Podcast Summary
Healing Anxiety: A Step-by-Step Process with Dr. Russell Kennedy and Mel Robbins: Anxiety can be healed by understanding its root causes and using the tools provided in this episode, leading to increased peace, confidence, clarity, and happiness.
In this episode of the Mel Robbins podcast, Mel and Dr. Russell Kennedy explore anxiety, a topic that affects us all. Dr. Kennedy, a medical doctor, neuroscientist, and best-selling author, provides insight into the root causes of anxiety and the step-by-step process of healing from it. Mel, who has struggled with anxiety and has children who have also faced it, emphasizes the significance of understanding and healing from anxiety rather than just coping with it. The episode promises to provide listeners with tools that have changed both Mel and Dr. Kennedy's lives and can lead to increased levels of peace, confidence, clarity, and happiness.
Understanding the Physiology of Anxiety.: Anxiety stems from unresolved trauma or stress stored in the body. Traditional therapy may not be effective, so focus on exploring the bodily sensations and feelings that drive anxious thoughts.
Anxiety is a feeling-based process that is reflected in our minds, driven by unresolved trauma or issues from childhood that are stored in our bodies. Anxiety is not painful itself, but it creates a sense of alarm in our body that drives our thoughts. When we experience chronic anxiety, it could indicate that there is unresolved trauma or stress that needs to be addressed in our bodies. Traditional therapy that focuses on treating anxiety through the mind may not be as effective, and it's important to focus on dropping into the body to understand the feelings that trigger the spiral of thoughts.
Understanding the Link between Childhood Trauma and Anxiety: Childhood trauma can lead to global anxiety which causes a permanent change in the nervous system. One can heal anxiety with the right treatment plan and a supportive family can prevent the impact of insecure attachment on the nervous system.
Many people are unaware that they have anxiety and that it becomes a normal part of their lives until it reaches a point of discomfort where they realize something is wrong. Instagram and social media have made everything seem like trauma, but unresolved childhood trauma causes a permanent change in the nervous system and leads to global anxiety. When children experience trauma, they blame themselves, which results in self-judgment, abandonment, and shame. Trauma lodges an alarm in the body, which leads to overthinking as a temporary escape. If your parents love you, and you have a supportive family, insecure attachment won't impact your nervous system creating a permanent change. Anxiety can be healed with the right treatment plan.
The Link Between Anxiety and Childhood Trauma: Chronic anxiety often stems from unresolved childhood trauma. Healing requires addressing this trauma and providing comfort to the inner child. Coping mechanisms like meditation may provide temporary relief, but true healing involves finding and connecting with the younger version of oneself that is suffering.
Mel Robbins and Dr. Russell Kennedy discuss how anxiety can drive a person to succeed, but if left unchecked, can become torturous and unsustainable. They suggest that underlying trauma from childhood may be the root cause of chronic anxiety, and that healing requires finding and connecting with the younger version of oneself that is suffering. Coping mechanisms like meditation and breathing may provide temporary relief, but true healing requires addressing the root cause of the anxiety. Overall, the key takeaway is that chronic anxiety is often linked to unresolved childhood trauma, and healing involves addressing this trauma and providing comfort and love to the inner child.
Managing Chronic Anxiety Through Self-Awareness and Healing.: Chronic anxiety is a complex issue that requires addressing the root cause, developing coping mechanisms, and seeking human connection. Self-awareness through education and healing unresolved traumas is key to effective management.
Anxiety stems from unresolved childhood traumas, and seeking external validation can be a sign of anxiety. The three layers to addressing chronic anxiety are self-awareness, coping, and healing the root cause. Self-awareness can start with listening to podcasts, reading books, or watching informative videos to identify the symptoms of anxiety. The brain works hard when we're lonely, and seeking human connection can alleviate anxiety. Anxiety can drive people to accomplish a lot, but it can also be a double-edged sword. Eventually, unresolved traumas will catch up, and it's important to address them before anxiety becomes unmanageable.
Healing Anxiety and Addiction through Self-Love and Psychedelic Therapy: Anxiety and addiction often stem from childhood trauma and can be managed with coping mechanisms, but true healing requires an internal journey of self-love and connection with the wounded inner child. Psychedelic therapy can guide this journey towards inner peace.
Anxiety and addiction often go hand in hand, both stemming from childhood wounds that block self-love. People may turn to drugs or alcohol to feel connected to themselves, but healing comes from within, by connecting with the wounded inner child. Science can help with coping mechanisms, but true healing requires an internal journey. Psychedelics like ketamine and psilocybin have shown promise in guiding therapeutic experiences to reconnect individuals with themselves and repair childhood trauma. Becoming self-aware and finding coping mechanisms are crucial steps in managing anxiety, but true healing and inner peace come from connecting with and loving oneself.
How Childhood Trauma is Linked to Anxiety and Healing Your Inner Child: Childhood trauma can disrupt connections with oneself and others, leading to anxiety triggers. Recognizing and addressing triggers can help heal past trauma and reconnect with oneself with the help of trained professionals.
Dr. Kennedy explains that anxiety is often linked to childhood trauma, which can disrupt connections with others and oneself. Healing this trauma involves identifying and reconnecting with the inner child, which refers to the amygdala-based remnant of past trauma. The amygdala can associate certain sounds or experiences with traumatic events, leading to triggers and anxiety responses. Recognizing and addressing these triggers, such as the sound of crunching snow or the feeling of waking up after trauma, is key to healing and reconnecting with oneself. This process can be challenging, but seeking support from trained professionals can make a significant difference in managing anxiety and healing past trauma.
Healing Childhood Trauma by Providing Love and Support to Your Inner Child: Childhood trauma can cause persistent anxiety due to the nervous system being stuck in a state of protection rather than growth. Reconnecting with your inner child and providing them with love and support can help heal the trauma and shift the brain back towards growth mode.
Childhood trauma can change a person's nervous system and cause it to remain in a constant state of protection rather than growth. This anxiety is often caused by unresolved childhood trauma. The key to healing this trauma is to go back and find the younger self inner child and provide them with the love and support they needed then. By doing this, the amygdala can be soothed and healed, which can pull the switch back from protection mode to growth mode. The older a person gets, the harder it is to pull the switch back, but it is possible with proper healing and care.
Connecting with Your Body to Overcome Anxiety: When experiencing anxiety, focus on the physical sensations in your body instead of overthinking. Connect with the feeling of alarm in your body, which represents your younger self, to heal and change old patterns. Use tools like photos or screen savers to help make the connection.
The key takeaway from this section is that when experiencing anxiety, people should try to go into the sensation of their body rather than overthinking. Finding where the alarm is in their system and making a mental connection with it can make people feel better almost instantly. The insular cortex can be useful in changing old patterns, and connecting with the feeling of alarm in the body is the younger self that people need to connect with to heal. It is essential to connect with the younger self through specific tools, such as printing out a photo of yourself or making it a screen saver.
The Importance of Connecting with Our Inner Child: Visualizing a happy childhood memory can activate positive emotions and help release stress. Taking time to connect with our inner child is necessary for self-love and personal growth.
In this segment, Dr. Kennedy and Mel Robbins discuss the importance of connecting with our inner child and giving ourselves the love and attention that we often deny. When we hear the alarms of our inner child, we tend to push them away and engage in our addictions and distractions instead. However, it's important to take time to connect with our inner child by visualizing a happy time from childhood, which can be triggering for some individuals. By doing so, we can activate the emotions associated with that happy memory and let our bodies feel the joy and positive energy once again. This practice is essential for self-love and releasing stress.
Healing Trauma Through Positive Feeling States: To heal from trauma, recall happy memories and really feel them in your body. Oscillate between positive and negative sensations to weaken the negative feeling. Engage in positive activities for healing.
Our feeling state is what changes our nervous system, and we need to learn to heal at a feeling level. Trauma activates both the fight or flight and rest and adjust responses in our body, which creates confusion and exhaustion. To heal from trauma, we need to create a positive feeling state by recalling a happy memory and really feeling it throughout our body. We can then oscillate between positive and negative sensations to weaken the power of the negative feeling in our body. Playing and engaging in positive activities is also essential for healing and activating both the sympathetic and parasympathetic responses in our body.
The Healing Power of Play for Trauma Recovery: Play can activate both the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems in a safe way. Acknowledge trauma, seek professional help if needed and reconnect with positive experiences. Calm your mind before bedtime for better sleep.
The key takeaway from this section is that play is an effective way to heal trauma because it allows us to experience activation of both the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system in a safe environment. Recognizing and acknowledging trauma is the first step in healing, but it's important to drop into the body and reconnect with positive experiences. If you have significant trauma, it's recommended to seek the help of a therapist or somatic therapist since working through trauma on your own can re-traumatize. It's possible to heal anxiety and alarm by finding the child within and showing them that they are seen, heard, loved, and protected. For those struggling with anxiety and sleep, it's helpful to use tools to calm your mind before bedtime and create a safe sleep environment.
The Importance of Self-Awareness and Coping Mechanisms: Reflect on positive memories to shift mindset and manage anxiety. Seek professional advice for healing and peace. Part two of the episode to answer more listener questions.
In this episode of "The Mel Robbins Show," Dr. Kennedy and Mel discuss the importance of self-awareness, coping mechanisms, and healing. They encourage listeners to take time to reflect on positive memories and use them as a tool to shift their mindset and manage anxiety. The episode is split into two parts, with further questions from listeners to be answered in the next episode. The podcast serves as a valuable resource for those seeking to heal and find peace, but it is important to remember that it should not replace the advice of a qualified professional.