A Roadmap to Break Free From Anxiety at Last

We spend at least fifteen years in school learning the skills that our culture has deemed essential for a certain type of success in the world. We learn how to read. We learn the basics of math. We learn how to write. If we’re lucky, there’s some art and theater thrown in, but it’s understood that these aren’t the “real skills” we need to succeed. After all, how many artists actually make a living through their art?

Because we are culture that values intellect over heart and mind over body, we are hyper-focused on the tangible and scientific aspects of what it means to be human. As such, we fail to teach children the basic tools and information of well-being that could radically change their lives and, paradoxically, increase their productivity. We not only “teach to the test” but we teach to the intellect, ignoring the heart, body, and soul. This comes at a great cost.

For example, if we learned early on that anxiety is a messenger and not evidence of brokenness, how much energy would be freed up for a young child who is obsessively focused on death and could now channel that energy into their passion? How much does this squandered energy carryover into adulthood when anxiety eats away the capacity to be a fully present and productive human being?

If we learned that just because you have a thought that doesn’t mean it’s true, how much space would open toward growing the compassionate heart instead of being stuck on the endless hamster wheel of intrusive thoughts?

And, perhaps most importantly, if we learned early in life that to feel deeply is to be human, that joy and pain live in the same chamber of the heart, and that high sensitivity is a gift not a liability, how much less anxiety and more emotional fluidity would there be in our world, that would then give rise to more kindness, both to ourselves and others?

What a different world we would be living in if the basic tenets of well-being were folded into every educational curriculum.

The Roadmap You Never Received
As it is, we’re thrust into adulthood without the principles, mindsets, and tools that could help us navigate the inner world with more acceptance.

We don’t learn how to feel our feelings.

We don’t learn the truth about thoughts.

We don’t learn how to work with resistance and what it really means to take responsibility (not just the kind of responsibility that makes you a “good” student because you always turn in your homework on time).

We don’t learn the true basics of physical self-care and how to harness the wisdom of our dreams, these guideposts that are dropped into our soul inbox nightly.

And because we value competition over cooperation, we don’t learn that connection is essential to wellness, and that without deep and lasting friendship we are walking through life with half a heart.

I’ve received email requests for years to bring my work into the education system. I’m not called to do that quite yet (although I imagine I will at some point) but what I have been called to do is create a 9-month roadmap for adults: the curriculum that you should have received in school. Nine months is one school year, and it’s also the time it takes to shed aspects of yourself that are no longer serving you so that you can birth the new parts that are waiting to be born. I’m so excited to be offering you that roadmap now.

A Map with a Guide
But it’s not only a roadmap. This roadmap comes with a guide, which is me ;).

When I say that I am your guide, I don’t mean that I’ll be giving you answers. As I write about in The Wisdom of Anxiety, there are no answers, there are only guideposts to your own inner wisdom. Through this course, you’ll be learning and re-learning the mindsets and tools that will help you attend to anxiety’s flares and heal from the root. I’ll be with you every step of the way, a midwife of soul along your journey of discovery. I’ll be shining the light of compassion and support until you find your own lamplights along the labyrinthian maze of Self and your own compass on the tumultuous seas of inner work.

As part of the course, I will also be offering ample opportunities to connect with like-minded learners off the screen in real time and, in this way, meet one of the root causes of anxiety: the rampant disconnection in our culture today.

This is More Than a Course; It’s a Community
At the end of the nine months, you’ll have an opportunity to continue to maintain your access to the support options as a member. For years, I’ve played with the idea of creating a member site where people gain access to new material and, mostly, are able to connect with each other through an online portal. One of the downsides of my thirty and forty day courses is that just as the members are getting started and making connections, the course and support ends. This won’t be the case this time. Once you’re in the course, you’re in the community, and the support will continue. You will not have to navigate your healing path alone.

What it Means to Break Free From Anxiety
When I say “breaking free from anxiety” I don’t mean that anxiety will never return. That’s like saying that you’ll never have a dehydration headache again just because you learn about the importance of drinking enough water. Just like the headache is the symptom alerting you to a physical need, so anxiety is a symptom – a distress flare – alerting you to places that need attention on your inner realms.

What I mean by breaking free is that you’ll be able to work effectively with anxiety instead of anxiety working on you. You’ll learn how to decode anxiety’s messages and break free from its stronghold so that you’re not caught endlessly on the hamster wheel of intrusive thoughts. You’ll gain highly effective tools for working with resistance so that you can commit to the daily tools, which are essential for well-being. And when you get stuck, we’ll be there to catch you. You don’t have to feel alone with your healing ever again.

The inaugural round of this course will begin on Sunday, September 22, 2019. You can learn more and sign up here (spots are already filling fast), and I look forward to meeting you there. Many of your questions will be answered in the Frequently Asked Questions section on this page. Please ask any additional questions you have about the course there as well. .