Live Event

Day 2

Fri, Jan 16th, 2026

10:00am – 5:45pm US Eastern Time

Part of: Deconstructing Anxiety: A Deep Dive

Conference

$397 Included free with an Ignite membership!

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Conference Details

Deconstructing Anxiety: A Deep Dive

January 15 – 17, 2026 See agenda for times

Up to 20 CE hours available

3 Sessions

About the Event

Day two of the intensive focuses on the first two “Exercises for Transformation,” designed to shift our relationship with fear and reclaim personal freedom. We begin with The Alchemist, an exercise that invites participants to observe the unfolding of their core fear as if watching a movie, asking, “What happens next?” This process reveals the inevitable truth that fear can never deliver on its threat, ultimately dissolving into the vastness of space and time. Next, we explore The Warrior’s Stance, which exemplifies a second method of “doing the opposite” of the chief defense. This empowering exercise helps participants interrupt the automatic urge to defend against fear, breaking free from its self-defeating cycle. Both exercises are practiced in real time, followed by a Q&A discussion that emphasizes a key insight: the only true obstacle to transformation is a variation of the chief defense itself. To support success, participants will also learn a practical four-step process for recognizing and resolving this resistance.

Live Event

This live online event will be held as a Zoom Webinar. Attendees will have the option to interact through features such as the Chat and Q&A, but cameras and microphones will not be enabled.

Live Event Instructor

Todd Pressman

Todd Pressman, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and international seminar leader. He is widely known for his work with Deconstructing Anxiety. He graduated with degrees in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and Saybrook Institute. His books Deconstructing Anxiety: The Journey from Fear to Fulfillment, Radical Joy: Awakening Your Potential For True Fulfillment and The Bicycle Repair Shop: A True Story Of Recovery From Multiple Personality Disorder have all received high acclaim. In 1982, he traveled the world to study the great wisdom and healing traditions, including with a Zen master, a Jain family, a Zoroastrian high priest and a Sri Lankan firewalker. His education also includes an internship under Stanislav Grof, M.D. at the Esalen Institute. With a background deeply rooted in tradition (he was groomed by a father whose teachers were taught by Sigmund Freud), he has integrated this wide-ranging experience into a new program of psychological development called "Deconstructing Anxiety". His working model is based on Michelangelo’s ideal: to release the statue from the stone, the authentic Self from the overlays of imposed identity, into the discovery of freedom and fulfillment.

Target Audience

This live interactive webinar is intended for behavioral health professionals, including Psychologists, Social Workers, Counselors, MFT's and Addiction Professionals.

Learning Objectives

After taking this activity, you should be able to:

1 Describe the instructions for The Alchemist.
2 Describe the instructions for The Warrior’s Stance.
3 Summarize the 4 step process for resolving a defense when it interferes with the exercises.

Ådnøy, T., Solem, S., Hagen, R., & Havnen, A. (2023). An empirical investigation of the associations between metacognition, mindfulness experiential avoidance, depression, and anxiety. BMC psychology, 11(1), 281. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01336-7SpringerLink+1BioMed Central+1

Maloney, S., Surawy, C., Martin, M., Montero-Marin, J., & Kuyken, W. (2023). The state-and trait-level effects and candidate mechanisms of four mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) practices: two exploratory studies. Mindfulness, 14(9), 2155-2171. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-023-02193-6PubMed

Shin, J. Y., & Steger, M. F. (2016). Supportive college environment for meaning searching and meaning in life among American college students. Journal of College Student Development, 57(1), 18-31. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2022.0005SAGE Journals

Wong, P. T., & Bowers, V. (2019). Mature happiness and global wellbeing in difficult times. In Scientific concepts behind happiness, kindness, and empathy in contemporary society (pp. 112-134). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-5918-4.ch006Frontiers

Fitzke, R. E., Marsh, D. R., & Prince, M. A. (2021). A longitudinal investigation of the meaning‐making model in midlife adults who have experienced trauma. Journal of clinical psychology, 77(12), 2878-2893. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23272

Huppert, J. D., & Zlotnick, E. (2012). Core fears, values, and obsessive-compulsive disorder: A preliminary clinical-theoretical outlook. Psicoterapia Cognitiva e Comportamentale, 18(1), 91–102.

Abend R. Understanding anxiety symptoms as aberrant defensive responding along the threat imminence continuum. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2023 Sep;152:105305. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105305. Epub 2023 Jul 5. PMID: 37414377; PMCID: PMC10528507.

Disclosure to Learners

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Faculty

There are no known relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Course Creator

Todd Evan Pressman, Ph.D. – No disclosures to report.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

Use our CE Approvals tool to look up your state requirements and how can help you meet them, or log in to your member account to show approvals relevant to your licensure.

Event Agenda

Agenda times are listed in US Eastern Time. That is 3 hours later than US Pacific Time. The event starts at 7:00am US Pacific Time.

10:00-10:15 a.m. Review of Homework

10:15-11:15 a.m. Exercise: “The Witness”: Enhanced Mindfulness Practice

11:15-11:30 a.m. Building a new association to one’s core fear

11:30-11:45 a.m. Break

11:45–12:30 p.m. Q and A and Further Practice of “The Witness”

12:30-1:00 p.m. Lunch

1:00-1:30 p.m. Integrating the results into everyday life

1:30-2:30 p.m. Exercise: “The Warrior’s Stance”

2:30-2:45 p.m. Break

2:45-3:45 p.m. Integrating “The Alchemist”, “The Witness” and “The Warrior’s Stance”

3:45-5:30 p.m. Q and A and Further Practice of All Exercises

5:30-5:45 p.m. Homework

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