From Fear to Love – The Simple Steps
Originally published in: Rebirthing Newsletter, Volume 10, Number 1, January/February 1998
By Brian Joseph Snyder
This is my first published description of what later became the “YBNL 09 Breathing Cycles” lesson. The story and explanation offer another way to understand this essential component of YBNL training.
One year ago, I stated that “Everyone you meet has something to teach you” (see Finding A Path: Journeying Through the New Age, Vol. 9, No. 1). At the time, I had no idea how deeply that truth would unfold as I explored the foundations of healing.
The Breathing Rhythms of Fear and Love
I had been reading about emotional waveforms, particularly the work of Dr. Manfred Clynes from the 1970s, known as Sentics. In his research, Clynes used sensitive motion detectors on subjects’ fingers to record movements associated with specific emotions. When subjects experienced love, their fingers moved in a smooth, undulating pattern—gentle rises and falls on his oscillator/printer. In contrast, when subjects felt fear, the needle showed a sharp drop followed by a slow rise.
As I read, I began to suspect that these emotional waveforms might also correspond to breathing patterns. From my rebirthing training, I knew that people experiencing fear tend to take quick, deep inhales followed by slow exhales—a pattern that mirrors the sharp drop and gradual rise described by Clynes.
The waveform of love, on the other hand, closely resembles the “rebirthing breath”—a continuous, connected rhythm where inhales and exhales flow seamlessly into one another, forming a smooth, sine-wave-like pattern.
At first, I considered this connection an interesting coincidence. However, it took on deeper meaning when I linked it with another insight I had encountered: “Your breath can transmute anything” (Drunvalo Melchizedek, 1992 Flower of Life videos). This inspired me to experiment with breathing rhythms as a way to transform fear into love.
The Rooftop
The opportunity came the very next night. I was on a rooftop in West Philadelphia with about a dozen people. Within minutes, I noticed someone pressed against a wall, pale and struggling to breathe. “I’m afraid of heights,” he said. I shared with him what I had learned.
For about five minutes, I coached him to focus on his breathing rhythm—slow inhales connected to equally smooth exhales. The emphasis was not on depth, but on rhythm. As he continued breathing this way, he gradually moved closer to the edge of the roof. Within ten minutes, he was standing at the edge, leaning out over the sidewalk below.
The key lesson here is simple: when you feel fear, observe your breathing pattern and consciously shift it to the Rhythm of Love. As you maintain this rhythm, your emotional state begins to align with it.
However, another important lesson emerged. Despite standing at the edge of a 60-foot drop, he exclaimed, “But I’m still afraid of heights!”
“Yes,” I replied, “but look where you’re standing!” He couldn’t acknowledge his progress. His ego prevented him from recognizing how far he had come—from clinging to the wall to standing at the edge. I was astonished.
Breathing Through Judgment
Months later, I realized I had overlooked another dimension of his fear. Patrick Collard once said, “It’s our judgments that keep us from experiencing unconditional love.” That was the missing piece.
As he stood there, he likely had judgments running through his mind—perhaps judging himself for having been afraid in the first place. Such self-judgment can block the integration of newfound freedom.
The process becomes clear: we feel fear, we adjust our breathing, and then unloving thoughts—judgments—arise. We must continue breathing through those as well. Only by moving through these judgments can true healing occur.
Practicing the Rhythm of Love
I strongly encourage you to experiment with this breathing rhythm whenever you encounter fear or other unwanted emotions. Use it in real-time, in the moment, and continue applying the Rhythm of Love as judgments surface. The technique relies entirely on the rhythm of the breath; the volume of air is guided by your own intuition.
Acknowledgment: One of my teachers shared the insight that “Love brings up anything and everything unlike itself for the purpose of healing,” a teaching that originates from Loving Relationships Training. This helped bring clarity to my understanding. My intuition about breathing rhythms has also been supported by Dan Winter, who has produced a video on this subject.
The original article was preserved by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.