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

by Judson Brewer MD PhD

Here’s the basic RAIN practice: First, RECOGNIZE that the stress is coming on and RELAX into it. Don’t grit your teeth and brace for impact! Just let go and feel it come on, since you have no control over it anyway. It’s even okay if you smile a little. Really. ALLOW and ACCEPT this wave as it is. Don’t try to push it away or ignore it. Don’t distract yourself or try to do something about it. This is your experience. Here it comes. To catch the wave of anxiety, you have to study it carefully, INVESTIGATING it as it builds. Be curious. Do this by asking, “What is going on in my body right now?” Don’t go looking for it. See what arises in your awareness most prominently. Let it come to you. Get curious. Where does the feeling originate in your body? What does it really feel like? Is it tightness in your chest? Is it a burning feeling in your belly? Is it a restlessness that urges you to do something—like run away? Finally, NOTE the experience. This keeps you here now, curious and focused, riding the wave. Keep it simple by using short phrases or single words. This helps you stay out of thinking or figuring-out mode, and instead will keep you in the direct experience of what is happening to you. For example, you might note clenching, rising, burning, heat, restlessness as the feelings come on and peak, and then vibration, tightness, tingling, lessening, relaxing, relief, and expanding as they subside. If thoughts arise, simply note “thinking” and don’t get caught up in analys...