can also reduce symptoms.

Medication might also be appropriate in some cases. In cases where the need is indicated, anti-anxiety drugs may be prescribed, as well as antidepressants. Sometimes even heart medications (such as beta blockers) can be used to control irregular heartbeats.

Finally, a support group with others who suffer from panic disorder can be very helpful to some people. It can't take the place of therapy, but it can be a useful complement.

Studies have shown that proper psychotherapy treatment (cognitive-behavioral therapy, for instance), medications, or possibly a combination of the two helps 70 to 90 percent of people with panic disorder. Significant improvement is usually seen within six to eight weeks.

The best way you can help yourself is by avoiding things that make you anxious. It is also sensible to reduce your ordinary day-to-day stresses so that you are more generally relaxed. You may find you can then cope better with any anxiety attacks. If you suffer from panic disorder, these therapies can help you. But you can't do them on your own; all of these treatments must be outlined and prescribed by a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Dr. Skip Hrin is a Clinical Psychologist with over 12 years experience helping children, adolescents, and adults with a wide range of difficulties experienced in today’s world. Offices in Anchorage and Wasilla: (907) 350-9603.

Living in "Yes!"
by John Freedom

 

“I dwell in possibility……”             ~ Emily Dickinson.

We all have experienced magic in our lives. These are times when things just flow, when we are in the right place at the right time, and it feels like the whole world is smiling with us. These are times of ease and gentleness, of feeling that we are “on track” and “on purpose,” and knowing that somehow we are a part of It All. Athletes call it being in the zone. We experience co-incidences, synchronicities and miracles. It feels like we are living in grace – and we are.

There are other times when things don’t work so well. It seems like nothing is going our way, like we have to push and force things (and people, and ourselves!) to make things happen. We’re constantly fighting to get ahead, and it’s a struggle just to get out of bed in the morning. Life feels like one battle after another. We feel disconnected and alienated from the world, others, and ourselves, and we go to bed at night feeling tired and exhausted.

These are two very different ways of experiencing and perceiving our world. Our experiences are, in part, a function of our perceptions and attitudes. These are two different modes of being, and we all tend to live in either one mode or the other. Oddly enough, there is one common denominator underlying all my experiences. As A Course In Miracles teaches, “I am responsible for what I see…”

If this is true, and if my experiences have something to do with me, the questions arise: How did I get myself into this? Why am I ‘seeing’ life this way? And how can I shift gears from living life in low gear to living life in high gear?

When we were about two years old, we learned a very powerful word: No! “No!” became the magic word we used to assert our individuality and independence, to separate ourselves from our parents, and to seemingly live life on our own terms. And thus we learned to live in the land of No!

Living in No! feels powerful, just as rebelling and resisting may feel powerful. This gives us a sense of autonomy, of power, of being one’s own person, and of being “right.” We resist authority figures, we resist our parents and partners (who then resist us), we resist our emotions and experiences, and we resist the flow of Life itself. We live our lives defending and resisting, kicking and screaming; we create conflicts, burn our bridges, and paint ourselves into corners; and then wonder why our lives are not working.

For many of us, our theme song of life is My Way. But even though on the surface we feel proud of our independence and doing things “my way,” living in No! is a lonely, frightening experience.

An ancient metaphysical formula states, “As above, so below; as within, so without.” Everything I see is a mirror for Me. When I curse and condemn others, others condemn me. When I rebel and resist others, others resist me. “Pain is always some form of non-acceptance, some form of unconscious resistance to what is,” writes Eckhart Tolle in The Power Of Now. When I say “No!” to What Is, the Universe says “No!” back to me. Shutting myself off from the Great Flow, I get to live in the Land of No!

(It is true that we sometimes need to say no. We simply do not have the time, money and energy to say yes to everything. We need to set limits and boundaries. We do need to discriminate, and to say yes to some people and experiences, and no to others. But there is a huge difference between gently saying no sometimes, and chronically living life reactively out of No!)

Attitude is everything. We cannot change other people; we cannot change the world (at least, not immediately); but we can change our own minds. Changing our minds is one of the keys to personal power.

Making the shift from living in No! to living in Yes! is a process. Here are some practices for learning to live in Yes!

	Bless everyone and everything in your life. An ancient myth relates that the Kahunas transformed the Hawaiian Islands into the paradise they are now, through the practice of blessing everything they saw.
	Practice radical forgiveness. Criticizing and condemning creates conflict. Forgiveness begins with the willingness to see things differently. When we are willing to give up the “blame-shame game,” and give up who is “right,” we set ourselves free. As A Course In Miracles teaches, “Forgiveness is a Gift I give to myself.”
	Release fear and resistance in the emotional body. One of the most effective ways of doing this is with the ‘tapping therapies,’ such as EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). These techniques release and resolve patterns of trauma and resistance that are stuck in the body-mind.
	Practice saying Yes to everything that shows up in your life, whether seemingly “good” or seemingly “bad.” Everything in our lives is here for a reason, whether we can see it or not. While we may prefer certain experiences, we can more easily dance in the Great Flow when we align ourselves with What Is. This is the spiritual principle underlying “resist not evil” and “turning the other cheek,” as Jesus taught; and why Gandhi instructed his followers to respect and even love the British while engaging in non-violent civil disobedience.
	Count your blessings, and expect miracles. We are responsible for what we see; and what we focus on expands. Through these practices, we learn to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. As we do so, we begin living in gratitude, grace, and love.

Living in Yes! is a revolutionary act. It involves giving up the war against our reality, against What Is. It involves reconciling with our enemies, with authority figures, and with all parts of ourselves. It involves surrendering to What Is; making peace with What Is; and gently saying ‘Yes, and this too……,” to everyone and everything. As Byron Katie teaches, it’s “Loving What Is.”

Living in Yes! is a decision. It is a decision to drop our fears and defenses, conscious and unconscious, and to open our minds and hearts to those around us. It is a decision to play with new and previously unimaginable possibilities. It’s a decision to really live, and play, and dance on a higher level. It is much easier – and more fun! – to row with the flow than trying to swim upstream all the time.

Albert Einstein once remarked, “There are two ways to live in the world. One is to live as though nothing is a miracle; the other is to live as though everything is a miracle.” We can resist the flow of life, or we can live in the flow of love. We can choose to live in No!, or we can choose to live in Yes! The choice is up to us.

John Freedom, M.C., NLP is an author, transpersonal counselor and facilitator. He teaches seminars in EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) throughout the U.S. and Europe. Contact him at 520-297-1995, or e-mail freejjii@yahoo.com

The Illusion of Safety

By Bruce Bibee

 

…the truth really is that controlling others is an absolute illusion.

 

TSA (Transportation Safety Administration) took my mustache scissors. My dinky scissors was a forbidden item! I had the choice to take it back and put it in my checked luggage, which by this time was probably on the airplane; or I could abandon it at the airport. (As an aside, you’d think the post office could capitalize on this situation and sell stamped envelopes to folks.) Anyway, I chose to abandon my scissors. I also refrained from pointing out I could do more damage with a ball-point pen than I could with those scissors. I also refrained from asking that since I was a Black Belt, was I a forbidden item as well? I mean, I don’t need no stinking scissors to be a danger.

 

Which brings us to the topic of the illusion of safety. Are we really safer since TSA and Homeland Security came into existence? Of course not.

 

The patriarchal system has men operating out of a lot of fear. Why? Because this system demands that men adhere to certain rigid standards. The most insidious of these standards is that men are supposed to always be “in control.” Since being in control is virtually impossible, men develop a variety of strategies to pretend that they actually are in control. Competition is one of these strategies. It is the “if you aren’t for me, you are against me” paradigm, which effectively cancels any other consideration that doesn’t include competition. Then, since a person operating out of a need for control will not care about the other person (or more accurately, will see the other person as either an obstacle or a threat), competition-as-problem-solving blocks the development of a true sense of personal power. Since control also means “safety” (whoever is in control is safe), loss of control becomes an element in both high stress and crisis-building. Thus, both these environments (high stress and crisis-building) will be maintained by the person-in-control until control is re-established.

 

As I often point out to men in treatment settings, you cannot control other human beings past the age of 2 years old. This tends to come as a shock, since a lot of parenting strategies are based on controlling children in some way. But the truth really is that controlling others is an absolute illusion.

 

Patriarchy, however, is firmly founded in this illusion. It is further characterized in this way: 1) Power is vested in a variety of authority figures; 2) Authority is distributed along an hierarchical structure; 3) Authority is legitimized through force (or the threat of force). Riane Eichler (1991) prefers the word “dominator” over the word patriarchy, for she feels this form of government isn’t necessarily limited to a patriarchy. It could also exist with women in the dominant position.

 

So, children are taught a dominator style of social interaction grounded in the illusion that one person can control another. This control-agenda is carried out through a reward/punishment system. Furthermore, the person who is “in charge” gets to abuse the one-down person if that person makes him feel bad. The one-down person gets even through passive/aggressive behavior.

 

Once the introduction to this social system is in place, other elements of this system begin to emerge: either-or thinking, crisis-building, high stress, confusion, denial, forgetfulness, perfectionism, dishonesty, ethical deterioration, etc.  In short, the whole gamut of what has been identified as stinkin’ thinkin’ in the various 12-Step Programs.

 

What seems to be the case is the addictive system, the abusive/codependent system, and the patriarchal system are basically the same system. What is different is what “supply” is being protected. That is, the addict protects his supply of alcohol/drugs. The abuser or codependent protects his access to the love-object. The patriarchy protects its supply of power.

 

Since power and control are really two different things, we need to define each. Control, as I pointed out above, has to do with a “list.” If you do all the stuff on the list, you get a reward; if not, you get punished. So, we can say control has to do with the externals, and it isn’t necessarily all bad. After the New Year, many of us go on diets, set resolutions, and so on. These are attempts at self-control. We will reward ourselves when we achieve our short-term and long-term goals. Also, if you think about it, the job description you have at your work is a “list.” If you do your job, you get paid; if not, you get fired. There are a lot of elements of society working off control dynamics, and necessarily so. Control becomes a problem, however, when it is taken too far, when it becomes the primary means for ensuring one’s emotional safety, or when one seeks to control the uncontrollable (the mysterious unfolding of one’s own life, or, of course, trying to control two-year-olds).

 

Power is different. In physics, power is defined as the “ability to do work.” In psychology, power is defined as “options or choices, then ability to act on a chosen option.” In short, power is the ability to do one’s own work. Power is developed by developing options. As one develops physical options, physical power is built. As one develops emotional options, one’s positional power is enhanced. As one develops cognitive options, one’s communicative power is increased. Again, though, power is neutral. I can use my power for good or ill; the Universe doesn’t care either way.

 

But back to TSA and the whole control dynamic which evolved as a result of the War on Terror. Will any of the draconian controls actually work? To some degree, yes, they will. However, there is a cost. In short, the more we rely on control, the fewer options we have. As defined above, our personal power is a function of choices and options. However, what I didn’t get into in this article is that personal power is intimately linked with personal responsibility. When we abdicate our responsibility to our own safety, we abdicate our choices in the matter. We also lose our mustache scissors.

 

Bruce Bibee is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Kung Fu San Soo Master Instructor. He can be reached at: 562-1242. Or visit his web-page: www.brucebibee.com.