An interesting addition to the growing number of ways to use the inquiries is to actually look for the experience, the emotion itself, instead of, or in addition to, the self that seems to have or be that. For instance, in working with someone recently who had looked several times for various deficient selves, it was seen that FEAR was the common denominator, whether it was the in regard to the abandoned self or the one who fails. So we actually went looking for fear.

Not being able to find the fear was immediately disarming to a sense of identity in general. If there’s no fear, then…what?

Having personally been facilitated in looking for doubt, I can attest to the fact that just because the concept exists and has a label does not mean, in the end, that there really is such an animal. Apparently, the emotional spectrum has its share of unicorns. In fact, doubt wasn’t even the focus of the session, but rather added on at the end of an insight so uncanny that it evoked some doubt. And then the question was asked—just because the thought is there, does it really refer to anything objective? In other words, the thought “There is some doubt,” went unquestioned, but in looking, it was seen that it only refers to some idea in the mind. There was a lot of laughter around that one. No doubt; really?

So perhaps if looking for, and not finding, the one who is not enough, or who is unlovable, brings great relief, yet fear, anger, or doubt persist in other circumstances, try to find fear, anger, or doubt itself. What you see might surprise you. Maybe all you will find is crocodile tears and a jabberwocky, or two.