In many of the coaching sessions I lead, I've noticed that "fear" takes center stage. Often, the word "fear" isn't directly used, but it lurks in the form of worrying about what's to come or feeling insecure about handling potential situations. Coachees seem to employ various strategies, ones I used to use myself, like envisioning scenarios such as, "If my conversation partner says or does this, then I'll respond like this." Or preparing for the worst so as not to be caught off guard. It often provides a (illusory) sense of control, stability, or certainty.

What you're essentially doing in these moments is a lot of thinking. Not only do you have thoughts about a situation or conversation, but you also have thoughts about those thoughts. As a result, your attention is fully focused on everything happening in your head.

One way to deal with this manifestation of fear is to examine the truthfulness of those thoughts and become aware of their effectiveness. Methods like Byron Katie's "The Work" and Rational Emotive Therapy (RET) are focused on this. However, the result is often even more thinking.

Transformational Presence has offered me a different approach, one that doesn't dwell on the less effective aspects of overthinking. It focuses on "whole-mind" thinking (which, in simple terms, includes heart and gut intelligence) and "whole-being" awareness (body sensations and intelligence). Transformational Presence helps shift your attention to other sources of information and only uses your mind where it excels (such as categorizing, analyzing, and making plans).

Recently, I noticed an intriguing parallel. I'm currently reading a fascinating book: "Live Without Fear: Overcoming Anxiety and Worries with Metacognitive Therapy" by Danish author Pia Callesen. What's this book about in a nutshell? Let me quote: "Metacognitive therapy primarily focuses on limiting thinking and worrying. (...) It does not delve into negative experiences or try to stop negative thoughts. The therapy involves learning that thoughts come and go and learning to think less. Metacognitive therapy deals with the strategies we've developed for our thoughts and feelings and how we regulate our thinking and actions. How much do we think when things are going well? How much do we think when things are not going well? (...) The method is based on the principle that we can learn to direct our attention and reduce the time we spend with our thoughts, whether we're doing well or feeling miserable" (p.42).

Scientific research cited in the book indicates that this method is significantly more effective than previous ones focused on analyzing and examining thoughts.

The reported effects include more inner peace, confidence, and trust, precisely the elements consistently mentioned by participants when I ask them what Transformational Presence has brought them. So, it's entirely possible that Transformational Presence, although not therapy, achieves similar effects through a similar path (redirecting attention, moving out of the mind into the body).

What I particularly notice here is that both approaches liberate or enable the organic nature of life, how life naturally unfolds, and the self-healing capacity of our bodily system. The natural course of things is allowed to unfold without our thinking getting in the way.

Where do you usually direct your attention? What habits do you have in this regard? If you find yourself often "in your head," try consciously shifting your attention to your body: what do you notice? Practice distancing yourself from your thoughts this week, observing them, and then shifting your attention to what you perceive in the moment.

I'm curious to hear what you discover. Wishing you much enjoyment along the way!