Ep. 9 - Fear of Self

Title: Fear of Self (Shed & Shine Ep. 9) Length: ~18 mins Description: Fear of self isn’t really fear of you—it’s fear of your thoughts, sensations, or desires. In this episode, Sarah guides you through cognitive defusion, embodied awareness, and yogic witness consciousness to help you reconnect with your inner wisdom. You’ll explore how perfectionism keeps you stuck, how body cues can regain their rightful place in decision-making, and how a simple “5% step” can transform the way you move through your day. What You’ll Learn: How cognitive defusion softens the power of anxious or self-critical thoughts Why interoceptive awareness matters for intuitive, values-aligned decisions How maladaptive perfectionism creates avoidance (not excellence) What internal psychological safety feels like—and why you need it How yogic principles like vrittis and sakshi help you observe instead of over-identify Practice Card: Defusion practice: Thoughts and feelings like clouds that are passing by. Name them (e.g., “I’m having the thought that ___,”) then let it float by for 2 minutes. Reflection Prompt: What’s really underneath my fears of my thoughts & feelings? What if I allowed myself to have all my desires?  Resources Mentioned: Bryant, E. (2009). The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali: A new edition, translation, and commentary. North Point Press. Frost, R. O., Marten, P., Lahart, C., & Rosenblate, R. (1990). The dimensions of perfectionism. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 14(5), 449–468. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01172967 Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (1999). Acceptance and commitment therapy: An experiential approach to behavior change. Guilford Press. Hewitt, P. L., & Flett, G. L. (1991). Perfectionism in the self and social contexts: Conceptualization, assessment, and association with psychopathology. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(3), 456–470. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.60.3.456 Mehling, W. E., Price, C., Daubenmier, J. J., Acree, M., Bartmess, E., & Stewart, A. (2012). The multidimensional assessment of interoceptive awareness (MAIA). PLOS ONE, 7(11), e48230. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0048230   Let’s Connect: Explore coaching at drsarahleecoaching.com, follow @drsarahleecoaching, and subscribe for weekly practices.