I am an anxious doctor. Or at least I WAS an anxious doctor. After literally decades of suffering from intractable anxiety, and seeing over 50 different types of healers I found my way to heal my anxiety through very unconventional (for a medical doctor at least) means.
In 2013 I was so anxious I considered suicide and a friend suggested I try LSD, and although that scared the crap out of me it showed me the path to healing. You don't have to do LSD to heal, I took it for you! I'm a medical doctor, neuroscientist and intuitive. (I know, common combination!)
I found my way out and it is counterintuitive and very non conventional (but not scary!).
I will show you the way out too, you just have to listen to me, dammit!
What if worrying is just your mind’s way of trying to stop you from worrying?
In this episode, I pull apart the myth that positive thinking can cure anxiety. The alarm in the body and the worries in the mind feed each other in a loop that never ends. Childhood separation leaves a mark when you aren’t seen, heard, or protected, and that’s where the alarm takes root. Growing up with a father who had schizophrenia, I learned to escape into worry as my coping strategy. The real healing began when I turned toward the younger version of myself and felt what I’d spent years running from.
You’ll Learn:
The reason changing your thoughts alone can’t heal chronic anxiety
What happens when childhood separation creates an alarm that gets buried in the body
The surprising link between being highly sensitive and carrying lifelong anxiety
The damage of relying on worry as a coping strategy that turns into addiction
Why the alarm–anxiety cycle keeps looping between body and mind
What it feels like to abandon your younger self and the pain it creates
How the brain’s insular cortex and amygdala drive the fight-or-flight loop
Why worry is the mind’s attempt to stop you from worrying
The path back to connection by feeling the alarm instead of escaping into thought
How seeing, hearing, and defending your inner child becomes the foundation for healing
Timestamps:
[00:00] Introduction
[03:31] How unmet needs in childhood turn sensitivity into lifelong alarm
[04:04] How the alarm anxiety cycle traps us in worry
[09:32] The deeper separation between mind, body and inner child that fuels anxiety
[10:28] The neuroscience of how alarm in the body fuels anxiety in the mind
[13:50] Reconnecting with the inner child through feeling the body’s alarm
[19:13] Healing anxiety by feeling the body’s alarm and reconnecting with the inner child
Resources Mentioned:
Anxiety Rx by Russell Kennedy | Book (https://www.amazon.com/Anxiety-Rx-Prescription-Relief-Created/dp/1734426543/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fdi5qv_GGdA8oIQ0WCXNLXX6RF01aHej01a-87a_JBtBwMdVJUYUNOkhsOr3ChAnOAYqmDRf7t-X3jBBx4nWSig6hClZamyI2k3jRArhgTa87whS36ViMSJWr9vRidcQ.ZnHO2lejQYwGvPqcUkWj_Rrc9HjZKxzXwVAqCfaSyx8&qid=1757338223&sr=8-1) or Audiobook (https://www.amazon.com/Anxiety-Rx-Revolutionary-Prescription-Relief/dp/B0CR6RHYY3/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fdi5qv_GGdA8oIQ0WCXNLXX6RF01aHej01a-87a_JBtBwMdVJUYUNOkhsOr3ChAnOAYqmDRf7t-X3jBBx4nWSig6hClZamyI2k3jRArhgTa87whS36ViMSJWr9vRidcQ.ZnHO2lejQYwGvPqcUkWj_Rrc9HjZKxzXwVAqCfaSyx8&qid=1757338223&sr=8-1)
Find more from Russell:
Russell Kennedy | LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/drrusskennedy?originalSubdomain=ca)
Russell Kennedy | Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/russell.kennedy.988/)
The Anxiety MD | Website (https://www.theanxietymd.com/)
The Anxiety MD | Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/theanxietymd/?hl=en)
The Anxiety MD | YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/DrRussellKennedyTHEANXIETYMD)
29 Sept 2025
135: How Money Triggers Anxiety & What You Need to Chase Instead
What if the real scam isn’t the robocall, but the idea that your worth is measured in dollars?
In this episode, the lie that money can replace human connection takes center stage. A medical system built on billing codes pushed me to trade care for speed, and that disconnection fueled my own anxiety. Scams, ads, and constant grabs for attention keep the nervous system on high alert. The “monetization fairy” gets called out for what it is, and simple practices bring us back to intrinsic value and genuine human connection.
You’ll Learn:
The reason anxiety often shows up when every interaction feels transactional
What happens when human connection gets replaced by financial transactions
The surprising link between COVID separation and today’s obsession with money
The damage of a medical system that reduces patients to billable units
Why short-term retail “therapy” mimics the cycle of addiction
What it feels like to burn out when connection gets traded for profit
How scams, robocalls, and ads activate the body’s alarm system
The truth about why many doctors feel trapped, frustrated, and disconnected
A simple way to call out the “monetization fairy” and reclaim perspective
Practical steps to anchor in genuine connection and remind yourself of intrinsic value
Timestamps:
[00:00] Introduction
[07:54] Why medicine became transactional and drove me to burnout
[09:49] Why doctors are losing trust and connection with patients
[13:42] Chasing status and money only makes anxiety worse
[17:09] How scams and scarcity keep the nervous system in alarm
[20:34] Practical ways to replace monetization with genuine connection
[25:49] Your value is not transactional
Find more from Russell:
Russell Kennedy | LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/drrusskennedy?originalSubdomain=ca)
Russell Kennedy | Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/russell.kennedy.988/)
The Anxiety MD | Website (https://www.theanxietymd.com/)
The Anxiety MD | Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/theanxietymd/?hl=en)
The Anxiety MD | YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/DrRussellKennedyTHEANXIETYMD)
22 Sept 2025
134: How Highly Sensitive People Can Heal Anxiety
What if being “too sensitive” isn’t a flaw but the hidden root of your anxiety?
In this episode, I unpack what it really means to be a highly sensitive person and why that trait so often shows up alongside chronic anxiety. I walk through Dr. Elaine Aron’s DOES framework and how depth of processing, overstimulation, emotional reactivity, and sensing subtleties can both fuel alarm and unlock creativity. You’ll hear how childhood experiences shape sensitivity into either anxiety or resilience, why re-parenting is essential, and how creativity becomes a pathway to healing. I also share practical ways to stop shaming sensitivity, honour it as a gift, and turn it into strength instead of suffering.
You’ll Learn:
The reason highly sensitive people are more vulnerable to chronic anxiety
What happens in the brain when HSPs process information more deeply
The surprising link between overstimulation and the need to withdraw to recover
The damage of shaming sensitive children and how it shapes lifelong anxiety
What it feels like to carry responsibility for other people’s emotions from a young age
Why creativity and play regulate the nervous system and counter alarm
Right-brain practices that restore balance
The key role of re-parenting and the SHOULD framework in healing old wounds
Why sensitivity isn’t a disorder but a trait with unique strengths and gifts
Timestamps:
[00:00] Introduction
[02:15] Understanding highly sensitive people and the link to chronic anxiety
[06:39] How emotional exhaustion and people pleasing shape highly sensitive people
[07:32] Harnessing creativity and right-brain healing for highly sensitive people
[11:05] Parenting strategies to support and repair highly sensitive children
[12:15] Reparenting the inner child with the SHOULD framework for healing sensitivity
[15:25] Embracing sensitivity as a source of healing and personal strength
Resources Mentioned:
The Highly Sensitive Person by Dr. Elaine Aron | Book (https://www.amazon.ca/Highly-Sensitive-Person-Thrive-Overwhelms/dp/0553062182/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2JP2FF9L5ATWK&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.I5KNdU1LToGmRBbqUrEFKONR5KDNB0tsK0t3LF9G3iPqb0loMonGnYnRzRvlA99IcYj9jcAZDWAga1Wl4jEHI3s8V39wV-PN_Xpwg47Yi04bShxtrKelZcd7wiw0RGtfAz-hOshj-owLxImOL-TiSfnE8e_s16zBVNFaW_R7LLGdqxw6aFmnZUmpIbcFivACApYXtQxoZpXOF5xw1qB2XJrjcqBz2UxU97ql68Pbq79zrCSdNGNO0pTbycqM6uAszJkZakWmbZ2LYJeicEXyKXbc7a7VTotWrbbcMJnRCiw._qWVkTi-efrLYARGRX1oU6VtCwheUdR0x4S_JXzD8LI&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+highly+sensitive+person&qid=1757122045&sprefix=the+highly+se%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-1) or Audiobook (https://www.amazon.ca/The-Highly-Sensitive-Person/dp/B071NY7W1X/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.I5KNdU1LToGmRBbqUrEFKONR5KDNB0tsK0t3LF9G3iPqb0loMonGnYnRzRvlA99IcYj9jcAZDWAga1Wl4jEHI3s8V39wV-PN_Xpwg47Yi04bShxtrKelZcd7wiw0RGtfAz-hOshj-owLxImOL-TiSfnE8e_s16zBVNFaW_R7LLGdqxw6aFmnZUmpIbcFivACApYXtQxoZpXOF5xw1qB2XJrjcqBz2UxU97ql68Pbq79zrCSdNGNO0pTbycqM6uAszJkZakWmbZ2LYJeicEXyKXbc7a7VTotWrbbcMJnRCiw._qWVkTi-efrLYARGRX1oU6VtCwheUdR0x4S_JXzD8LI&qid=1757122045&sr=8-1)
Find more from Russell:
Russell Kennedy | LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/drrusskennedy?originalSubdomain=ca)
Russell Kennedy | Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/russell.kennedy.988/)
The Anxiety MD | Website (https://www.theanxietymd.com/)
The Anxiety MD | Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/theanxietymd/?hl=en)
The Anxiety MD | YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/DrRussellKennedyTHEANXIETYMD)
Inside a recent episode
Attachment Realities: Healing the Core Wounds
Published 7 Jan 2024 · Transcript excerpt
[…] Yeah, for sure. And I think that our body has an inherent wisdom to it. And if we're looking to heal, we might gravitate towards people who can hold that space for us to get into this sensation. And people don't want to hear this, but healing means feeling. Yeah. Healing means having the capacity to get in touch with our own suffering. And often if the suffering was really early, which many of us go through, we cannot re -experience that without the accompanying, accompaniment of someone who can actually help us go there. And so we psychically know that. And so we detach until we are in the presence of what our system will recognize as this person is safe. […]
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