Well that was a fun start to a day, being interviewed by Lian Brook-Tyler of Born Happy on the Principle of Least Action and Simplicity. Sounds a bit dull, but points to how we’re all naturally designed to achieve anything with the least amount of time and energy.
But the real gem was at the end of the interview and my take on phobias – this will blow your mind! Here’s the 2 minute sound clip from the interview explaining this:
(Thanks to my Sound Guy Alex of the The Buskers for editing the clip from the interview)
phobia
(ˈfəʊbɪə)
noun
- (Psychiatry) psychiatry an abnormal intense and irrational fear of a given situation, organism, or object
[C19: from Greek phobos fear]
Now a phobia is something where we get a reaction without the stimulus being present. For example, someone with a spider phobia feels uncomfortable experiencing the thought of spiders without them being present. And, we all know it’s not the spider creating the reaction, because there isn’t a spider present. So we don’t blame the spider or try to change it, because we know it’s not the spider that’s creating the feeling and experience.
Well, it’s the same with all thoughts. We can blame people, food, work, money, relationships, events in our lives, backgrounds, or whatever as the cause of our feelings. But that’s a phobic reaction. When you’re not at work, but feeling uncomfortable or worrying or stressing about work, like the spider, it can’t be the work that’s the cause, as it’s not present.
That’s a phobic reaction. They’re all phobic reactions. And the cause? It’s never the spider or thing. Just our thinking in the moment that we’re experiencing.
Oh, and happiness and feeling good. If you think that’s coming from someone or something (and not even present), then logically that has to a phobic reaction too.
It only works one way.
You can take pleasure from life and nature but the feeling is always yours. It’s always an inside job.