I agree that it's not easily done. If thinking about the fear abstractly doesn't work (it probably won't), actually allow yourself to imagine/feel the negative

I agree that it's not easily done. If thinking about the fear abstractly doesn't work (it probably won't), actually allow yourself to imagine/feel the negatives you believe as concretely as possible. I don't see how you can approach knowing what's really going on in your own mind if you're unwilling to observe without trying to suppress and control. I can accept that reasoning away the specific concerns/self-beliefs isn't always possible. Some things really are hard and require practice, even after obviously buggy internal thoughts (usually exaggeration of the negative consequences you risk by trying) are refuted.