According to a report by the University of Ottawa, 87 million people worldwide suffer from anxiety disorders, and sales of anti-anxiety drugs in 1999 totaled $2 billion, with projected sales of $3 billion in 2009. Fear rules the lives of many people, and it is frozen in our posture or in different parts of our bodies. Some have their shoulders hunched up to their ears as protection from the next assault. Others carry themselves stiffly as if they are zombies.
Lavinia Plonka has been teaching somatic education for years; she maintains a successful practice teaching the Feldenkrais Method. The author observes: "Your movements can provide the keys to unlocking your own personal dance of fear as well as practical tools for finding courageous alternatives. By learning to recognize the 'habit' of fear in your everyday movements, you can begin to remove the obstacles between yourself and the life you want." This helpful book contains exercises that can provide an antidote to the overwhelming stress which overcomes our bodies. Plonka also takes a hard look at the different types of fear including fear of failure/success, phobias, fear of abandonment, and fear of injury or death.
