Anxiety Rx: A Revolutionary New Prescription for Anxiety Relief―from the Doctor Who Created It by Russell Kennedy

Anxiety Rx: A Revolutionary New Prescription for Anxiety Relief―from the Doctor Who Created It Reviews

• 
  Cori W

  It’s so rare that I give up on a book, particularly on this topic. The concept had potential, and I was intrigued by the lack of citing studies, etc because at first, it read like having coffee with a knowledgeable friend sharing their own personal experiences in their journey with anxiety. I was fine with that in principle, but here is where it went wrong:
  
  1. I cannot describe the level at which this book is repetitive. Hundreds of pages should have been 50. It has no real identifiable structure within each part, and it feels like one person droning on about his own personal experiences.
  
  2. As I said, there was value in his personal experiences - but if your anxieties manifest in different ways, his failure to use enough meaningful, detailed examples from people other than himself starts to make it hard to relate to.
  
  3. His aha moments stem from psychedelic use. I don’t begrudge him the potential of these drugs, but a lot of his musings about it feel esoteric and not particularly grounded in reality.
  
  The bottom line is that some people may enjoy his personal musings, and he certainly makes some very interesting points that you won’t read elsewhere. For me, though, it was rambling, detached from reality, and difficult to get through.
• 
  Jennifer Hojnacki

  I have mixed feelings on this one. On the one hand, when I downloaded my kindle highlights and notes from this book, it totaled 9 pages, so obviously I got a lot of insights out of this book, and I think they will be helpful to me for a long time. On the other hand, this book was waaaaaaaay too long and repetitive. I found myself skimming huge portions of it. The author really needed an editor. Also, I couldn't get past his endless reference to LSD (and other mind altering drugs) as the key to his personal anxiety cure. But we don't have to do LSD, because we can just take his word for it that what was revealed to him is applicable to us. I don't know, I just don't think that that entire part of the book was at all necessary; I think his insights would have stood up without going on and on about LSD.
  
  All in all, if you struggle with anxiety, I think you will probably benefit from reading this, as I have, but be prepared for a long read and a lot of eye rolling along the way.
• 
  Magdelena

  I couldn’t get through this. Very repetitive, information is primarily based on the author’s lived experience. This was a let down since I assumed more actual science would be consulted for the book.
  
  As much as I read (pg. 90) his science is rooted in outdated Freudian Id, Ego, Superego and he pulls a few quotes from Carl Jung. And in the beginning he writes how no medication or therapeutic intervention helped him other than LSD…really inspiring for those that also have anxiety.
  
  Written as only a white male could. For clinicians, this book is not worth your time. For those who want this guys specific story and opinion, read on.
• 
  Annie

  Honestly couldn’t finish it but got 3/4 of the way through. Initially, I was excited to hear an “alternative” perspective on anxiety as a mental health professional who leads an anxiety coping skills group for college students..but this was not what I was hoping it would be. Also, it was a little frustrating to hear my profession be out down multiple times.
• 
  Mia Stewart

  Wow. This book is absolutely amazing.
  I have struggled with anxiety(+ alarm) for many years, and this book has given me so much clarity, insight and hope that I can HEAL my anxiety and not live my life coping with it.
  Dr. Kennedy’s lifelong personal experience with anxiety is a real beacon of hope for all those with chronic anxiety and his narrative proves relatable and beneficial.
  Not only is he experienced with anxiety, but as a MD + neuroscientist, you’ll find insightful information about both the scientific side of anxiety and the emotional side.
  There is also good humor throughout this book, ‘cause he is also a stand-up comedian!
  
  I’ve read a few reviews from some people who say they didn’t finish the book ‘cause they found his writing to be slow and repetitive and were “anxious”(haha) to get to the answer or exercises that will help.
  Yes, a lot of information is repeated throughout the book, but I find this pretty helpful because we’re reminded of this important information consistently in order to remember it and use it in the healing of our anxiety.
  And there IS an answer!
  At the end of the book, you will not find yourself lost or without knowledge, direction or answers.
  
  Instead, I found I had more strength, knowledge, confidence and faith in myself to walk a path of growth to healing, and to have so much compassion and love for others and, most importantly, myself.
  
  Definitely recommend!!!
• 
  Danica Martinez

  It helped. What more can I say? I've suffered anxiety for decades. I feel like I am at the start of something new.
• 
  Tammy

  It’s a great premise presented by someone with lived experience with anxiety. It feels genuine and true. It didn’t get 5 stars because there is so much repetition throughout the book. I’m sure it could be half as long and that would only make it better. But the principles are great. Best book I’ve ever read on anxiety.
• 
  claire

  Dnf @ 34%
• 
  Erin Clemence

  Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
  
  Expected publication date: Sept. 14, 2024
  
  “
  Anxiety Rx: A Revolutionary New Prescription for Anxiety Relief―from the Doctor Who Created It" by [author:Russell Kennedy|8089425 is an updated version of the 2020 book with the same name. In this version, Dr. Kennedy, a life-long anxiety sufferer, uses his medical knowledge, as well as the knowledge he has honed through his meditation and yoga practices and even (gasp!) hallucinogenic drug use to introduce a new way to manage anxiety.
  
  This book is long and, as Dr. Kennedy purports himself, it is repetitive in a lot of places. Kennedy states this was an intentional move, designed to drive home the important aspects of his theory, and ensure that readers are comfortable and familiar with his methods. Kennedy was inspired to write this story after the death of his mentally ill father, by suicide, not wanting to suffer the same fate. An “Eat, Pray, Love” journey to India helped him develop and perfect his meditation practices and, of course, a few different hallucinogenics helped him figure out what the root cause of his anxiety was. (Obviously, Kennedy doesn’t encourage or support the use of mind-altering drugs, but he is open and honest with his experiences and shares what he learned, allowing readers to experience the “trips” vicariously through Kennedy).
  
  Kennedy provides a unique viewpoint, labeling anxiety as “alarm” throughout the book, and identifying its root cause being in the physical body, as opposed to the mental mind. Kennedy speaks to the common “anxiety cures”, such as mindfulness and meditation, and touts their praises and usefulness, which is absolutely nothing new and, in fact, seems to be the go-to anxiety solution these days. It is not Kennedy’s solution to “alarm” that intrigued me, as I’ve heard it over and over, but the way he described anxiety and his personal experiences with it, that kept me interested.
  
  “Anxiety RX” is humorous in parts (as Kennedy is also a stand-up comedian) and it is generalizable and easy to read for those of us outside of the medical community. Although intentional, I found the story repeated things too much, and it dragged on far too long. For those of us who have read many other self-help books on anxiety, Kennedy doesn’t provide anything new treatment-wise, but his unique look at the disorder definitely helped me see anxiety in a different light and, perhaps, that’s one step closer than I was before.
• 
  Anum Sattar

  I don’t browse self-help genre anymore and something written on psychology is a no go area for me as I have found that most of it is toxic psychology which cajoles readers into believing that being self-centred, self-absorbed, self-loving and walling themselves within a fortress of boundaries are the ways to live a fulfilling life.
  
  This book is different, I came across it on Instagram feed. I agree with a good chunk of what has been delivered. It presses on the idea that everything is perception and we can alter our perceptions through faith and gratitude. All anxiety is separation anxiety, separation from the self initially which gradually magnifies into separation from what is not the self. The ego—which is not the proverbial enemy contrary to what we have been told—tries to protect us from every sort of harm and thus keeps us at a safe distance from every stimulus that can trigger our anxiety. The ego has many tricks and tools in its repertoire to do its bidding. We carry traumas from childhood stored in the nooks and crannies of our bodies and we try hard to find our way out of mental agony, worry and pain—that is feeling, one way or the other—through thinking. He suggested grounding into our bodies by first locating our traumas and with incremental attempts metabolising them by the transformative touch of compassion and feeling. This can be achieved through holotropic breathwork or other breathing techniques in conjunction with somatic therapies and if necessary, psychotherapy. Moreover, he emphasised on polyvagal theory and social engagement system. Our nervous system or I rather say ego, forces us to detach, dissociate and regress into survival mode but we are built for the connection with other people; facial expressions, eye contact, touch and other ways of bonding disarm our ego.
  Self-awareness is the path that leads to the exit from the dungeons of anxiety. Making unconscious conscious and showing compassion to your inner child because s/he didn’t know any better, will release trauma and suffering. Integration of the self—your inner child and adult self—by embracing its fractured parts and directing compassion towards it. Author speaks of reverting back to our innocent disposition, we are born with; a pure clean slate—I believe he is talking about Fitra.
  The book is superfluous though which distracts and disengages the reader. Nevertheless, it has dispensed the right prescription for anxiety.
• 
  Sharon J Chavez

  I resonated with the author on feeling your alarms. I’m still struggling with writing anything because that is an alarm for me. “And I love that about myself!” 🤭. One day at a time. Thank you for your insight.
• 
  Katie

  This was a DNF. I got over 10% and it was reading like a really sad memoir; I was expecting to get something concrete out of it by that point. Really sad I spent money on this.
• 
  This is V!

  Ok so I don’t get why people would write so many beautiful reviews on this awful book . This book is just so simply awful that at the end of the book I had to put my audible to 3.0 x so that it could finish earlier . The key word in this book is : REPETITIVE ( yes , capital letters ) , every chapter tells the same story of the previous chapter , did I also mention that he frequently talks about how he used LSD? Actually , who cares ? I am still pretty disappointed that I had to read it and that the reviews confused me .
• 
  Sarah

  Hmmmmm…nope.
• 
  Maria Ciletti

  I have read a lot of books on how to deal with anxiety. This is the best book I have read in a long time. Dr. Kennedy’s experience is relatable, comforting, and empowering. I highly recommend it to anyone dealing with anxiety.
• 
  Edd

  DNF.
• 
  Antoinette

  I hardly ever write reviews, but after seeing a few low-star ratings, I felt compelled to share my perspective, which differs significantly. Reading this book prompted me to pause and reflect deeply on my experiences with anxiety, or as Its called, "background alert." I found myself revisiting the same questions: Am I an introvert because I have anxiety, does being an introvert make me anxious, or are they completely unrelated? This book brought many such thoughts to the surface, and for its role in advancing my journey, I do so grateful to both the book and the author.
  
  This isn't a book for the beginning of your journey. Just as you wouldn't walk into an advanced mathematics class without any prior knowledge, you shouldn't tackle this book without some foundational understanding. It’s best suited for those who can analyse their anxiety on a cellular level, have undergone or are undergoing therapy, practice meditation or daily exercise like yoga or cardio, and are not afraid to start loving themselves.
  
  Although I'm not a spiritual person and struggle immensely with gratitude—I only manage to use my gratitude journal two to three times a week—I still found the advice approachable and life-affirming, as if it were a matter of life or death.
  
  What resonates most from this book is the potential impact it can have on one's life and the lives of their loved ones. It did just that for me. It not only offered me numerous insights and questions to consider but also gave me a genuine sense of hope. Coping with anxiety often seems like a pipe dream, but this book made me believe that gaining control is indeed possible. The fact that most of the situations discussed by the author mirrored experiences from my own childhood made it all the more relatable—a real winner in my eyes!
  
  .
• 
  Mary

  I can see why people who haven't read any books about anxiety would like this but I would not recommend this for myriad reasons, not only because Kennedy is highly unoriginal and takes ideas as if they are his own, but he is also inconsistent and unbelievably self-absorbed. This book would have been better as a memoir, but he makes it an advice book throughout which he speaks in absolutes. I could write an essay on all the issues in this book because reading this book as a therapist, there are so many things that are red flags (honestly, DM me if you want the whole list) but mainly it is because he claims to have "invented" mindfulness (just reading the title gives you all you need to know about how he perceives himself) and proceeds to take ideas from researchers and presents them as his own. He rarely gives credit and I would recommend that you check out other authors and actual qualified people such as Stephen Porges (Polyvagal Theory), Francine Shapiro (EMDR), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing), Kristin Neff (Self-Compassion), and Bessel van der Kolk (Trauma), to name a few.
• 
  Abdul Mumeet Akhter

  If you are facing anxiety issues, so you have right book on shelf.........
• 
  Brenda Burt

  The author prefaces the book stating he likes the format of having 108 chapters, and to his detriment wrote enough content to fill this number of chapters when the same amount probably could have been said in half. It was really hard for me to finish this book because the first two sections were extremely repetitive. Like, extremely repetitive. To the point where I wanted to quit reading multiple times. BUT, luckily I didn’t quit 1) because I never let myself quit on a book holding out hope that it gets better and 2) because the best part of this book comes in the last 36 chapters. That being said, I’m simultaneously glad I stuck it out because the value of the last section I’ve been able to use in my own life and it has helped quite a bit, and I’m glad I’m done reading this so I can move on to something else.
• 
  Jonathan

  Russell has really gone down the rabbit hole to understand at a variety of levels how we normally think and feel with our bodies and our minds. And how our body and mind cope with trauma and overwhelm and how we operate while coping and also how we can recover.
  
  Russell some fantastic representation to help understand helpful views on the operations of our minds and our bodies like 'our child' and 'our dragon' who come into existence in order to help us continue to function while coping with the past overwhelms. And also representations on what is take to build trust and build faith for ourselves so we can reintegrate our bodies and our minds and minimise our reactions and create space for responses.
  
  Thank you Russell, for a super inciteful set of insights that can be applied real-time in our lives for a more calmful existence!
• 
  Jeremy Blum

  This is a helpful guide to dealing with anxiety, though it does get repetitive over time. Dr. Kennedy’s advice boils down to the fact that anxiety in our heads isn’t what we should be paying attention to - it’s the sense of alarm in our bodies. Once we triangulate where that alarm is, notice its contours and name it, we stand a better chance at not letting it control us. This is good advice, though difficult to consistently do for folks like me who often have trouble settling into our bodies. The book also takes a really circuitous route towards communicating this message. While Dr. Kennedy’s personal anecdotes about his psychotic father and meditative/drug-related experiences are interesting at first, by the 100th chapter (yes, there are that many chapters) I felt like I was seeing things over and over again.
  
  I think I would’ve preferred Anxiety RX to be more of a workbook with exercises for the reader to engage in instead of the anecdotal style that it employs, though I do appreciate the wisdom within this book. Dr. Kennedy also has a podcast of the same name where he tackles similar concepts, and I think I prefer his podcast over the book since it just isn’t as long-winded.