Deconstructing Anxiety: A Deep Dive

The first day of the intensive introduces the foundational concepts of the Deconstructing Anxiety model. We begin by exploring the two primary drives of human experience: the drive for fear and the drive for fulfillment; before identifying the single “core fear” that underlies all suffering. Participants will examine how fear operates as an illusion, supported by research, and how we develop a “chief defense” as a primary strategy to avoid this fear.

We then uncover how this strategy inevitably backfires, reinforcing the very distress it was meant to prevent. The day culminates with the introduction of the Master Key to Healing: doing the opposite of the chief defense, along with the three core methods to implement this principle. Participants will then engage in the first two experiential “Exercises for Diagnosis,” “Digging for Gold: Finding the Core Fear,” and “Who Are You Really?: Finding the Chief Defense.” Ample time will be provided to practice these tools, reflect on how they manifest in our own lives, and gain a deeper understanding of how the theory sets the stage for effective resolution in the days ahead.

Learning Objectives

After taking this activity, you should be able to:

1. Summarize the basic tenets of Deconstructing Anxiety theory.
2. Explain why fear necessarily distorts objective truth.
3. Distinguish the three ways of “doing the opposite” of the chief defense.

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.

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.

On the final day, participants will complete the journey of transformation with the remaining core practices of the Deconstructing Anxiety model. We begin with The Witness, an exercise that invites participants to focus on the physical sensations of fear and gently deconstruct them, allowing the fear to dissolve into the spaciousness of their internal universe. Next, the Resisting Resistance exercises help us catch the very first moments of fear’s projection onto our world, and teach us how to withdraw that projection before it takes hold. We then move into Vision Questing, where fear is transformed through alignment with a “Mighty Purpose” (G.B. Shaw), turning the five core fears into the five “Ingredients for Fulfillment.”

The day concludes with a comprehensive Q&A and final review of the full Deconstructing Anxiety model: identifying the core fear, recognizing the chief defense, reversing that defense through transformative exercises, and finally, living into a purpose-driven path that turns fear into fulfillment.

Learning Objectives

After taking this activity, you should be able to:

1. Organize and apply the process of “Vision Questing” for clients.
2. Describe the instructions for “The Witness”.
3. Describe the instructions for “The Resisting Resistance” exercises.
4. Interpret why “The Resisting Resistance” exercises are called “the final defense.”
5. Describe the coherent structure of the Deconstructing Anxiety Model.