Perhaps like you, anxiety started in childhood; a pedophile in my neighborhood repeatedly abused me. Shame turned me into a magnet for other abusive men as I grew up.

I coped with anxiety with alcohol, drugs, and perfectionism. And, I’m sad to say, I self-mutilated and starved myself. I worked with a therapist for years, but it didn’t help.

In my thirties, I was hospitalized due to anxiety and severe panic attacks. A psychiatrist put me on an anti-anxiety medication, a benzodiazepine. I took it as prescribed.

In my forties, I earned a doctorate in psychology. I had books on the market, guest appearances on radio and television, and top-tier newspapers and magazines interviewed me. Psychology Today asked me to be an online contributor. I was even vetted for my own reality show. But something wasn’t right.

I was sick and getting sicker. Weak, dizzy, unable to think clearly, memory impaired, and in pain, I spent a lot of time in bed, unable to work.

It was the benzodiazepine! I was in tolerance withdrawal. Most doctors are uneducated about “benzos,” and I was given bad advice on how to get off my medication. That bad advice almost killed me.

It took years to recover from the brain damage the medication had caused. During those years I dedicated myself to learning what creates true health and happiness. I became an expert on the Four Cornerstones Of Well-Being.

I healed from my past trauma and rewired my brain and nervous system naturally.

I am ten years off of my anti-anxiety medication and eleven years sober.

I am anxiety and panic-free, happy, healthy, and most of all, thriving!