Fear of Life

Book excerpt: Fear of Life is an in-depth study of the human condition within modern culture Alexander Lowen challenges conventional thinking and contends that neurotic behavior stems from a fear of life, and represents the individual's unconscious effort to overcome that fear. But one cannot do so. One can only suppress or deny it, at the cost of spontaneity and being at ease. Lowen explains that being a person requires that one stop their frantic doing, and take time out to breathe and to feel. If one has the courage to accept and feel the pain and hurt, despair and sadness, and inner emptiness or anxiety in one's life, one can heal trauma and gain pleasure, fulfillment, and joy....the object of Bioenergetic Analysis.