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Turning Points Deep-Seated Doubts When your world changes, a specialized form of doubt usually occurs. When something you were expecting from others or from the world is suddenly denied, you will tend to feel frustration and go through a period of grief. These unfortunate shocks in life create an accompanying major problem as well: You doubt the ability of the world or anyone to satisfy your deepest needs. When your world shocks you into this profound doubt, you find yourself beginning to doubt most everything. You may begin to feel you cannot possibly find happiness or meaningful experience through your present relationships with others. Life is no longer a party. Nor does life seem to promise satisfaction anymore. No matter how good the world looks, it can leave you stranded or cause pain. Life has a vicious stinger. In this way your doubt grows into a gnawing, underlying anxiety that people and things cannot satisfy you in the long run. People may provide some satisfactions, but then again they may go away — through inclination or burial. Having been deeply hurt or disappointed, you look at the world fearfully. You doubt the ability of the world to give you lasting happiness or any comfortable, ongoing fulfillment. You just can't count on the world! Your doubt can become more deep-seated and even more fearful when it is not caused by someone or something in the outer world that lets you down. Imagine being able to rely on your legs for years, only to find they do not work today — and have to be cut off next week. Imagine having had fine eyes to see with but today all's a blur. What of having great vitality and suddenly you're paralyzed with a stroke? Suddenly illness has a frightening impact on your view of life and of yourself. Similarly, big or frequent shocks in realms of romance and career can push you into this state of deep doubt and anxiety.
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