Many of us live inside an “invisible cage” made from old fears, guardedness, and habits of staying small. Anxiety shows up not only in dread and worry, but in all the subtle ways we avoid risks, silence ourselves, or brace for what might go wrong.
So in this talk, I explore how insight — from psychology, somatic work, and early Buddhism — can help you recognize where anxiety really comes from, loosen its grip, and grow a grounded, calm strength inside. Bit by bit, you can expand your inner cage, reclaim your freedom, and meet life with more confidence and ease.
Click here to join the free Wednesday Meditations – which are open to everyone!
Talk: Releasing Anxiety with Three Kinds of Insights
Timecodes & main topics:
- 0:00 – How concentration practices cultivate lasting traits like groundedness, peace, and love
- 1:58 – The full spectrum of anxiety — from subtle guardedness to panic
- 3:27 – Why anxiety is normal and what it’s trying to do for you
- 5:02 – Coping with real threats without letting fear invade the mind
- 6:16 – Insight #1: Psychodynamic roots — repression, the “dreaded experience,” and the invisible cage
- 12:17 – Insight #2: Transference — bringing old fears into new situations
- 21:49 – Insight #3: Somatic markers — how the body anchors anxiety and how to soften it
- 29:20 – Buddhist perspectives — impermanence, interdependence, and craving as roots of anxiety
A Meditation: Feeling Grounded, Loving, and at Peace
If you often feel tense, unsettled, or caught in old patterns of fear, this practice helps you come home to your body, soften anxiety at its roots, and reconnect with your natural steadiness and kindness. We’ll move gently through grounding, releasing fear, and opening the heart so you can rest more fully in calm presence.
