Teachings from the Buddhist Path and Contemporary Psychotherapy
Fear is a powerful emotion that can often be buried, ignored, or suppressed. While these coping mechanisms may work temporarily, they ultimately lead to the fear catching up with us. These learned behaviors are designed to protect us from exposing our vulnerability, but they can also add layers of complexity and judgment to our experience. Reacting to fear as wrong can lead to feelings of unworthiness, as Psychologist and Buddhist Teacher Tara Brach points out.
Unexplored fear has the potential to isolate us from life and support. There are two common ways people manage fear: avoidance and collapse. Avoidance involves pushing fear away through numbing behaviors like drugs, alcohol, work, or social media. On the other hand, collapsing into fear means allowing it to consume us entirely. In both scenarios, the key to overcoming fear lies in acceptance and empathy. Accepting the reality of suffering, as taught in Buddhist philosophy, can help alleviate the struggle.
Breaking the cycle of fear, shame, and unworthiness requires acknowledging our suffering and cultivating empathy towards ourselves. Buddhist Teacher Pema Chödrön encourages embracing our vulnerability with bravery and compassion, allowing us to move towards what scares us. By working with the softness of the human heart, we can discover fearlessness and find healing.
Ancient wisdom traditions offer valuable insights into managing fear by focusing on our relationship to emotions rather than the emotions themselves. By finding a balance between avoidance and over identification, we can navigate fear more skillfully. Healing involves turning towards our injuries and allowing the energy of repair and life to move through us.
Psychotherapy complements Buddhist wisdom by emphasizing courage and self-compassion in the healing process. Therapeutic presence provides clients with an emotionally corrective experience, allowing them to be truly seen and held in compassion as they confront their fears. By deconstructing internalized unhelpful messages and engaging compassionately with their emotions, clients can rewire their conditioned responses.
In the safety of the therapeutic relationship, clients can learn to regulate fear by identifying and naming their feelings. Naming the feeling can reduce its intensity and activate the brain’s stress-reducing circuitry. Psychotherapy also offers creative strategies like storytelling and symbol work to help clients author their healing story and find their own solutions.
A case example illustrates the power of therapeutic work in healing fear and shame. By creating a healing picture and accessing support in a compassionate manner, clients can connect with their vulnerability and experience deep healing and freedom.
Written by Sabine Schroeder, a Counsellor and Psychotherapist, this article explores the intersection of Buddhist teachings and contemporary psychotherapy in overcoming fear and finding freedom. Sabine’s therapeutic approach draws on her studies in Psychology, various Psychotherapy Training, and Eastern Wellness traditions. Her work is guided by a deep commitment to assisting clients in their healing journeys.