Summary - Deconstructing Anxiety

With the profound understanding that anxiety and fear are at the root of all suffering, participants in this training will gain insight into the five core fears—the “universal themes of loss”—that we all share: abandonment (loss of love); loss of identity; loss of meaning; loss of purpose; and fear of death.

The training will discuss the cost of protecting ourselves from these fears using the primary defenses learned in childhood. This early developmental process renders us permanently holding vigil, forever on the lookout for the resurfacing of the fear. We build our whole personalities upon this foundational fear-defense dynamic. It defines us. And when left unchecked against objective realities, anxiety disorders can develop.

This workshop will teach participants how to uncover the core fear and chief defense efficiently and reliably. Theories and techniques such as “The Alchemist,” “The Witness,” and “The Warrior’s Stance,” will be applied as strategic means for “doing the opposite” of the chief and secondary defenses, and the training will teach participants how application of these methods can prove effective even with the most anxious clients.

The training will incorporate tenets of psychodynamics, mindfulness, Gestalt, CBT, and transpersonal psychology to demonstrate effective application of the techniques posited, making for a rich and highly experiential learning session. Participants will learn to pinpoint the precise moment where resistance is created and how to release it, enabling achievement of the ultimate goal—namely, to let go of “the resistance to resistance." This process can transform the entire view of Self and expand limits on potential.

In the final part of the training, participants will undertake the “Visioning Process," wherein the five core fears are fully resolved, and one can live with a solid sense of identity, meaning, purpose, love, and even freedom from the fear of death.

Participants are encouraged to come prepared for an exciting adventure into the deepest regions of the unconscious, where the hidden fears at the source of our difficulties live. This training will bring them out, place them into consciousness, and render them available for rapid and lasting transformation.

Practitioners, clinicians, students, and professionals of all levels of knowledge and experience are encouraged to participate.

Dr. Pressman is an award-winning speaker, psychologist, and author. He is known internationally for his work on "Deconstructing Anxiety." Graduating with degrees in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and Saybrook University, he has authored 3 widely acclaimed books and over one hundred published articles on the subject of human potential. He is also a highly sought after media expert, having appeared on scores of television, radio and podcast shows. His most recent book, Deconstructing Anxiety: The Journey from Fear to Fulfillment, was named one of the top-15 books on anxiety by a panel of mental health professionals, physicians, and psychiatrists.

In 1982, he traveled the world to study the great wisdom and healing traditions, including study with a Zen master in Kyoto, a Jain family in Delhi, a Zoroastrian high priest in Mumbai, and a firewalker in Sri Lanka. Dr. Pressman also interned for Stanislav Grof, MD (considered the grandfather of Transpersonal Psychology), was mentored by Stanley Krippner, PhD, and studied extensively with other notables in the field.

With a background deeply rooted in professional tradition (he was mentored by a father whose teachers were taught by Sigmund Freud), he has integrated his breadth of experience into a new program of psychological and personal 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 purpose, meaning, and enduring fulfillment.