Angstgefühle sind eine schlechte Angewohnheit
Angstgefühle sind im weitesten Sinne eine Gewohnheit des Gehirns – sagt der New York Times Bestsellerautor und Psychiater Judson Brewer. Um dieser fatalen Gewohnheit zu entkommen, die sich oft mit Alltagssüchten wie ständigem Naschen oder Handychecken tarnt, hat der Neurowissenschaftler ein Schritt-für-Schritt-Programm entwickelt, mit dessen Hilfe Betroffene aus der Angstspirale aussteigen und ihr Gehirn neu programmieren können. Der Schlüssel zur Veränderung ist schlichte Neugier auf die eigenen Prozesse – so wird das Programm nicht zur lästigen Pflicht, sondern zu einer spannenden Reise nach innen. Der Autor weiß genau, wovon er schreibt: Die Grundsätze seines Programms entdeckte er nicht zuletzt, weil er seine eigenen Panikattacken in den Griff bekommen wollte – und bekam.

We are all vulnerable to addiction. Whether it’s a compulsion to constantly check social media, binge eating, smoking, excessive drinking, or any other behaviors, we may find ourselves uncontrollably repeating. Why are bad habits so hard to overcome? Is there a key to conquering the cravings we know are unhealthy for us?

This book provides groundbreaking answers to the most important questions about addiction. Dr. Judson Brewer, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist who has studied the science of addictions for twenty years, reveals how we can tap into the very processes that encourage addictive behaviors in order to step out of them. He describes the mechanisms of habit and addiction formation, then explains how the practice of mindfulness can interrupt these habits.

Weaving together patient stories, his own experience with mindfulness practice, and current scientific findings from his own lab and others, Dr. Brewer offers a path for moving beyond our cravings, reducing stress, and ultimately living a fuller life.

A step-by-step plan clinically proven to break the cycle of worry and fear that drives anxiety and addictive habits

We are living through one of the most anxious periods any of us can remember. Whether facing issues as public as a pandemic or as personal as having kids at home and fighting the urge to reach for the wine bottle every night, we are feeling overwhelmed and out of control. But in this timely book, Judson Brewer explains how to uproot anxiety at its source using brain-based techniques and small hacks accessible to anyone. 

We think of anxiety as everything from mild unease to full-blown panic. But it’s also what drives the addictive behaviors and bad habits we use to cope (e.g. stress eating, procrastination, doom scrolling and social media). Plus, anxiety lives in a part of the brain that resists rational thought. So we get stuck in anxiety habit loops that we can’t think our way out of or use willpower to overcome. Dr. Brewer teaches us map our brains to discover our triggers, defuse them with the simple but powerful practice of curiosity, and to train our brains using mindfulness and other practices that his lab has proven can work.

Distilling more than 20 years of research and hands-on work with thousands of patients, including Olympic athletes and coaches, and leaders in government and business, Dr. Brewer has created a clear, solution-oriented program that anyone can use to feel better – no matter how anxious they feel.

*This audiobook includes a PDF of the behavioral tendencies questionnaire from the book.