Anxiety Book Club Podcast

Join me and Dr. Jud as we explore the science behind mindfulness and how we can leverage it to intervene in the carrying out of bad habits in our own lives, learning from his research in treating smoking, cocaine use, anxiety and other addictions. Find out more about Dr. Jud at his website or the book, The Craving Mind.

Listen to my conversation with myself about the highly popular text on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, The Happiness Project by Dr. Russ Harris.

Do you know what mindfulness is? It is a big idea that can be hard to grasp and gets thrown around cavalierly. In this episode I speak with Eowyn Ahlstrom, a longtime Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction instructor, retreat leader and assistant director for community and online programs at the Mindfulness Center at Brown University.

This episode is a departure from the normal author interview. This time I interview my good friend and neighbor, Rebecca Hill, about her journey to becoming a clinical psychologist.

We cover a lot of ground here, with some good advice for those thinking of becoming mental health practitioners, as well as Rebecca’s personal struggles and achievements in getting her to where she is today.

Rebecca’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-hill-552223121/

This is a special episode. I interview Julie Simon, author of When Food is Comfort: How to Nurture Yourself Mindfully, Rewire Your Brain, and End Emotional Eating. This is the podcast’s first book on emotional eating, and its’s a gem.

Julie helps us understand why many of us reach for food in times of distress — simply, because we don’t have the right tools for managing upsetting emotions in healthy ways. I’ve been an emotional eater / stress eater / binge eater for a long time, and despite a healthy mindfulness practice, I still struggle with how to deal with life’s ups and downs without looking for a caloric escape.

It turns out it’s a lot about love and how we talk to ourselves. Many of us have not been raised with nurturing voices in our heads — steady, reliable, loving voices that provide comfort when life goes pear shaped. “Rewiring your brain” to include an additional voice of comfort and support goes a long way in helping you to cope without needing an unhealthy, external source of pleasure, like food.

Through practice, and honing the seven skills that Julie outlines in her book, there is great hope that we can fill the gaps in our self care practice to add a soothing voice to the “committee” of characters in our heads.

I hope you enjoy!

You can find more about Julie, her books and her therapeutic practice at her website, https://overeatingrecovery.com/.

Enjoy my discussion with Dr. Reid Wilson, a scholar and influential figure in the field of anxiety. We discuss his book, Stopping the Noise in Your Head, and how to step into anxious moments to score points against the doubting disease.

Listen to my awesome interview with the wonderful Shala Nicely. We talk about her struggles and achievements with her own OCD as documented in her very accessible book, Is Fred in the Refrigerator? This book meant a lot to me, as I was able to identify with so much of what Shala writes, and it also let me know about the OCDF conference, which I attended and really enjoyed last year. Don’t miss this one!!

This is a great one about anxiety, doubt and uncertainty. Author Jeff Bell takes us through his own trials with OCD and how he developed a solution to the nagging problem of the doubting disease.

Listen to my interview with Steven Hayes, a pivotal figure in the development of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), a pioneering version of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy that can help sufferers of anxiety (and all humans) connect with the life they truly value — guided by the things that are important to them. The ACT methodology can help you move mindfully toward your goals, stepping forward courageously in your personal hero’s journey.

The book: https://www.amazon.com/Get-Your-Mind-Into-Life/dp/1572244259