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What happens when three anxiety specialists get together to talk practically about how they use mindfulness in anxiety treatment? This week on The Anxious Truth, we find out.

I'm joined by Lauren Rosen, who practices in Los Angeles specializing in OCD and anxiety disorders, and Joanna Hardis from Cleveland, also an expert in treating OCD, anxiety, and anxiety disorders. Together, we break down how mindfulness in anxiety treatment actually works in real therapy sessions - not the Instagram version, but the practical, sometimes messy reality of applying these principles with actual anxious clients.

We tackle the biggest misconceptions about mindfulness (spoiler: it's not about achieving a quiet mind), discuss why it's often the "hardest sell" in therapy despite being incredibly effective, and demonstrate real techniques through live role-play. You'll hear us work through the difference between being "neck up" versus "neck down," learn about the labeling practice that creates a "speed bump" between sensation and catastrophe, and understand why non-judgmental awareness is a skill that requires genuine practice.

Lauren and Joanna take different approaches to applying mindfulness in anxiety treatment, and you'll hear both perspectives as we explore everything from the campfire analogy (anxiety doesn't have to become a wildfire) to the practical challenge of teaching clients to observe their thoughts without getting dragged along by them.

Whether you're dealing with panic attacks, social anxiety, OCD, or generalized anxiety, the principles we discuss apply across all anxiety presentations. This isn't about quick fixes or magic solutions - it's about developing psychological flexibility and learning to relate differently to your internal experiences.

Fair warning: we got so deep into this conversation that we had to split it into two parts. This is part one, and part two drops in episode 319.

If you're tired of surface-level advice about mindfulness and want to understand how it actually works in anxiety recovery, this episode delivers the real deal from three therapists who use these techniques every day with anxious clients.

Resources mentioned:

• Lauren Rosen: theobsessivemind.com
• Joanna Hardis: joannahardis.com

For Full Show Notes On This Episode: theanxioustruth.com/318

Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!

Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.

Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.

Send in a question or comment via text.

If you've reached the point of declaring "I've tried everything and nothing works for my anxiety," this episode is specifically for you. Many anxiety sufferers fall into this trap and conclude they're uniquely broken or have a special form of anxiety that's resistant to recovery.

As both a therapist and someone who personally recovered from panic disorder and agoraphobia, I'll explain why this frustrating experience happens. You'll discover why commonly-tried control and avoidance strategies can provide temporary relief but ultimately strengthen anxiety's grip on your life.

I'll break down the fundamental flaw in these approaches using a simple sailing metaphor: if you're trying to reach London from New York by sailing west, the problem isn't your sailing technique—it's your direction.

This episode offers a shift in perspective about what actually gives you a fighting chance at lasting recovery. Instead of searching for more control techniques, learn why changing your entire approach might be the key you've been missing.

No quick fixes or miracle cures here—just straight talk about why certain approaches fail and what direction might actually lead to meaningful change. Small steps in a new direction still count as progress, and recognizing what doesn't work is valuable learning on the path to reclaiming your life from anxiety.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode:

• Full show notes: https://theanxioustruth.com/317
• The Disordered Podcast: https://disordered.fm

Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!

Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.

Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.

Send in a question or comment via text.

Do you find yourself running from difficult emotions or trying desperately to control them? Many people with anxiety disorders develop a deep fear of their own emotions, believing they're too intense or unbearable to experience fully. In this episode of The Anxious Truth, Drew is joined by therapist Joanna Hardis to explore the concept of "emotional allowability" – learning to coexist with our emotions rather than fighting against them.

They discuss why trying to control emotions is ultimately futile, how the stories we tell ourselves about emotions cause more suffering than the emotions themselves, and practical steps for becoming more comfortable with the full range of emotional experiences. Whether you struggle with panic, anxiety, OCD, or simply find yourself fearing emotions, this conversation offers a refreshing perspective on what it means to be human and how to free yourself from the exhausting cycle of emotional resistance.

No quick fixes or magic solutions here—just honest conversation about the reality of emotional experiences and how to move toward greater psychological flexibility. If you've ever wondered why your emotions feel so threatening or what might happen if you actually allowed yourself to feel them, this episode is for you.

Learn more about Joanna and her work at joannahardis.com

For full show notes on this episode:

https://theanxioustruth.com/316

Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!

Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.

Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.

Send in a question or comment via text.

Navigating driving anxiety with exposure therapy—but not how you might think. 

In this episode, Drew Linsalata (therapist, author, and former anxiety sufferer) challenges common misconceptions about addressing driving anxiety. 

Learn why the feeling is the exposure, not the driving itself, and discover how interoceptive and imaginal exposures can help without ever starting your car. 

Drew explains why pulling over or listening to music isn't avoidance if you're still experiencing anxiety, clarifies what true avoidance looks like, and emphasizes that recovery is about learning from each experience, not just driving farther. 

Whether you experience anxiety holding your keys, sitting in your driveway, or on the highway, this episode offers a practical, acceptance-based approach to driving anxiety that breaks down exactly what exposure therapy means in this context. 

You'll learn why small steps count, what constitutes real progress, and how to shift your focus from controlling anxiety to building a different relationship with uncomfortable feelings while driving. 

Based on empirically supported approaches to treating anxiety and anxiety disorders, this episode provides realistic strategies for living alongside anxiety rather than attempting to eliminate it.

For full show notes on this episode:

https://theanxioustruth.com/315

Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!

Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.

Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.

Send in a question or comment via text.

When struggling with chronic anxiety or anxiety disorders, our instinct is often to search for ways to control, manage, or eliminate our symptoms. But what if that approach is actually keeping us stuck?

This week we're looking at the fundamental difference between acceptance-based strategies and control/management-based approaches to anxiety recovery. Drawing from both research evidence and real-world experiences of anxiety sufferers, we'll explain why acceptance consistently produces better long-term outcomes than trying to control our internal experiences.

You'll learn:

• The critical distinction between externally-generated stress and internally-generated anxiety
• Why popular "anxiety hacks" and nervous system regulation techniques often backfire for disordered anxiety
• What acceptance actually means (and what it doesn't)
• The paradox of how accepting anxiety can ultimately lead to feeling less anxious
• Why it's difficult to combine acceptance and control strategies

Whether you're tired of collecting coping techniques that only provide temporary relief or you're curious about a different approach to anxiety recovery, this episode offers practical insights into a more sustainable path forward—one that doesn't depend on trying to manually control your thoughts, feelings, or bodily sensations.

Remember: there are no wrong experiences in anxiety recovery, only wins or learning opportunities. Whatever small step you take today toward facing rather than retreating from your fears counts.

For full show notes on this episode:

https://theanxioustruth.com/314

Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!

Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.

Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.

Send in a question or comment via text.

In this no-frills episode of The Anxious Truth, I'm tackling common questions about anxiety sent in by you, the listeners. No fancy production today - just real talk about real anxiety concerns.

We're diving into: 

00:00 - Introduction 

00:58 - Emetophobia (fear of vomiting) - what it is and how it's typically addressed 

06:12 - Nocturnal panic attacks - why they're jarring and how to handle them 

11:24 - Is focusing on breathing a distraction or helpful technique? 

14:45 - The meta-problem of ruminating about rumination 

18:20 - External sources of anxiety in our tumultuous world

22:06 - The fear of becoming suicidal against your will - a surprisingly common anxiety concern

27:40 - Why focusing on specific anxious thoughts misses the bigger picture

As someone who lived through panic disorder, agoraphobia, OCD, and depression, I'm sharing both professional and personal perspectives on these challenging issues. Remember - recovery isn't about eliminating specific fears but changing your relationship with your internal experiences altogether.

There are no magic solutions or quick fixes here, just practical guidance for the long-term journey of anxiety recovery. All sensations, thoughts, and emotions are permissible - even when they're uncomfortable.

For full show notes on this episode:

https://theanxioustruth.com/313

Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!

Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.

Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.

Send in a question or comment via text.

This week we're looking at why the anxious fear that bothers you most is NOT special - and why that's actually good news for your recovery.

After receiving countless messages asking me to address specific fears (passing out, heart attacks, going insane), I've noticed a pattern: everyone thinks their particular anxiety is unique, more dangerous, or requires special treatment.

Here's the reality: while your fear feels incredibly real and disturbing, all anxiety disorders follow similar patterns. Your anxiety isn't special because:

• Everyone with anxiety believes their fear is "the worst one"
• All anxiety disorders use the same mechanisms to keep you stuck
• The same recovery principles apply regardless of your specific fear

What makes anxiety "irrational" isn't that these fears are impossible - many feared events do happen in real life. It's how the fear is applied: persistently, disproportionately, and in ways that disrupt your daily functioning.

Recognizing that your anxiety isn't special is empowering. It means you can learn from others who've recovered and apply proven principles instead of searching for specialized techniques for your "unique" situation.

You don't have to fully believe this yet - just consider the possibility. That small opening is your first step toward recovery.

For full show notes on this episode:

https://theanxioustruth.com/312

Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!

Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.

Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.

Send in a question or comment via text.

When anxiety hits, how do you know what to do? This week on The Anxious Truth we're exploring how your personal values can guide your choices in anxious moments. Tune in to learn practical ways to identify and connect with your values. This can inform more productive responses when anxiety gets triggered.

For full show notes on this episode:

https://theanxioustruth.com/311

Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!

Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.

Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.

Send in a question or comment via text.

How to Accept Anxiety: Opening Up to New Options

In this episode, we explore the second component of the ACT Triflex framework for anxiety acceptance: opening up to new possibilities. Learn why considering options when triggered—even without knowing what to do next—is a crucial step in recovery.

Key Points:

• Understanding the ACT Triflex framework for anxiety acceptance
• Why mindfulness is essential for breaking automatic responses
• How psychological flexibility develops through small moments of choice
• The paradox of opening up to new options
• Why confusion can actually be a sign of progress

Download A Free Guided Mindful Acceptance Exercise

https://learn.theanxioustruth.com/practical-mindfulness-in-anxiety-recovery

Full Show Notes On This Episode

https://theanxioustruth.com/310

Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!

Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.

Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.

Send in a question or comment via text.

HOW DO I ACCEPT ANXIETY?!?!?!?!

Let's start a three-part series on accepting anxiety using the ACT Tri-flex framework. As both a therapist and former anxiety sufferer, I'm going to break down the crucial first practical step of getting present and what it really means in a practical way.

KEY POINTS:

• Why there are no "steps" to accepting anxiety
• The difference between "doing mode" and "being mode"
• What mindfulness actually means in anxiety recovery
• How to develop nonjudgmental awareness
• Why automatic reactions aren't truly automatic

QUOTES FROM THE EPISODE: 

• "Accepting anxiety is about dropping out of doing and into being." 
• "We are essentially judging, evaluating, and resisting machines all day long." 
• "There is no difference between automatically reaching for an ice pack when anxious and automatically liking or disliking the weather."

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)
• Dr. Russ Harris's ACT Tri-flex
• The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris
• Drew's interview with Dr. Steven Hayes on The Disordered Podcast
• Drew's interview with Dr. Russ Harris on The Disordered Podcast

UPCOMING COURSE: Join Drew's 6-week Practical Mindfulness Skills group starting soon. Limited to 10 participants. Learn more at learn.theanxioustruth.com

For full show notes on this episode:
https://theanxioustruth.com/309

Support The Anxious Truth: If you find the podcast helpful and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. Other ways to support my work like buying a book or signing up for a low cost workshop can be found on my website. None of this is never required, but always appreciated!

Interested in doing therapy with me? For more information on working with me directly to overcome your anxiety, follow this link.

Disclaimer: The Anxious Truth is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to The Anxious Truth does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the host or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.