The Dance of Fear
Unhappiness,
says bestselling author Harriet Lerner, is fueled by three key emotions:
anxiety, fear, and shame. They are the uninvited guests in our lives.
When tragedy or hardship hit, they may become our constant companions.
Anxiety
can wash over us like a tidal wave, or operate as a silent thrum
under the surface of our daily lives. With stories that are sometimes
hilarious and sometimes heart breaking, Lerner takes us from “fear-lite”
to the most difficult lessons the universe sends us. We learn:
- How
a man was “cured in a day” of the fear of rejection
- and what we can learn from his story.
- How
the author overcame her dread of public speaking when her worst
fears happened.
- How
to deal with the fear of not being good enough, and the shame
of feeling essentially flawed and inadequate.
- How
to stay calm and clear in an anxious, crazy workplace.
- How
to manage fear and despair when life sends a crash course in illness,
vulnerability and loss.
- How
“positive thinking” helps - and harms
- How
to be our best and bravest selves, even when we are terrified
and we have internalized the shaming messages of others.
No
one signs up for anxiety fear and shame, but we can't avoid them
either. The more we can look these emotions in the eye, with patience
and curiosity, and the more we learn to spot their wisdom and mischief,
the less grip they have on us. As we learn to respond to the three
key emotions in new ways, we can live more fully in the present
and move into the future with courage, clarity, humor and hope.
The Dance of Fear shows us how.
Praise
"Brilliant,
completely authentic and hilariously funny. Lerner is the real deal.
Her teachings on fear, anxiety and shame are central to living a
loving, happy and creative life. "
- Joan Borysenko, Ph.D.
Author of Minding
the Body, Mending the Mind
"This spirit-lifting book leaves the reader braver, wiser and
laughing. Lerner is a master at looking clearly and unflinchingly
at life's most difficult emotions. Her writing is infused with humor,
grace, and hope. Her advice is the best you will find."
- Edward M. Hallowell,
M.D.
Author of Driven to
Distraction
"Powerful
mind-medicine and a thoroughly enjoyable read. Thank you Harriet!"
- Martha Beck
Columnist, O Magazine
"A flat out life-changing book, shot through with freshness
and life-affirming humor."
- Betty Carter, M.S.W.
Director Emerita, Family
Institute of Westchester, N.Y.
"Lerner has a genius for teaching us what we need to face and
conquer. Her advice is gripping, enlightening, liberating and immediately
applicable."
- Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
at the University of Washington and Author of
Everything You Know
About Love and Sex is Wrong.
"Superb Insights"
- Library Journal
"Witty prose. . . . A mindful and highly readable meditation."
- Publishers Weekly
"Few guides to emotional functioning have the depth of understanding offered by this therapist, who seems as knowledgeable about the workings of the psyche as she is about formulating real-world coping strategies."
- AudioFile 2005
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