As already mentioned, we don’t fear physical future scenarios. Rather, we only fear pain. But, it’s important to understand that we are not afraid of new pain in the future. We actually only experience fear of pain getting triggered that is already inside of us. We only fear scenarios that have the potential to trigger old pain that is buried within us. We can’t fear pain that we have never experienced.
If you feel fear about getting a bad exam score, it’s because there is a buried emotion from when you performed poorly on something previously in your life. If you’re afraid of being outcast by your friends in the future, it’s because there is a remnant buried emotion from when you felt abandoned by friends in the past. If you feel fear about your parents being disappointed with you, it’s because there is a buried emotion created when they were disappointed with you in the past. If you’re afraid of not having future success, it’s because there is a buried emotion from when you felt like a failure in the past. Whether we seem to fear a future outcome, thought, emotion, or particular treatment from others, we really just fear that an old buried pain from the past will get triggered.