Today, I am blessed to have Dr. Russell Kennedy here with me. He is a medical practitioner who also holds a degree in neuroscience and is dedicated to assisting those with mental illness. In addition, he is the author of the book Anxiety Rx, a certified yoga instructor, a speaker with the National Speakers Bureau. For many years, he worked as a doctor during the day and a stand-up comedian at night, appearing in comedy clubs all over the country. His expertise is anxiety because he too suffered from it for a long time and wants to prevent others from going through what he did. He is well-known as The Anxiety MD.  Dr. Kennedy grew up with a father who had a lot of challenges and essentially faced many challenges himself. His father had schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and had a lot of trauma in his environment growing up. One of the reasons Dr. Kennedy became a physician was his feeling of impotence watching his dad decline over and over and he wanted to have power over illness somewhat. In this episode, Dr. Kennedy speaks about his experiences with mental illnesses. He also talks about his challenges growing up with a mentally challenged father and how he was able to transform into the man of medicine he is today. Join my upcoming 90 day heavy metals detox group. We currently have 2 spots open. Join here: https://ketokamp.clickfunnels.com/tcd-challenge-a / / E P I S O D E   S P ON S O R S  Wild Pastures: $20 OFF per Box for Life + Free Shipping for Life + $15 OFF your 1st Box! https://wildpastures.com/promos/save-20-for-life/bonus15?oid=2&affid=132&source_id=podcast&sub1=ad BonCharge: Blue light Blocking Glasses, Red Light Therapy, Sauna Blankets & More. Visit https://boncharge.com/pages/ketokamp and use the coupon code KETOKAMP for 15% off your order.  Text me the words "Podcast" +1 (786) 364-5002 to be added to my contacts list.  [07:27] Blasts from the Past and Understanding Trauma Dr. Kennedy didn't do very well in grade school, he was a C- student. One of his teachers eventually became his patient and they had a laugh about the past. His seventh-grade bully also came to him as a patient. Meeting him was one of his biggest lessons he learned while practicing medicine. He realized that the bully was traumatized from childhood and took it out in the only place that he could. You cannot compare traumas. [13:00] The Biggest Enemy in Healing Anxiety You cannot expect a book to heal your anxiety. It only provides you with the framework, the work is yours to do. The biggest enemy in healing anxiety is an overprotective ego. An overprotective ego doesn't let you go back and experience the same pain that you were used to. Unless you can go back and feel it, you can't bring it to the surface, a place where you can start changing. You cannot change them unless you use feeling to change them. [29:13] Changing Your Physiology in Combination with Mindset The biggest thing in changing one's physiology is breathing. As soon as you focus on your breath, it naturally slows down. The mind usually runs too quickly that the body has no choice but to breathe quickly, shrinking down your chest. When your chest shrinks, it sends a message to the brainstem that you are in trouble. Your breathing becomes very shallow. [39:05] Understanding the Root of Anxiety, "Body Alarms", and Healing A lot of people don't even think to look at their body because their mind is usually moving too fast to process anything. When you are anxious or alarmed, you must investigate your body and find the cause. A lot of people who are of senior age haven't even thought of looking at the anxiety in their bodies. The mind reflects how the body feels. If you have an alarm in your system that's been there due to past trauma, your mind is going to react to it repeatedly until it becomes its go-to. [1:02:39] Unconsciously Reliving Trauma through Mind Regression If you have chronic stress like a lot of people, especially those who had a traumatic or abusive past, y