Anxiety Rx: A New Prescription for Anxiety Relief from the Doctor Who Created It

At the beginning of this year (2023), in the middle of the night, riddled with insomnia and emotional terror, I searched the word "anxiety" in Spotify, hoping to find a podcast episode that would comfort me back to sleep. I came across an interview with Dr. Kennedy on the Mel Robbins show. I hadn't heard of either person, but was hooked by the description: "Everything you think about anxiety is wrong." And, "...this interview today is so revolutionary, it's forever changed the way I think about my anxiety and my relationship to it."I was not disappointed by the interview. I soon fell asleep, soothed and curious about this new method, and in the morning purchased Anxiety Rx.It took me about two and half weeks to read the book, along with reviews here and there, plus episodes of Kennedy's podcast. Yes the book is repetitive, but in the end I am thankful for that. Without being steeped in the concepts and drilling them over and over, a real shift in a lifetime's worth of negative thought patterns would not be possible. (The suggestion I would make for a revised edition would be to state from the introduction that there will be repetition—and to explain the importance of it—in order to manage reader expectations.)Like a lot of other satisfied readers, I highlighted vast swaths of the book. Also like a lot of readers, I am familiar with other books, teachings and modalities in the emotional suffering and healing world: The Power of Now, Radical Acceptance, yoga, Buddhism, Byron Katie, Gabor Mate, mindfulness meditation, psychedelic psychotherapy and so forth. I also take an SSRI, completed over a dozen years of counseling, adopted a low-carb, high protein diet, and even became a personal trainer and nutrition coach because of the anti-depressant effects fitness and diet have on my emotional state.Having done all that, the "alarm" still would find its way through to terrorize me, and I believed the cruel, negative thought loops to such a point that I wanted to die.What Anxiety Rx did for me was to distill wisdom I had learned from other sources into actionable steps that I could implement immediately.Dr. Russ teaches (among other things):-All anxiety is separation anxiety from childhood. In adulthood, we become separated from ourselves.-Believing negative thoughts is what causes the pain, not the thoughts themselves.-Approach healing from the neck down. The mind lies. The body never lies.-JABS = judge, alienate/abandon, blame, shame. JABS are the negative thought loops that lead to depression, paralysis, despair.-When we were abused or abandoned by our caregivers, we still looked up to them. We could not blame them so we figured we must be to blame. We turned on ourselves as unlovable.-When alarm strikes, ask yourself three questions: am I safe right NOW, what am I thankful for, where in my body am I safe?-ALARMS is really what our inner child is feeling. (Abandonment, Loss, Abuse, Rejection, Maturing too early, Shame. Dr. Russ loves his acronyms. I have every one of these letters from my childhood, and had to skip parts of the ALARMS section because it was too overwhelming.) The inner child needs to feel safe and protected. Alarm is triggered in the present by experiences that recall the initial wound. (For me it's also triggered by high morning cortisol.)-Tune out of the fiction mind and into reality: physical sensations. Hand on your heart, set the intention to protect your inner child. She is safe now. She can rest.-In the millisecond after the body feels the alarm, the mind scrolls through the rolodex of potential fears to justify the panicked feeling. These thoughts are never true. Don't engage with the thoughts. Keep to the body.-Trying to heal negative thoughts with more thoughts is like trying to put out a fire with gasoline.I LOVED creating visualizations and having conversations with my inner child. It helped me detach in a creative and magical way from incredibly paralyzing thoughts. With an inner child ally, it becomes easy to see that the negative thoughts cannot possibly be true. They can't apply to an innocent child, and we ARE our innocent inner child. Now, every time a negative thought threatens me, I call up my inner child and we dismantle the thoughts together through visualizations and self-compassion.Since reading the book, I have found a true ally within myself. I have learned that the "ego dragon" is an ancient protective mechanism that warped into a terrorizing demon who also needs to be heard and loved. By telling myself that I am a terrible person it keeps me from taking risks or living in the uncertainty of the present moment, and that uncertainty, as an abused child, was more terrifying than the familiarity and strange comfort of self-hatred. That was a huge revelation that I am so thankful for.Another revelation for me was the slipperiness of the ego dragon. Over the years, in addition to self-flagellation, my ego dragon fed me enticing fantasies of rescue, which Kennedy associates rightly with victimhood. I used to have great hopes of fame and fortune, along with all-consuming romantic infatuations. I now see that my ego was playing a long con on me—building up the hope of rescue through external and grandiose validation only for the fantasy to never manifest, leaving me feeling humiliated, rejected and inevitably despondent. Now, along with my inner child practice and the ABCs, I remain not only vigilant for self-hating thoughts, but also for fantasies of grandeur, knowing that they are the cunning work of the ego dragon. This helps me stick to the present moment, slow down and lean into the sometimes painful but never deadly uncertainty of life.This is probably the longest review I've written here, thank you for reading. I know this book will not resonate with everyone but for me it was a true gift. If Dr. Kennedy ever creates a teacher certification program I would definitely sign up, because it would be incredibly meaningful to help others overcome decades of emotional pain.Thank you for this wonderful technique and wisdom.

Reading this book has absolutely changed my life. I read a lot of books, specifically a lot of self-help books. I've never read a book this deep, thorough, and profound. He really does teach you how to get to the root of your issues. And not just a bunch of little tricks to work around your issues. Real, lasting healing.I've never heard someone explain anxiety as well as he has. I feel like when he's explaining childhood issues I have so many light bulbs going off because he is so accurately describing exactly what happened to me and why I am the way that I am. That has brought so much compassion for myself which is allowed me to heal a lot more. This is probably my all-time favorite book I've ever read. It's deeply impactful.

I really like how Dr. Kennedy refers to anxiety as alarm in the body. He gives you a completely different perspective and what causes it and how to deal with it in a way I've never considered. As someone dealing with OCD, PTSD and sometimes crippling anxiety, I can share that his book is worth every penny! Highly recommend for those struggling to find a true solution versus medication.

This book is life changing. It is well-written and makes so much sense. It has helped me come to peace with my anxiety. I do a quick check-in with my alarm 2-3 times a day. Then I listen to Dr. Kennedy’s Yoga Nidra about 3 days a week through his MBRX program. Everyone around me notices a simple shift in me. I am also practicing these techniques with my family and students. This book is a life-changer and I think everyone would benefit from it. I am forever grateful for Dr. Kennedy!

Was very interested for awhile.Loosing interest the longer I read

A friend recommended this book and I read about it but decided I didn’t want to add yet another marginally helpful self-help book about anxiety to my shelf. but I kept coming back to look again and I pay attention when that happens. I bought the book, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it caused a paradigm shift in my 50-something brain. I studied Soto Zen for 15 years, I’ve lost count of how many other things I’ve tried over the years: CBT, DBT, therapy, group therapy, EFT, TAT, Depth hypnosis, Heartmath, NET, yoga, acupuncture, acupressure to name a few. I’ve also been on several medications. Nothing has helped me as much as reading this book and doing the ABC’s as laid out by Dr. Kennedy. The way he explains things using his medical background and science, coupled with his personal experience and radical transparency helped me to understand WTF has been going on in my body and brain. It is not a quick fix, but for me it definitely started helping right away. I’m about 9 months in and still learning so much about myself and reactions that lead to alarm/anxiety--but I’m worlds away from where I started, and I don’t feel fated to suffer due to a combination of a crappy childhood and genetic predisposition to anxiety/depression anymore. I bought my partner his own copy and he has also found it to be transformative. Again, not a magic bullet, not as easy as taking a pill, but for me—it has led me down a path that enables me to enjoy my life more than I have in a good long time. I’m utterly grateful to this kinda dorky Canadian dude.

There lots of books on the market that try to help people with anxiety. This book is different. The solution to separate mind from body and apply therapy directly to body is just perfect for me. The idea to use ABC steps is simple and effective. It can be used anywhere, anytime except, as the author reapeatedly underlines, while driving.The only issue I have is, that there are so many repetitions and redundancy. The same concepts were rephrased over and over again. The subject of relationship with author's father was probably referred to more than 50 times throughout the book.But it does not diminish the value of the book. I use ABC concept every day now. Thank you Mr. Kennedy for this publication.

Excellent book. Well worth a read or listen. I bought both the Audio and the hard copy. Dr Russ has a lot of info to share.

O livro traz insights verdadeiros e pode ajudar quem sofre de ansiedade crônica. O lado negativo é que o autor exagera na repetição e nas referências pessoais, tornando o texto desnecessariamente longo e cansativo em algumas passagens.

Dieses Buch und auch der Podcast von Russell Kennedy sind die ersten Dinge, die mir wirklich geholfen haben.Hier geht es nicht darum, sich die Welt positiv und schön zu denken. Auch nicht anderen vorzuhalten welche Verletzungen sie einem angetan haben, oder Strategien diese Konflikte mit diesen Menschen zu lösen. Und auch nicht um die Top 10 Dinge und Routinen die das Leben verbessern sollen.Es geht darum eine Verbindung zu sich wiederzufinden und aufzubauen, die irgendwo verloren ging. Zu verstehen, dass die Gedanken nicht die Ursache des Problems, sondern nur ein Symptom des Problems ist. Und darum einen weg zu finden, sich selbst das zu geben, was man in traumatischen Zeiten nicht erhalten hat. Sei es als Kind, Jugendlicher oder Erwachsener.----- Wie ich zu diesem Buch gekommen bin -----Ich allem, was nicht wissenschaftlich bewiesen ist, sehr skeptisch gegenüber. Weswegen der Weg zu diesem Buch sehr lange war. (Ich kämpfe bereits mein halbes Leben mit diesen Problemen)Nach dem Kontakt mit Psychiatern/Therapeuten habe ich mich nicht wirklich verstanden gefühlt. Es wurden extrem schnell Medikamente verschrieben und probiert, bevor überhaupt noch die Ursache verstanden, geschweige denn besprochen wurde.Medikamente haben natürlich ihre Wirkung, aber auch starke Nebenwirkungen. Allerdings war die Wirkung der Medikamente auf mich hauptsächlich dämpfend, betäubend und allgemein hatte ich den Eindruck nichts mehr zu fühlen. Ich war wieder arbeitsfähig, aber wie ein gefühlsloser Roboter. Das Problem bzw. das Trauma wurde nicht aufgelöst.Außerdem scheint es beim Versuch diese Probleme zu lösen vorwiegend darum zu gehen anders zu denken. Mein Verhalten und meine Reaktionen zu verstehen finde ich durchaus extrem wichtig. Allerdings änderte für mich eine positivere Denkweise nichts daran, wie ich mich gefühlt habe.Ich bekam das Eindruck und es scheint auch tatsächlich so zu sein, dass Mediziner (Der Autor Russell Kennedy ist selbst einer) eigentlich noch sehr wenig über psychische Erkrankungen wissen und verstehen, oder zumindest noch nicht genau zu wissen wie sie effektiv behandelt und nicht nur unterdrückt werden können.

I was paralysed with crippling anxiety for many many years. I am 23 years old and I discovered Dr Russell Kennedy's work last year by listening to the Mel Robbins podcast, for the first time I saw light at the end of the tunnel. I have tried talk therapy and CBT for many years but the effects didn't last long enough for me to move about my daily life without the Anxiety that was wearing me down. It was through this book I understood the most important facet for healing my anxiety. My anxiety was so severe that I lost sleep for 4 days straight. My mind will shut down but my body wouldn't come to terms with my mind. My digestion was out of place, I threw up everything I ate. It was horrible and I'm not exaggerating one bit and no, Dr Russ didn't ask me to type this but this one man's work transformed my life not on a whim, as he says, it's not going to happen soon and healing is very erratic but my symptoms have been going down and for the first time I have reconcealed with my younger child who faced trauma. I am lucky to live in this time space for getting a chance to read this book. Thank you for taking one for the team Dr Russ. It's a must read book for healing your trauma, anxiety and Dissociation disorders.

This book is amazing and so helpful in trying to overcome years of anxiety and alarm build up. It is simple to understand but by no means easy and will require lots of self awareness and discipline. Probably not what you want here, but the mind is full of complexities, this book helps to understand why you fall into patterns of thinking and how we let fear and ego take over.The link to life’s traumas (especially in childhood, yes we all have some trauma) is important, particularly about an individuals able to deal with them, those of us who are sensitive soul and the likely and easy victims of anxiety later in life.A lot makes sense and it is going to a challenging journey in changing my mind set and perception, and I’m sure my fear and ego is going to fight back with resistance.Don’t be under any illusions that it will eradicate your anxiety completely but it will certainly help you look at it differently and impact it has on your life will be reduce. But be prepared to put in the work, lots of self awareness and discipline.The repetition in the book is essential, you’ll understand why by the end!