Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind

Dr. Judson Brewer is an American neuroscientist and psychiatrist who specializes in habit formation and addiction. Dr. Brewer teaches as an associate professor at Brown University’s School of Public Health and Medical School. In addition to his psychiatry practice and teaching career, Dr. Brewer also provides guidance to athletes and business leaders. He has also shared his knowledge in the form of a TED talk entitled “A Simple Way to Break a Bad Habit,” which has reached millions of viewers.

Brewer’s first book, The Craving Mind: From Cigarettes to Smartphones to Love – Why We Get Hooked and How We Can Break Bad Habits, explains the neuroscience behind habit formation and explains why negative habits are so difficult to undo. This successful book was published in 16 languages and received many positive reviews. He reveals in his work Unwinding Anxiety that a negative review of his first book was part of what inspired him to write his second one, in which he aims to more specifically guide the reader through how to apply mindfulness concepts in their own lives. Dr. Brewer’s decades of experience as a researcher and psychiatrist ground his work in scientific evidence, which he makes more engaging by sharing real-life anecdotes about himself and his patients.