The Truth About Fear

I want to speak from the heart about something every human being encounters on their healing path: fear.

What is fear, really? Why do we carry it? In the simplest sense, fear is a built-in system designed to protect us from harm. On a level one reality, it can save your life, guiding you to step back from a ledge or avoid a speeding car. But beyond physical danger, fear does something much more subtle—it limits us. It stops us from creating the beautiful, expansive life our heart and spirit are longing for.

Fear often shows up quietly, disguised as a small hesitation, a nagging doubt, or a shadow of self-judgment. It lingers in the back of your mind when you think of an old conversation, a broken relationship, or a missed opportunity. Fear can become so ingrained in the body that we don't even recognize it. It shapes our behavior, pulls us away from joy, and can quietly stall the healing process.

When it comes to trauma, or what I prefer to call "hurtful memories," fear is often the glue that holds old patterns in place. If you're working in bodywork, shamanic bodywork, Lomi Lomi massage, or trauma therapy, you already know how the body holds onto stories long after the mind has forgotten. Fear lives in the body, tightening muscles, restricting breath, creating static between the heart and mind. To release trauma, we first have to meet fear with compassion.

The moment you notice fear rising, it's an invitation to go vertical—to lift your awareness beyond the contraction, to connect with your higher self, your divinity, the part of you that is always enough. You can begin by simply acknowledging the fear, breathing deeply, and apologizing to your higher self for the old programming that created it. This is where Ho'oponopono, the Sacred Apology, is a powerful ally.

When we practice Ho'oponopono, we take ownership for the energies we experience, even when they seem to be triggered by someone else. Whether the fear is rooted in lack, unworthiness, rejection, or past hurt, the practice invites us to clear it by returning to truth: I am enough. I am loved. I am whole.

Breath is the bridge. You can shift fear by breathing light into it. You can sing, chant, move your body, or be still in deep prayer. The goal is not to resist the fear but to transmute it. Fear and creativity cannot share the same space. One contracts, the other expands. When you release the contraction, creativity and healing rush in like a fresh breeze.

Consider the athlete poised on a high dive, five stories above the water. The heart races, adrenaline flows—but when the mind and body merge with the spirit, the fear is transmuted into precision, into presence, into art. The same is true for us in the everyday moments of life. The more we call in divine connection, the more the fear dissolves and reveals the vast light of our true being.

Fear is not the enemy. It's a messenger. When met with compassion, it shows us where the wound is asking to be healed, where the programming is ready to evolve.

So the next time you feel fear rise in your body, pause. Invite your higher self into the experience. Apologize for the old beliefs that created the contraction. And breathe. Expand into the space where fear used to live. Let the light fill it. This is the path of healing, the path of pono—balance, harmony, and self-responsibility.

Stay pono, dear one. In this work, we are all walking each other home. Blessings on your journey.