How I overcame my fear of the dark

I've been afraid of the dark, as far as I can remember.   One sure way to know I'm home in the evening, is that all the lights would be on.   I wouldn't enter a room without turning on the lights first.   I seem to have an overactive imagination, and can create scenarios in my head, that in reality, I know aren't real.

It was actually just a few days back that I had this shift, that allowed my mind to let go of those scary ideas about the dark; for my unconscious to know that I am safe in the dark, in my home, and that it was just hypnotic suggestions that created these silly ideas related to the dark.

How did this life-long fear disappear in just a snap?   I started thinking back earlier this week.   I tried to analyze and understand how much of this was at a conscious level and how much at an unconscious level.

Ok, so what happened?   I was listening to a video by Dr. Richard Bandler, the co-founder of NLP (Neuro-lingustic Programming).   I was working on other things, while semi-listening to the video.    I would tune in with full attention every now and then, until something said caught my interest.   There was one particular event that did this.

Dr. Bandler was sharing a story about his past, during the time when the movie Jaws was first released.  He laughed as he shared how that movie gave him a lot of business.   How?   Jaws the movie had created a lot of phobias of swimming in water!   The movie created phobia's in so many people, that his NLP business increased a lot!!   Contary to the belief of some psychologists, phobia's are rather easily removed.   NLP includes a method of removing these phobias.   I've actually learned the technique myself, and I've seen it performed on a friend of mine!

I've actually listened to him share the same story repeatedly in different videos.   One of the last times I listened to this phobia story, I thought to myself,  that since I understand that watching movies is a form of hypnosis, and hearing that story made me think of how silly it was for the people it create phobias from a movie.   Then I thought, oh wait, how can this be applied to my life?

It was late in the evening and all the lights were off except for the room I was in.  So, the first thought that can to my head was - the dark!   Being afraid of the dark was some idea that was suggested to me when I was young.  I dont remember how or when, but I'm sure television may have had something to do with it.  

I remember after watching the movie E.T. as a child, and being afraid that something like E.T. was hiding in my closet at night.   Even though E.T. was friendly, that idea still scared me.   That idea stayed with me as I grew older, always having to keep my closet closed, so nothing would be staring at me in the closet at night.  Silly, right?  But sounds very similar to how Jaws, the movie, had affected others.

I remember once hearing a story about a troll under the bed.   I won't repeat the story, but once I heard it, I always remembered it, and then was created, the fear of something under the bed at night.

The closet, under the bed, and the dark, were the fears of my life that I could immediately relate to the Jaws story.   And by doing so, I realized how silly it was.  Not that I didn't know that consciously, but perhaps finally my unconscious understood it too.

Although, this wasn't a phobia, nor was it really debilitating, but it is freeing to stay calm in the dark, and alone at night.  I can also sleep on my back without the covers over part of my face, as I have nothing to fear.

If I won the lottery...

I've thought about it, now and then.  What would I do if I won the lottery?   I know, for sure, that I would still want to work.  It may not necessarily be the same day job that I'm doing at the time, but I would be working nonetheless.   I'd spend my time on helping others, and would want my job to involve helping others.  Perhaps I would do it on a part time basis.

When I say help others, I mean to make an incredible impact, life changing even, to help others gain inner strength, grow, achieve their goals, and make all of our lives a more positive place to be.

If I won the lottery, and I'm taking about a large amount of money, I would spend much of it toward furthering my education.   I would do the following programs in full and in depth:

• Coaching (Adler or Erickson or both!)
• NLP (directly from creators themselves - Grinder and/or Bandler)
• Hypnosis 
• Energy Coaching
• Astrology
• Graphology (Hand Writing Analysis)
• Reiki

I find all of these areas very fascinating.   I enjoy learning and taking self-development courses.  I find it to be an amazing feeling to have the skill set and ability to help someone transform their lives to a world that that they once could have only dreamed about.  

I will eventually take most of these programs, slowly, as I am become able to afford them.  It is a challenge with the prices being what they are at the moment.   But I am the turtle not the rabbit, going nice and steady, nice and slow.