The Fear Cure

Lissa Rankin is the author of Mind over Medicine, which she has followed up with a fascinating book addressing one of the epidemics of our time reinforced by our culture of fear and control - just think of the rising prevalence of anxiety and depression and the psychosomatic implications of this trend. The three parts look at how fear makes you sick, the truth about fear, and the prescription for courage. She incorporates her own experiences as well as those of others (including her mentor Rachel Naomi Remen) into the narrative, bringing it to life. She distinguishes between true fear and the many false fears to which we are subject. She points out that courage is not about being fearless about being transformed into a right relationship with uncertainty and impermanence. In the process, we can become more free and authentic. We know a good deal about the physiology of fear and how fear can make us ill, partly compromising our immune systems. We all have a choice to operate from what she calls the Small Self or from our Inner Pilot Light. We can realise that uncertainty is the gateway to the possibility, that loss is natural and can lead to growth, that the universe is purposeful and that ultimately we are all One. Each of these propositions is explained in depth, and I was moved by her account of her daughter's reaction to losing a dog and saying to her mum that she was ready for another dog to break her heart. The author recommends steps to cultivating courage through belief, support, the development of intuition, identifying the roots of our fears, prescribing courage for ourselves and releasing attachment to outcomes. This is powerful medicine if we are prepared to practise it.