Why You Feel So Anxious All The Time - Dr Russell Kennedy

Dr Russell Kennedy is an MD, Neuroscientist, author and an anxiety specialist.
Anxiety is one of the most common challenges faced by people in 2022. In small doses it makes sense evolutionarily, but why is it running so rampant in the modern world, where does it come from and what methods can limit its impact on our lives?
Expect to learn what most people misunderstand about anxiety, the relationship between anxiety and trauma, why most existing treatments don't create lasting improvements to anxiety, the relationship between anxiety and a victim mindset, whether it's possible to have an anxious body as well as an anxious mind and much more...
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#anxiety #mentalhealth #treatment
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00:00 Intro
00:21 How Your Childhood Influences Your Anxiety
06:05 The Body’s Role in Anxiety
10:30 Why is Modern Society Plagued with Anxiety?
18:39 How to Uproot Decades-Old Trauma
31:29 The Human Intolerance to Uncertainty
34:29 Is Anxiety Manifested Differently in Men & Women?
44:12 How Many People Misdiagnose Anxiety?
51:14 Things to Do to Begin Healing
1:06:42 Where to Find Dr Kennedy
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Get in touch in the comments below or head to...
Instagram: / chriswillx
Twitter: / chriswillx
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[@ChrisWillx]

Hello you beauties. Access all episodes 10 hours earlier than KZbin by Subscribing on Spotify - spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - apple.co/2MNqIgw. Here’s the timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:21 How Your Childhood Influences Your Anxiety 06:05 The Body’s Role in Anxiety 10:30 Why is Modern Society Plagued with Anxiety? 18:39 How to Uproot Decades-Old Trauma 31:29 The Human Intolerance to Uncertainty 34:29 Is Anxiety Manifested Differently in Men & Women? 44:12 How Many People Misdiagnose Anxiety? 51:14 Things to Do to Begin Healing 1:06:42 Where to Find Dr Kennedy

[@mouwersor]

Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing your story at 58:15. It really resonated with me, and I hope to integrate these insights as well.

[@daveSoupy]

Chris has one the only podcasts I actively sit down to listen to. He's the variety of guests I look for and asks them good question then allows them to answer the questions completely. One of my favorites for sure.

[@AaronMatthew]

Second that . I don’t have the time to even get through some of them.

[@plantagenant]

Anxiety doesn't have to have its roots in trauma. The sheer grind of day to day living, holding down a job, paying the bill, negotiating relationships, plus the existential anxiety of wondering what the hell this is all about knowing that our best endeavours are all going to end in decline and death and the obliteration of our consciousness means you're bloody lucky if you don't develop anxiety.

[@DDeCicco]

Thanks for adding this piece, I'm starting to see an over-emphasis on "trauma" as though it's a single lens that explains all mental disorders, especially potential trauma experienced during childhood. We overlook the possibility that many people will have difficulty recalling childhood memories with sufficient fidelity to say whether it qualifies as "traumatic" and is then also playing a role in their current mental health issues.

[@plantagenant]

@@DDeCicco Yes. Whilst Trauma is clearly a real condition, it's not the case that we should trace all anxiety to trauma...you could spend a lot of time trying to unearth this mysterious thing without knowing it was there or not. The world is hard, bodies are soft...it's a lucky man/woman who gets through it unscathed.Yes

[@DDeCicco]

@@plantagenant Agreed. We might also run the risk of watering down the concept so that it no longer qualifies as a useful frame for diagnosis. If applied too broadly, people with more simple problems will spend time on the wrong solution while those with actual trauma may be overlooked or underserved.

[@DDeCicco]

@@SnakeEater503 Is there an objective way to define it or does it depend on self-report? My understanding is that the word trauma implies something beyond the usual emotional slights that people experience.

[@DDeCicco]

@@SnakeEater503 Peace and harmony with the planet? In what sense? As I understand it, the ancestral environment was highly dangerous and often inhospitable to human life. If this were correct, would we have fewer reasons to feel traumatized in modern day?

[@ryanleedham3643]

The example he used of walkng home from school not knowing whether or not your dad was gonna abuse you hit home for me. I remember every single day walking home from school and sticking my neck out to look in my driveway, and everytime i would see my stepdads vehicle and know he was home from work before my mom was, my heart would just sink....seems kinda dark, but don't feel bad for me. As a get older I believe these struggles to have allowed me to persevere and become a stronger version of myself.💪

[@big_chungus73]

Same thing at my house brother. Really glad to see you were able to channel that pain, fear and anxiety into personal growth. It can be crushing. I was lucky that my grandparents took me in at 16 and turned my life around, and set me on that path to recovery and growth.

[@dr.spoon6936]

Good cope aint bad bruh

[@parrotshootist3004]

I suspect there are better to raise kids to be strong adults, but good on ya.

[@parrotshootist3004]

@@Mr_Penguins_Pet_Human Indeed.

[@theangriestoftabbies]

Still have compassion for you as a child 🫂

[@DiyEcoProjects]

6:04 for me, i store my anxiety in my solar plexus. It churns there. When im in nature, sleeping out in a tent I can literally feel a coil unwinding as i lay in the silence. I feel nature is a great healer

[@DiyEcoProjects]

"Younger self asking for attention" YES! well said

[@mkbcoolman]

Oh man...'coil unwinding' is the PERFECT analogy. I do a lot of wilderness hiking, and I sleep in a Hennessy Hammock. I get in that hammock and just stare up at the stars, and I can literally feel tension leaving my chest.

[@DiyEcoProjects]

@@mkbcoolman Yes brother... I think we miss the trees and the fire. Is been part of us for so long. I have some time lapses of trips to Wales, might wnat to see. It encapsulates what i feel about being there. Part of the camping thing i recon is that my world has suddenly got condensed, smaller, and controllable. Theres only me, the elements and cooking some food. What we do in life doesnt matter, only state of mind matters. So i try and bring some of that peace into my life. Im not perfect, i suffer from PTSD and things often piss me off, but at least im trying. Were all a work in progress it seems lol. All the best

[@siobhanfearon]

This episode moved me profoundly a number of times. Very much appreciate it. Cheers Chris and BIG CHEERS Dr Kennedy 👍

[@MisterL777]

I had an incredible psylocibin trip that basically put my brain upright again a year or so ago One of the things I learned from that (through integration it was no instant epiphany at least not that part) was that emotions are like waves Like you're chilling above the water on your back and a big wave is coming up (something that sucks like unrequited love). Don't fight it. Just let it happen. Let it lift you up, as high as it may. Let it bring you back down. It will pass. You're on top of that wave the whole time! It carries you. You come out on top. You probably drifted a little bit but you're uninjured. If you fight it with all your might, if you resist, it will crush you. You will sink. And it will last a whole lot longer. It's one of the things you learn from those trips : to let go.

[@hmmcinerney]

Beautiful thank you ❤

[@CF.]

So good, thanks ❤

[@mehditate]

Anxiety used to control my life. I even had GAD which is impossible to live with. Life hit me pretty hard after high school and it messed me up. I used to live in Miami being around street violence, guns, death, and I even used to eat $3 a day, 25 cents noodles, expired toast and canned campbell tomato soup. I survived the Boston Marathon Bombing which was a few feet away and I saw all the blood the people screaming and I was alone at 18. I also used to live in a room with no kitchen, trash bag as a window and bugs crawling on me at night. I also took boxing to protect myself and learned how to defend against bigger threats. Now I live in a cabin in the north of Sweden where I go down to a lake to breathe and heal my past and I post on KZbin to help others who need it the most.

[@youtubelearning2990]

Makes complete sense. As someone who has experienced trauma as a child, I don’t feel like it affected me as much as other people. Then again, I remember I got to a stage where I was so fed up that I started running out of nowhere. Like in the movie Forrest Gump. I just ran in regular shoes and clothes and Didn’t stop. I did that every day for years. I in a sense exorcised my trauma out of me

[@Leo-yo6wz]

Wow that’s literally what I did. Had traumas that I didn’t even realise were traumas with my dad in and out of my life. He had a gambling addiction and me and my sister would spend hours in the car outside betting shops not knowing why and being made to lie to our mum.

[@Leo-yo6wz]

Running was my way of taking away any feeling. I’m now in therapy going back to address everything. It’s amazing how much understanding you get from it. All the best to you

[@soniadeebee6391]

That's profound. Thank you.

[@rubyelfcup9685]

More woo please, Chris. This was one of your best.

[@wifeandmomma7452]

5 minutes in and I'm crying. My dad has mental health issues and my sister had bipolar schizophrenia. I'm anxious and felt like I've spent all my life worrying about something or the other. I will definitely buy this book. He FULLY understands it!!😭😭😭

[@theanxietymd]

Thank you! Glad you felt understood!💙

[@wifeandmomma7452]

@@theanxietymd #subscribed

[@anonymous06329]

I understand your pain, my brother is a bipolar schizophrenic with horrible drug addictions. I've also been dealing with depersonalization, thankfully the depersonalization is calmer but the anxiety is still there.

[@Snakebloke]

This is just what I need to hear right now. Thank you Chris

[@roadsterella]

Me too 🥲

[@blookolla]

You are a weak man.

[@amgod40]

Listening to these in the background would be such a disservice.

[@Prajna11]

Chris, huge thanks for your work in putting these talks together. These are invaluable conversations. Even simply your creating the space for this particular journey, be it different from much of your other, this being more internally directed, self awareness, it is much appreciated.

[@amgod40]

This podcast is hands down the best there is for personal development and improving our understanding of our complex human experiences. Your legit Chris. Keep up the amazing work!

[@deejay8ch]

10:26 "You can't think your way out of a feeling problem." Nice way to put it.

[@cleanerclimate278]

Total winner this conversation. So incredibly relevant and practically usable. Really appreciated!

[@andrewwillard5773]

This video was exactly what I needed when I needed it 😊 Enjoy your content keep up the hard work!

[@GlynTaylor]

The "if you believe it, it's true" phenomenon with the mind is super powerful. If you BELIEVE like he does that anxiety is held in the body, not the mind, then you can ease that anxiety by doing relevant treatments that you believe will work. Just like stuttering. People only stutter because they believe they stutter, which is why they can talk to themselves just fine. So, weirdly, even treatments that don't work, can work. Problem is that it's often only short term cures, because very simply you can forget about the 'cure', and accidently revert back to how you used to be, even just for a moment, then start doubting the cure, therefore rendering it no longer a cure

[@TehKarmalizer]

Based on my own experiences, I think it is a misnomer to say it is held in the body. I think the body manifests carried trauma in the body. I believe it is a projective exercise the brain uses to reconnect the experienced trauma to the prefrontal cortex by giving the prefrontal cortex something it can observe while the trauma is being re-experienced. Through observation, the brain can reinterpret the memories in the current context in which they are revisited.

[@zmirush]

Thank you so much Dr Russell Kennedy! This was just pure gold ❤

[@ashrafsheikh]

Thanks Chris and Dr. Russell for another excellent podcast. Dr. Russell, you look great for 62. Well done.

[@lukepokrajac1057]

I'd be interested in Dr. Kennedy's thoughts on undermethylation/micronutrient deficiencies and their effect on anxiety. I've had terrible anxiety/depression at different points in my life that were exacerbated by undermethylation (B6, B12, zinc and Sam-E) being the main deficiencies. I grew up in a household with parents who fought all the time...I mean all the time. I can see where the anxiety begins in childhood. Great podcast Chris!

[@theanxietymd]

Neurotransmitter synthesis pathways absolutely play a role in Anxiety. Under or over methylation can both play a role. Early childhood trauma may well change those pathways to support protection vs growth and create a self fulfilling prophecy where the persons neurochemistry is tuned towards a defensive posture that may aggravate anxiety disorders, specifically through alterations in seretonergic pathways.

[@lukepokrajac1057]

Along with counseling/learning "Tapping" therapy the addition of the micronutrients for the treatment of undermethylation and Pyroluria made a huge difference in my life. I truly believe that you have to go at anxiety from all available paths. It was awesome hearing about the physical control of anxiety through the body...tapping therapy would seem to fall right in with treatment modalities you spoke of. @@theanxietymd

[@thestuff4321]

@@lukepokrajac1057 I have similar issues. Could you please tell me what supplements you used or how you changed your diet and what helped the most? I've tried some B supplements but I suspect alcohol is diminishing the effect

[@lukepokrajac1057]

@@thestuff4321 Hey buddy...here's a great book to get on the subject...Nutrient Power by Dr. William Walsh. You can get it on Amazon. I hate to recommend supplements because everyone is different and what is good for me might be detrimental for you. The book is an excellent reference on under/over methylation and other nutrient deficiency conditions that can affect mental health. A good functional medicine MD should be versed in these conditions.

[@thestuff4321]

@@lukepokrajac1057 A book! Perfect. Thanks mate

[@dookieinapot]

No other podcast has helped me more than this one. THANK YOU!!!!!!!

[@skotski]

Brilliant conversation. Thank you for sharing it.

[@angelcandelaria6728]

This was one of the best episodes ive ever seen even amongst other channels. Cheers

[@VinnyXL420]

thank you! Another milestone in my understandign of myself and my pain. I needed that

[@dianedean4170]

Hello, Chris and Dr. Kennedy. Thanks so much for your thoughtful conversation which reveals so many ways to understand your mind and body. You are both helping so many people by sharing your inner self discoveries. Enjoy your day. Diane Dean

[@inconnu4961]

Happy Birthday Dr. Kennedy!

[@TedWrayArtist]

Excellent! Thank you for this

[@thara21]

The picture in the background speaks to me. It’s so powerful ❤❤

[@lynnfletcher6776]

Thank you Dr Kennedy, mind blowing a very good way.

[@erickinzel2645]

Congrats on a million subscribers been watching you since the get go love your take on things 💯🍺

[@mary-gael7633]

Chris talks about seing himself as a child in a trip (around 59'). I saw my inner child too in a "normal" dream (not a trip!). Well, I still remember it (it was about 15 years ago). This child needed to be loved and protected. I needed to be a parent to my inner child. And here we are, I think that this is exactly what being a adult is: BEING A PARENT TO OURSELF. In many ways at least. Self-love, self-discipline, self-gratification, care and protection, if you can't expect to get those from anyone, at least get it from yourself. This also allows you to love, protect and care for others. Boosting you empathy for yourself helps to develop empathy for others.

[@judiechamblee9581]

So true..at age 80 I found my anxiety in my fists..I noticed that I always slept all my life with one hand in a fist with the other hand crossed over my chest laying on my side....then after.loosing a lot of family in age 70s I got fibromyalgia all over pain....once I starting making my hands love each other i started a way to stop entire body nerves by laying down and closing eyes immediately and nap for 5 10 min. Or however long.....all this is because my daddy left me at age 4 promised to come back and never did so all scary feelings went back there where I was 4 and I was helpless and in love...

[@entropyvortex2484]

Damn. This one was a banger. Can’t even count how many times I rewound a segment several times to really let it sink in.

[@alelectric2767]

Thanks for this one Chris. I hate myself and I go out of my way to make sure others hate me too.

[@ryananthony407]

Need this keep up the good work

[@JasperAlkmaar]

58:50, thank you for sharing this. That hit me so deep man, huge thanks

[@blastemy]

This interview was excellent, a wise way to spend my time. I am a survivor of debilitating family anxiety and I can say from experience that the methods discussed work wonders for reducing/ameliorating anxiety and for mentally reframing panic attacks to render them harmless. Give it a try!

[@susanlongworth1699]

Biofeedback was the way I found to heal. Massages also work faster than talk therapy. You can also record your own voice with positive messages, listen to as you fall asleep, so goes into subconscious. I find life itself, not childhood, is my stressor!

[@arnogoossens9892]

This was a GREAT episode. Thanks for it. This side of the work REALLY needs to gradually come more into mainstream. And it WILL, because it's a scope that our traditional Western methods have failed to offer. I believe this has its roots in the fundamental assumptions about man and the human being that our traditions are built upon. The East will have a lot a lot to offer in this regard. As well as non-Western shamanic traditions from all over the world. Not to discredit the Western rationale, and all the treasures it has proven to offer, but it also brought some unavoidable limitations and blind spots.

[@lisav6583]

A lot of nuggets in this podcast. Thank you so much. Someone you might like is Richard Grannon. He was on Trigonometry. He would tie up some loose ends in this podcast.

[@danab172]

Doc, First, i have ordered your book and have told others about it. Second, I have chronic insomnia and anxiety. Unless I cure my life long anxiety, it's no way to live. I'm turning 47. My life feels like 24/7 anxiety and panick and paranoia, since early childhood. It affects every area of my life, especially learning towards gaining employment. I listened to this but I had to take an emergency clonapin afterwards. Why can't I just be healed? While listening to this, I tried to visualize myself as a child in various complex traumas... and I tried to tell me as a child that you are safe and I am here for you, and I love you. HOWEVER, I didn't believe it. And the reason why is that I have a complete lack of security. I'm not with a gainful employment. This of course effects my trust in my capability and reliability in myself. Therefore I lack self acceptance. So how can I love the neglected child? And I have no idea which chakra is my alarm storage except that I think it's a combo. But I'm thinking....if I can't be a parent or role model to myself, then maybe I can be a friend to that child, teenager, that was all alone. What do you think about that? Also, question: I had a fractured skull at a year old and was hospitalized for a week, after falling off a 14ft open ledge onto concrete. Besides being an unwanted child in every other way, do you think this TBI could have impacted an alarm in my body because it is a physical trauma. Please, I hope you respond please. I just began yoga.. but without security am I really even able to achieve inner peace? Or am I doomed until that happens. Please I'm so socially disconnected. If you could please just answer my questions and possibly guide me as to where and how to start curing this. And what to expect. Please, thank you.

[@Beederda]

Man 8 mins in and this makes the most sense to that what I couldn’t explain what happened to me after my dad died and i than took mushrooms i than asked that one ex girlfriend that question i found an epiphany within and removed a mental block like i reached into a deep dark pond and found the plug and pulled it out or maybe it was a corked bottle and I pulled the cork and the flood that happened after was healing and profound i than moved back to my mothers to understand the only parent i have left to understand where i came from what i am made up of the trauma she holds onto that raised me with so i can understand myself as deep as possible to understand what I carried on from childhood with her i just observe in silence and see very clearly now where and what my anxiety and depression is coming from or how I create it out of my own mind from subconscious mind of a random event i have directed my focus towards like the alcoholism of my mother i have no control over but understand why she is that way now.

[@ipeteagles]

helpful Guest. Ty Dr. Kennedy

[@mattanderson6672]

Thank you, this helped

[@TheGordonfactor]

Fantastic discussion. Thanks

[@andrewj497]

Great stuff guys - both of you

[@johnodonoghue651]

Most people 100 years ago didn't have time to dwell on anxiety like we do today. People worked 6 days a week just to eat and not die from a disease, or women raising children after their husband dies in a war or work accident. Anxiety has always been there; today we know more about it.

[@creepy_assassin6234]

20 secs in and im already teared up. Ya sure im not broken

[@betsyc6055]

I feel like Dr Kennedy would be amazing at Internal Family Systems

[@marcellocapone4925]

Listening to this I pictured Ebenezer Scrooge being made to relive his repressed childhood memories by the Ghost of Christmas Past in A Christmas Carol - reminding him in the process it wasn't really his fault why became who he is. And then I thought of my own childhood and my own misfortunes and shortcomings. The first 10 minutes made me assume the good Doc. was a bit of a woo-woo cooke, but in the end I'll be looking more into his work since I was not familiar with him, he has an interesting take.

[@colettithekid]

Yoga has brought me a deeper level of understanding of my own trauma. I couldn’t simply lay on my back with my arms open without holding on to some tension. Emotional tension. Almost as if I was constantly prepared for someone to come along and jab me in the gut.. despite the absurdity of that thought.

[@theanxietymd]

Much of what starts and perpetuates survival physiology and anxiety is a mind-body separation or disconnect. Coming into the deep sensation in the body (and yoga helps do that) is a way of reconnect ting mind and body in the present moment and has been healing for many.

[@mandohead8950]

This just takes me back to two points in my life that traumatized me one is the Dr telling my mom they thought I had muscular dystrophy when I had pains in my leg and never came about then when my dad kicked me in my back like this trauma just stays with me I’ve internalized it all.

[@AmeliaBodilia]

Respect to anyone who quotes Brene Brown and respect to Chris for “daring greatly”.

[@GuerillaUnderground]

They say if there’s a gun present in the first five minutes of a movie, it’s going to have be used before the end; I think the same applies to guitars... but I really did enjoy this podcast from start to finish! Really helpful and easy to understand for anyone who has experienced this kind of emotional trauma.

[@dominicmoreno4662]

Damn I really needed this

[@AnEuKen]

What I took away from this podcast is that what is called 'anxiety' in the general usage could be split into: 1. Alert (Me being aware that there is something that needs my attention) 2. Alarmed (Me being concerned about something and beginning to size up what I need to focus on) 3. Anxious (Me feeling overwhelmed about something, even more so when it is prolonged)

[@HappyLife-wv5ms]

I think modern life is anxiety producing. You do not need to have a childhood trauma. Learning how to deal with anxiety, no matter what the trigger, is what is important.

[@HimmelsDaemon]

I think the topic and relation to the scales of history and modernity society is important. Related to all the free time and less forced effort that takes up time and emotion. With all the gibbering, I believe the idea Russell is trying to explain rather that bodily processes get set and never unset. I'd guess because normally what it's reacting to would never go away, recognizing a part of life/environment that'll kill you. The idea of "feeling" in the bodily way makes some sense like that, you'd have to remake the connection to unset it. Looking for certainty is what creates the separation. Separation is not only a great certainty, if one of the greatest, it is also a great exploitation that people will beg for for an easy certainty. Chris mentions coping strategies, which of course... those can be good or bad. And that connects with the idea of it being more bodily, it getting set and permanent rather than something active and you have more control of. The "woo" is too much in the wording and rhetoric, it could be improved, but "woo" like wording is also a good means of explaining complex things through reference. Which is dangerous, and people are skittish of, because people aren't very capable of handling that without getting confused and taken for abuse. There's the conceptual that can explain more than only accepting an exact description, which language itself should suggest that's silly. (Again the "woo" is in the wording, undoes that in how he describes what he means by actual young self... its because representative model he's using. It's that the words are being said so certainly, with words that would "literally" mean something else and have a different perception.) The idea of "evidence based" is the misrepresentation of "evidence." The BS corruption of academia and the use of a term to exploit it for the sake of it. So... the idea of bodily, "within the body," does not really seem that "woo" besides desperately locked into a certain rhetoric. "woo" wording is well to be weary of, because that conceptual and referential thinking is far easier exploited. However, just like "authoritative" and "evidence based," the rigid is also exploitable and is widely also done. The former is easier to notice then the latter, as the former takes more effort to engage so most just avoid it et-all for that. --- I'll stop there, have though a lot of things that would fit with this. Gotta be careful with "positive" and "negative," not always the good/bad meanings. I'd imagine most of the meditations and the ideas of sensations is pretty on keeping control and not automatic processing. So both helps managing and also reattaching to old sets. And "meditation" could be very broad, to however it works for you. I'm believe I'm a little weird, in that I spiral down into "hey, No!" and "loop back around." Ended up finding insights and "fighting back" rather than... well what others would likely do. --- No, I am still actually worthless. I extremely disagree with the thing about females, and the idea of "emotional intelligence." (Hate that) I think it's more a difference in wiring, and for what set to deal with. It could be looked at that way, but I think it's just more different... likely to keep it away, not so much capability. Or... it takes more intent, because 'wired' to be able to not engage. I also extremely disagree with the women/female for linguistic, they're also more manipulative... and so it is culturally improved and held back. The problem with talking about vulnerability, is also cultural, but because you will be attack and you will be exploited. Everyone's knives and fangs are out. And yhea, people saying they "want" is not try, most do not want. Do wish more did, but they don't. It's not the "men" see, it's that society sees. That along with other things is taught to children. He's missing the mark completely on the BS of men and mentioning a bunch of falsehoods along with "the patriarchy." ( The "backlash" against men is fake. Its to keep people punished... it's not men or males that are the "police." ) He's himself perpetuating the stereotype, and that's wrong. I'd say this is more that male children aren't taught instead and are treated as disposable slaves by everyone. I'ma "cry-baby" weirdo (not that I greatly think of it like that myself), it's not the other males that every saw having issue with that. It's society and the presented that women will hate that. Anything being pushed my men to the stereotype are keeping with what is being dictated and also to protect others because everyone else is out for you. And it's society and women that will go after people... the problem is that society is not open or willing for it. Talk about "woo," but this bs is far worse than any "woo." Really sick of that forced demographic separation, and keeping with the blame that is why a lot of those threat feelings are a thing, because the threat is denied of existence. --- I've long wondered if psychedelics would either do nothing or be absolutely nuts for me. Haha... Likely never happening, just like will never have a life. So, not monetarily, or chance, or every anyone trustable. :d Oh, and screw "sparks." ... Actually understanding relationships and engaging the properly instead of assigned/demo groupings. No-one, not women/females have any idea of relationships either. Society has abandoned relationships as a good thing, have a wrong exploitative focused idea entirely. "Women" don't get the message either, I extremely doubt are any better in reality -- too many variables, including that females in reality have greater privilege in everything contrary to the falsehoods. Too much, "either or" in choices of ways things can be, "woo" or not, "victim" or not... You can say people should have "counselors," but good luck finding someone actually good enough to not be abusive. There aren't enough people in society at large who won't "pull the rug out from you." So many modern and "communities" are built entirely around threat of pulling that rug. -- When these get touched near, it's always dismissive to not touch it.... and that's what truly needs fixed to address things.

[@buddahmaster]

I feel not all anxiety's are rooted in childhood trauma that this good man keeps saying. I feel it's the environment and change in socializing or lack thereof, where we have lost the ability to even be social around others since mostly at least since cov people have stayed inside there rooms for so long simple socializing skills have gone right out the window. That's why social anxiety is getting prevalent.

[@theanxietymd]

There are many other reasons for chronic anxiety OTHER than childhood trauma. That said ,the vast majority of my anxiety patients have trauma at the root.

[@buddahmaster]

@@theanxietymd thank you for the reply.

[@obifey]

"WOO" is the Way!! I just finished 6 months with Leslie Huddart's, Body Wisdom Academy (Subtle Body Certification). She points to the same things you are talking about. And we learn powerful tools & techniques to get in there and really DO THE INNER WORK! It's as scary as HELL! But I'm better and now have the tools to deal with my "Freak Outs"!

[@Okillydokilly69]

Who said I’m anxious ?! You’re anxious ! Stop judging me KZbin algorithm!

[@Okillydokilly69]

Anyone else feeling personally attacked by the title of this video 😂?

[@Alivion3e]

@@Okillydokilly69 feeling embraceed for some reason 😶😶

[@kamrankianpour7722]

Chris you're so fine GENTELMAN thanks for everything man this episode was so good

[@davidkaye8712]

Woo, is science we dont understand just yet !

[@theanxietymd]

I agree David!

[@mary-gael7633]

It's interesting what he says about uncertainty. I think doubt and uncertainty most define who I am and I only just began to understand how interesting this trait is. Not being afraid of it is a major superpower. I actually think that uncertainty is our hope, I mean: I'd rather be uncertain, than sure that the worst will happen. And it's often the case: a black swan emerges from nowhere and what was going to be a catastrophy ends up being not that bad. Human failure also is our hope, meaning that at least, it's likely that if some humans set an evil plan or conspiracy of some sort, it will probably fail or at least be far from perfectly conducted.

[@susielee8101]

I think it is very respectable of Chris not to interrupt Dr Kennedy while he was trying to answer his question. I watched another interview by another broadcaster who constantly interrupted Dr Kennedy and offered an answer to her own question as if they were on a beat the clock contest. I found it so annoying so I switched the channel and found this one that I totally enjoyed. Thank you for all this important information about anxiety, Dr Kennedy !

[@nurrnena7798]

I have the opposite fear - I like uncertain situations, because then I can focus my mind on that and not worry about anything else. But I’m afraid to create these situations myself. I need a push from the outside or another “lunatic” to pursuit adventures or hardship with. I’m anxious if I’m at home, everything is just normal and I have to do schoolwork. Then I just procastinate my way into more anxiety.

[@gregwythes6055]

The amygdala is responsible for the fight, flight or freeze response that can get stuck when people experience trauma. And the insula is responsible for our ability to control our emotional responses and immune system. From what I’ve read it’s this same response that disconnects us from our nervous systems, this is the reason trauma can get stuck in our body. “We aren’t just our brains…”We are our entirety including our body. The trauma reaction travels through our entire body and if our system doesn’t complete the process…the trauma can get stuck. This can feel like mental emotion pain but it’s roots are from our nervous system. No amount of head work alone will release it. The work needs to be holistic and include the nervous system “body”. It’s no more woo woo than psychology. The reality is we know fuck all about the brain and it’s connection to the rest of the body.

[@theanxietymd]

Couldn’t agree more! So well said Greg!

[@iamthefiremanjj]

Yesss

[@GoldChampion23]

So what should I do to get rid of the trauma of my nervous system? I feel like mine is in my throat.

[@gregwythes6055]

@@GoldChampion23 there’s a method of psychology called somatic experiencing… it focuses on on bottom up psychology and is used to locate trauma in the body and allow the body and mind to finish the process and release it. Psychedelics in a controlled environment with a trained Sharman also has excellent results.

[@chrisgiles5653]

Great guy(s), great advice. Also maybe take a look at InnerBonding by Margaret Paul, a way of connecting with your inner child.

[@theanxietymd]

I will look that up, thanks for the suggestion.

[@divineray1977]

62 looks great on you Doc😊

[@andreasv9472]

To summarize. He got anxious because of his schizophrenic father, and his fear that he would become schizophrenic. He solved this by taking LSD, which made him see that his anxiety was actually a little boy, which was a younger version of himself trapped in time, and this boy was trapped in his solar plexus. In order to free him he has to talk to this little boy, and explain to him that he is in the future now. And because of this experience he no longer fears that he is schizophrenic. Brilliant.

[@BayleyPantlin96]

When he said ‘growing up too fast’ I was hoping he wouldn’t say shoulders, but of course he did.

[@robertoospina10]

I've directly addresses my childhood trauma and brought it to light. Confronted my vulnerability and discusses with my Mother... Completely out in the open. Yet, nothing has changed in my state of mind. So while this all sounds good, doesn't seem to have worked for me.

[@pumpkin1982]

The body and the mind, especially the gut, do not conflict. Somatic work is extremely important. Grounding and ACT speaks directly to learning how to be willing to feel. Sensations are not wu. Thanks western medicine.

[@123JoshyC]

Chris can you please jog my memory about the name of the book/author you shared a front cover of in an IG story yesterday? I think it was a book about focus or a similar subject. Ty!

[@markusstewart9298]

I’m so anxious I could strangle a coyote - Will Ferell (The Other Guys bloopers) 🤣👌

[@thara21]

I can relate 😂

[@memastarful]

Hhmm food for thought. Very interesting!

[@inconnu4961]

Bon Appetit!

[@anthonymichael4181]

All anxiety is when a person hasn’t forgiven themselves over the things they’ve done that embarrass, or hurt their reputation in the face of others, and dwell on it repeatedly to the point where they think everybody knows, and will be paid back for their acts and actions and are afraid of dyingso overcome anxiety forgive yourself don’t worry what people think and are saying live in the time now and be the new person you wanna be and be comfortable with your demise

[@WaddupBoi]

I think all this sounds woo simply because we are story-making machines. Honestly trauma work doesn't seem too dis-similar from exposure therapy in a safe environment. When you calm the body you naturally re-write a narrative to support it, but sometimes one seems to override the other so the goal is to get both of these structures in harmony.

[@DawnalynForrest]

Very helpful. What is the process when it looks too big and resign to it?

[@theanxietymd]

Small steps. Titration using the body. Consider looking into SOMATIC EXPERIENCING or INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS approaches.

[@jordanpresnell4996]

It’s insane what is so obvious to the attentive person and ancient people is so foreign and approached with such skepticism by the “smart” people in our society. To a religious person, person who’s mastered a craft, or monastic/monk this connection between mind and body is just the way the world is. But because of materialistic scientists it took this man 30 years to come to an inherently obvious conclusion to someone with a right/true/complete worldview.

[@nickst0ne]

I'm only 15 minutes in, and it's fascinating. Also it brings up a question which I doubt will be answered: "is introversion/shyness (social anxiety) caused by some kind of trauma or neglect/abandonment/abuse?"

[@theanxietymd]

Of course, this is a nature versus nurture issue. More studies are showing us that our temperament may have a distinct genetic component. Also, we may be born with a certain “set point” of SENSITIVITY. Ask any parent and they will tell you that one of their children is more sensitive than the other. And they have been that way since birth. Attempt to answer your question: introversion/shyness may be an external manifestation of this inherent sensitivity.

[@theanxietymd]

Additionally, you are sensitive, and you experience ridicule our bullying as a child, your introversion/shyness may be fostered by your negative life experience.

[@nickst0ne]

​@@theanxietymd Thanks for taking some time to answer. Well, yeah, everything is the result of nature encountering nurture. But I was hoping there could be a longer answer (maybe in some podcast someday?) about the proportions or the more precise mechanisms. Knowing how things work can be the basis for creativity to design ways to "counter-nurture" the traits we want to diminish... Thanks again for the interview and for your time.

[@TheGodfather140589]

Great episode...anyone know what that artwork is, in the background above the guitar?

[@thara21]

Search for burning man artwork

[@TheGodfather140589]

@@thara21 Cheers!

[@thara21]

@@TheGodfather140589 no problem hun

[@catherinewatt4035]

I would of liked to know more examples of worry plays a purpose.

[@sebcamm4604]

Hi Chris, commenting on your reaction to 'woo' ideas etc. Just remember that very little is understood about consciousness at all - and the body after all is part of our conscious being. When stressed we can get bad backs, shoulders or neck - because the body is responding to our conscious state and tensing. I think trauma being placed in different places could be analogous. If trauma is stored in the throat maybe the trauma elicited a certain glandular response? Body and mind are intertwined and part of the same system. Consciousness is a mystery and science is constantly evolving. Some of the 'woo' out there is actually Twoo (cringe haha)

[@mouwersor]

When he says "anxiety is stored in the body" I think he just means, or rather should mean, that it is in the unconscious aspects of the brain which project it onto our model of the body.

[@theanxietymd]

Yes. For the most part , that is what I mean. I believe the insular cortex plays a major role in this “feeling” of a discomfort or pain localized to a specific part of their body. But from a practical sense that has helped my patients immeasurably is to create a therapeutic model where they believe their pain has a locus that they can quantify in the “felt sense” of their body. In contrast to the “brain holds all perception” model there have been many cases where an organ transplant recipient develops tastes and traits and yes even MEMORIES of the donor. “Science” has yet to explain these phenomena of “memories” being transplanted outside of nervous system tissue proper.

[@daddycubjudah]

I don't know why it makes me so uneasy to hear the inner child refered to as Woo. Part of me gets it I suppose but Im pretty confident that there's a closeness that this man has developed with his inner child whereas calling it woo must feel like a betrayal. I know why he's doing it. He's buffering it against perception but at the same time the inner child has to be fought for without shame. I gotta believe that his inner child hates the word Woo. Thank You Dr Kennedy and Chris

[@iamthefiremanjj]

100% need a somatic approach to anxiety . It’s one of the only ways to actually re train the nervous system

[@betsyc6055]

I had to get my tonsils out when I was 8. I think it was a narcissistic father and a sister who was taking after him. My voice was constantly suppressed

[@carolgray327]

If you have a head injury for 15 yrs. Vertigo, tinnitus, mini strokes how can life be good? How can you get past anxiety?

[@mccoy.dcm.369]

I really like that illustration Russell has on the back, anyOne knows the name/artist or how to find it? I already used google lense with no luck, unfortunately.

[@thara21]

I searched for inner child trapped in steel frame art, and it showed up😊

[@akumacode]

In massage, emotional responses can be triggered. I'm more scientific about my approach to life so I thought it was woowoo BS. But then I had someone who went through 911, and then I realized how real it was

[@crazyman2188]

does anyone know the name of that painting with wireframe people behind Dr. Kennedy?

[@theanxietymd]

I don’t know the name, but I got it on Etsy by searching burning man photo

[@catalintican5530]

Modern anxiety is separation from God and from the sense of belonging to a tradițional comunity. One cannot change the mind with the mind? For thousands of years they did it with prayer ..

[@sharronbennett8990]

Glad I kept reading the comments and saw yours! I totally agree.

[@iamthefiremanjj]

Prayer will not cure anxiety .

[@pumpkin1982]

Don’t think that God isn’t using your anxiety or depression. He is teaching and shaping us. Don’t waste your pain. Seek Him and he’ll bring you through to the other side.

[@ryanleedham3643]

Fuck this episode is so good

[@huxleyginsberg13]

Good interview

[@FlexStudioPL]

OK watched start from lookin on the header. Will watch whole episode later after work. But can't agree with pattern that we using to blaming not loving our selfs. No body told me that in my young years and I WAS HAVING THAT FEELING of hating/not loving me from the young years (not having good relationship with my abusive father). Hope I will understand / be wrong on the end of the episode.

[@alex-ff1mp]

let's simplify: the trauma triggers reflexes as in gym exercises. This means you have a set of physiological routines linked to a trigger. Like hearing a specific music - start a specific dancing move; you need to re train the preset routine. In sport is a quote: is hard to re train one that is used to a bad form. You need to make him forget the initial training and retraining him.

[@ancientfuture9690]

Damn, I can really relate to the monologue of Chris' inner-critic. Mine has gotten better over the years (through exposure therapy and perhaps a little more kindness to myself...which, if I'm honest, is still difficult to comprehend) but the imposter syndrome is a strong one, which still emerges from time to time despite the contrary evidence in my life. In a strange way, it's good to know I'm not alone.

[@jakeglenn2246]

Thanks Chris. Can you condense this to a 10 minute summary to increase subscribers and also break the original into 4 equal parts? Keep up the good work!