"THE LIBERATOR": A LOVING PRACTICE TO PERMANENTLY RELEASE YOUR FEAR!

DEAR FRIENDS- Permit me to ask you this most urgent and fundamental question: On this road from birth to death that we are all walking- are you carrying fear inside you? Are you afraid of getting older; of being alone; of never finding the love you long for; of losing your money, or becoming ill; of never reaching your cherished dreams and desires; of never shining forth in all your beauty and greatness, "living out loud" and being completely free?
If your answer is yes, you are in good company. Because here is a compassionate and liberating truth- EVERYONE carries fear, to one degree or another. But I swear to you that this need not be the case!
The fear we carry is like a chronic illness that drains the life from our body, mind and spirit. To be cured of it you must first admit to yourself that it is there. When we end our denial and self-suppression and admit that we are afraid inside, we become valiant warriors- heroes and heroines in the sacred struggle for joy, aliveness and love. 
It is crucial to realize that fear is NOT an inevitable part of life and the human condition. Simply and certainly put- we are not born to be afraid! There is no genetic or "karmic" predisposition toward fear. At the core of our body and spirit there is no existential fear of death (for example)- or of life and love either!
Rather, we are born with a foundation of Unconditional Trust in the goodness and rightness of ourselves and of life. This uplifting faith in our spirit, this pure and blissful feeling in our entire body is our birthright. AND WE CAN RETURN TO THAT INBORN STATE OF GRACE.
I urge you to realize this: any particular fear you suffer from is a symptom of the deeper, primary problem- the habit of fear itself! By becoming aware of the "knot of fear" within you and the habit of tensing and holding on that maintains it, you can recover your Original Trust and achieve the daily peace and happiness you deserve.    
I developed the practice I call "The Liberator" at the breakthrough moment of healing my own burden of fear. It fuses the principles of Zen Meditation, Core/Bioenergetic Psychotherapy, and Unconditional Self-Love. To guide you in understanding how to use it I'd like to share my understanding of why we become afraid and how this innovative approach will help you liberate yourself.      
To begin, what I call "the knot of fear" develops early in life when our core state of trust is wounded by frightening experiences and conditions that we cannot fully release. These stressful experiences occur during the years our basic attitudes and reactions to life are forming- our infancy, childhood and adolescence.
For example, like many of you I experienced the frightening disconnection and isolation of not being breast-fed. Any denial of a child's core instinct disturbs its basic trust in the Universe as a safe and nurturing place. Another type of painful "disconnection" that many of us suffered was being left in the dark to "cry ourselves out"- being forced to sleep alone before we were physically and emotionally ready.
Another experience millions (perhaps billions) of people share is a significant degree of unconscious- but very real- anxiety in the emotional climate of their family. For example, my own Mother held a great deal of fear in her body due to being sexually abused as a child. My Father carried fear and rage from being beaten growing up. Both of them had been spanked routinely. These were extreme circumstances and yet they are not uncommon. The basic principle is that children's developing systems "soak up" and store some degree of their parents' anxiety.
The unreleased stress of fear-producing conditions- both obvious (sexual/emotional/physical abuse including spanking) and subtle (the fear and worries in our parents and the greater society around us) causes our body and spirit to tense up and contract deep inside. The "knot" of fear is formed and continues to rob us of peace and happiness unless we become aware of its existence and learn to let it go.  
When I was 44 years old I had an electrifying and life-changing experience. During a meditation session, like a flash of lightning that reveals everything shrouded by the darkness, I suddenly awakened and realized that I was afraid ALL THE TIME. Every second of every day! And that I had been frightened, deep in my body and on an unconscious level, ever since I was a child.
And following this lightning flash came the thunder in my heart. I felt with absolute certainty that NOT A SINGLE ONE OF MY FEARS WAS REAL OR NECESSARY. Rather it was all just a habit of tensing up that began in stressful experiences that had remained "stuck" in my body. Once I felt and saw and these things with crystal clarity I knew that I could exist without any fear at all! I saw how I hadn't been born with it, but rather I had acquired it. And like any habit the fear could be slowly and permanently let go and released.
A number of factors contributed to this release and awakening. The most important was that my awareness was very centered and grounded in my body. Years of yoga, zen meditation and connecting to my suppressed emotions and sensations via Bioenergetics gave me the ability to observe and deeply feel the fear inside.
It was astounding to discover that I had been in the grip of fear all my life and yet I had failed to recognize such an obvious truth. That's how powerful our emotional defenses are! From this and other observations I have come to believe that most people have a similar knot/habit of fear, on an unconscious level, and spend their lives imprisoned behind invisible walls.
As I observed and explored my inner knot of fear, I realized that it remained in me REGARDLESS OF THE OUTER CIRCUMSTANCES OF MY LIFE. Whether I was rich or poor, succeeding in my endeavors or failing, alone or in a loving relationship- my chronic fear was still there! In my meditative practice I watched the worrying thoughts and the clenching of fear in my body as the days and months went by. From this close self-observation I had to conclude that my fear was nothing more than a deeply held mental and bodily habit. And that like any habit it could be thoroughly released.
I realized beyond all doubt that I could never be completely happy and at peace while my body and mind were enslaved by fear. So I made it the deepest purpose of my life to face the fear and set myself free. Using the "Liberator" practice I let go ever more deeply until the habit of fear was gone. And what remained was a profound peace, and the original state of love and trust in which we are all born.
Permanently healing your fear requires all of your persistence, courage and devotion. There were many times when the layer of fear I was encountering suffocated me with the power of panic and despair. What sustained me in my walk through the fire? In my heart the child I once had been came to me. He was terribly frightened and alone, and had been all his life. He needed his pain to be touched, and felt and seen. He needed my love and only I could save him. The power of Unconditional Self-Love enabled me to never abandon that child- who was me- until all the fear was healed and gone.
I hope my story supports and inspires you to end your own fear- once and for all. Use this practice to work with your "knot" until it is completely eliminated. Going within to feel and release your fear is the ultimate act of self-love. Believe that you were born to be free, stay on the path, and nothing can stop you! LOTS OF LOVE- BRYAN

"THE LIBERATOR" PRACTICE.
1. First, feel your feet on the floor. It is a basic principle of Bioenergetic Psychotherapy that feeling your feet and their contact with the ground simultaneously relaxes you and shifts your "inner observer" from being "stuck in your head and thoughts" to being aware of your body sensations and feelings.  Remember- your fear is in your body (not your head!) so you must be grounded in and feeling your body to effectively release your knot of fear.
2. Next, as in the "Stop Worrying Exercise", take the deepest breath you can and raise your shoulders upwards toward your ears. Then, let your shoulders drop and sag completely, as you make an "aaahhh" sound and let your breath completely out. This will further relax you and center your awareness in your body.
3. Now, just as in Zen Meditation, begin to both observe and feel the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe. Do not try to alter the spontaneous movement of your breathing in any way. If it's deep and satisfying, fine. If it's shallow and frustrating- again, just let it be what it is without trying to change it. It is the ability to experience what is- without escape or judgement - which will enable you to sense the fear inside you and work to let it go.
4. After feeling/following your breathing for a minute or two (longer if you'd like) gently locate the tension/constriction of fear in your body. It will tend to feel like a "sick" or nauseous sensation that can be found in one or more of these areas- throat, heart/chest, solar plexus, abdomen. Some people locate their fear in the pelvic/genital area also.
Allow yourself both to observe, and feel, the physical sensation of the fear. Don't judge or avoid the feeling of fear in any way. Simply connect to it, and open your heart to the ache and tension of your fear with tenderness and compassion.
It is crucial to connect to the physical/emotional feeling of fear in your body, aided by feeling your feet on the ground. This is because for the fear release to be permanent and life-changing you must let go not only in your mind, but in your body as well.
5. Next, breathe gently into where you feel afraid. Imagine that you are breathing in trust, and breathing out the fear.
On some days your breath may not move freely through the places in your body where you are tense with fear. It will be as if the movement of your breath is "running into a stone". When this occurs there is no need to panic or breathe with extra force. Stay gentle with yourself, and let each wave of breath wash up against the knot of tension. Have faith in this: over time the waves of the sea will wash away even a mountain.
6. After gently breathing into the sensation of fear for a minute or two (longer if you'd like), say these words to yourself- out loud if you are alone, in your mind if you need privacy.
- "I completely trust myself, and the path of my life".
- "All is well, and all will surely be well".
This is the voice of your Soul, that is always whispering to you from beneath the tension of your fear!
Repeat these words a number of times. After each repetition relax and let go in your entire body-  especially in your heart area.
You will sometimes feel the need to cry. Have faith in this emotional and physical release. Crying is our heart's and body's primal mechanism of letting go. The permanent, life-changing release of fear will eventually involve deep sobbing and crying. Surrender to your tears of relief and release, like a lost child that has found its Mother. Trust your body and go with the flow!