The End of Fear: A Spiritual Path for Realists

by Richard Schaub Ph.D.

Overview

Drawing on spiritual and therapeutic practices, two psychotherapists show how to embrace your vulnerabilities and confront your fears so you can find the freedom to live a full and balanced life
 
Why are we afraid? Why do we dwell on worst-case scenarios, lie awake in anxiety’s grip, and react to minor mishaps as though they threaten our very survival? In The End of Fear, Richard and Bonney Schaub explore the origin of fear and posit that the root of fear is “the love of life.” They claim that fear engulfs us because we know that life is unpredictable and that we are all ultimately vulnerable—we risk change and loss at every moment. No special religion grants any exemption, and no amount of money or status can change this fact of life.
 
Using examples from their lives and those of their patients, Richard and Bonney draw upon their 30 years of experience as psychotherapists to lay out a plan that will help you change your perspective and transform fear. Once you stop fleeing it or fighting it and face it with compassion, fear will no longer erode your confidence and undermine your experience of life; you’ll be free to realize more and more fully your potential for peace, joy, and love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401924997
Publisher:	Hay House Inc.
Publication date:	03/01/2009
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	285 KB

About the Author

Richard Schaub, Ph.D., and Bonney Gulino Schaub, R.N., M.S., have been committed to the intelligent integration of spirituality into the solving of human problems for more than 30 years. Together, they are co-founders and co-directors of the New York Psychosynthesis Institute and are on the faculty of the Italian Society for Psychosynthesis Therapy in Florence. They are also authors of Dante’s Path (featured in O, The Oprah Magazine and in Oprah’s book, Live Your Best Life) and Healing Addictions: The Vulnerability Model of Recovery. They have taught internationally to professional and self-development audiences in Canada, Germany, Holland, and Italy. Richard’s past work includes cardiac and cancer rehabilitation, counseling in an alcohol treatment center, directing a hospital-based program for adolescents, and teaching in graduate school at Hofstra University. He has been in full-time private practice since 1984. Prior to private practice, Bonney worked in medical-surgical, inpatient psychiatric, and substance-abuse treatment settings, and taught in the graduate holistic nursing program at the College of New Rochelle.

Table of Contents

Author's Note xi

Introduction: The 3 A.M. Mind xiii

Part I Understanding Fear

Chapter 1 The Human Condition 3

Chapter 2 The Material World 11

Chapter 3 Belief and Disbelief 23

Part II Transforming Fear

Chapter 4 From Denial to Decision 35

Chapter 5 Strength in Surrender 49

Chapter 6 Practicing Vulnerability 61

Chapter 7 Love Rises 81

Part III Beyond Fear

Chapter 8 The Skeleton in the Church 91

Chapter 9 Seeking Onenes 111

Chapter 10 The Ground of Being 125

Epilogue: Mind and Soul 133

Acknowledgments 137

About the Authors 139

Editorial Reviews

‘Life is trouble. Only death is not,’ Zorba the Greek reminded us, and part of that trouble is fear. Some scientists credit fear with our earliest survival as humans, for fear made us more vigilant and therefore more likely to survive and reproduce. But fear can also smother, oppress, and overwhelm us. The Schaubs have written a masterpiece for reducing fear and finding balance in one’s life— one of the most elegant, clearest, and effective treatises available.”
— Larry Dossey, M.D., author of The Power of Premonitions

“Into the ever-expanding dialogue about dealing with the fear that is the universal human condition, the Schaubs have gently dropped a startling gem: a warm, personal guide to a new way of being in the world. Their message is one of support and wisdom, presented with such honesty and modesty that the reader is well advised to go back to their understanding counsel again and again. If you thought one small book could not change your life, read The End of Fear . . . and be glad.”
— Richard Grossman, author of Choosing & Changing and The Tao of Emerson

“Using powerful stories, this book is a message for our time. It is a clear and easy-to-read guide for transforming fear into peace.”
— Frank Lipman, M.D., author of SPENT: End Exhaustion and Feel Great Again

“Through Taoist ways of being, ‘fear’ can only be viewed as half of the yin/yang Tai Ji whole. This book is a deeply affecting, personal journey of the authors’ accounts of their transcendence from this human condition. In order to arrive at a balance in life of potential peace and harmony, and to fulfill the wish for love and joy in daily living, we must learn to embrace fear as a moving spiritual path, and see the danger as opportunity in perpetual human growth. The End of Fear is the beginning of wisdom, to guide us in the real world we live in.”
— Chungliang Al Huang, president, Living Tao Foundation; author, Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain; co-author, Tao: The Watercourse Way

“As spiritual seekers and experienced psychotherapists, the authors take us on a fascinating journey to explore our vulnerability of being human. Through their travels to study art, world religions, and healing, Bonney and Richard weave stories and personal nar-ratives together in this easy-to-read book that brings to the reader profound insights into attaining inner peace and self healing.”
— Susan Luck, R.N., Medical Anthropologist, Director of Earthrose Institute

“The End of Fear is a compelling yet peaceful read that distills some very complex issues down to core points that in turn expand to bring understanding to a universal struggle that all humans face. As a psychiatrist and therapist, it gave me deeper insights into my work, clarifying a number of concerns that I commonly see in my own patients.”
— Ernesto Ferran Jr., M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine

From the Publisher