I was teaching our pony how to face her fears. The first thing I do is get her attention focused on me. Then I introduce the scary item. In this case, it's a plastic grocery bag. She allows me to show it to her from afar, and she does not turn away, so I praise her. She is facing her fear, instead of turning away from it. This is to teach her not to bolt when faced with new things on a trail ride.

I decide to try getting closer to her with the plastic bag. As I get closer, she begins to move away from me. However, if I turn and walk away from her with the scary item, she follows me. She still trusts me: I have just removed the pressure of asking her to get closer to that item.

Now let's say I am going over a math concept with my child. He is relaxed and doing alright with it. Suddenly, I meet with resistance. His back is arched, his face is a scowl, and he is about to fuss at me. I remove the pressure. We back up a bit and go to the last place we were before he gave me resistance. I have removed his fear. Now he is confident and relaxed again. We go by smaller steps until he gets it.

So much of what John Lyons is teaching me applies to humans and everyday life, too!

Have a wonderful day, all-
Allison