Skill BuildingWellbeing/Mental HealthResilience/Compassion

Judson Brewer, MD, PhD

The Craving Mind: Break the Cycle of Worry and Bad Habits

Noon CST 7 pm CST

12:00 pm CST 7:00 pm CST

When

Tue, Oct 7, 2025 @ Noon and 7pm CST

Where

Virtual Event

Program Takeaways:

Anxiety is a Habit Loop: Anxiety often becomes a self-reinforcing habit, where the feeling of fear leads to worrying, which gives the illusion of control but ultimately increases anxiety.

Willpower Is Overrated: Trying to “will away” anxiety doesn’t work—especially because the prefrontal cortex (responsible for willpower and reasoning) shuts down under stress.

Curiosity Is a Superpower: Shifting from worry to curiosity disrupts anxiety patterns. Asking “What am I getting from this?” helps rewire the brain toward mindful awareness instead of fear.

Mindfulness-Based Digital Tools Work: Brewer’s mindfulness apps and programs have been clinically shown to reduce anxiety by up to 67%, outperforming traditional treatments in several trials.

Start with Yourself: Kids won’t listen to anxious adults about calmness. Parents modeling curiosity and emotional regulation are more effective than giving advice.

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Brewer has studied the science of addiction for 20 years and will reveal how we can tap into the very processes that encourage addictive behaviors in order to step out of those behaviors. He will describe the mechanisms of habit and addiction formation, then explain how we can interrupt these habits, and move beyond our stress and cravings, to live a fuller life.

Stress and anxiety are on the rise which can leave people feeling overwhelmed and vulnerable to addiction. Whether it’s a compulsion to check social media, binge eat, smoke, drink, or worry – we may find ourselves repeating habits we know are unhealthy.

Enter Dr. Brewer. He has created a clear, solution-oriented program anyone can use to feel better, no matter how anxious they may be. Brewer will explain how to discover triggers and uproot anxiety at its source using brain-based techniques and hacks available to us all.

Brewer is a New York Times best-selling author and thought leader in the field of habit change and the science of self-mastery. He is the director of research and innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center and a research affiliate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His bestsellers include “Unwinding Anxiety,” “Eat Right Now,” and “Craving to Quit.”

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