Anxiety: It's Not All in Your Mind (JS1D26)

Please only register for one of the two formats: On-Land or Online.

Registration closes at 9:00am (Pacific Time) on October 18, 2026. A waiting list will be created if the program fills early. A recording* will be available following the program.

This program offers 4 CEs at $40. For more CE details, see below.

Description:
Anxiety is not a character flaw, a weakness of will, or a failure of practice. It’s an automatic process—one the nervous system learned, often long before you had any say in the matter.

And because it was learned, it can be unlearned.

We’ll begin with and emphasize the body, not as a problem to be managed, but as the place where real change becomes possible. Not because embodiment comes naturally—for most people dealing with anxiety, it doesn’t—but because the capacity to sense, inhabit, and befriend the body is itself a skill.

One that can be developed, gradually and with care, even when it feels impossible.

One of the most important skills to develop will be the insight into what drives anxiety, at its root. It’s the nervous system which doesn’t wait for experience to arrive before interpreting it. It predicts and labels. Fortunately, we can experience this and begin to have choice.

On-Land Sliding Scale: (JS1D26)**
Benefactor – $310
Sustainer – $235
Basic – $140
Scholarship Rate (BIPOC, Mudita/Karuna, Young Adult) – $70
**Volunteer/Work Exchange opportunities, which include full or partial Scholarships, may be available for the in-person program. For more information, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator at volunteering@spiritrock.org.

Online Sliding Scale: (JS1Z26)***
Benefactor – $175
Sustainer – $95
Basic – $75
Scholarship Rate (BIPOC, Mudita/Karuna) – $45
***Online Program: All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org no later than 12:00pm (NOON) PT on the day prior to the program date.

Access to Recording

• Registration includes unlimited access to this program’s recording. You must register by the deadline above. The recording will be available in ~10 days after the program.

On-Land Attendees

• The on-land program will take place in the Community Meditation Center (CMC) in the Great Hall.
• Bring a lunch and a water bottle. Lunch is not provided.
• This is NOT a residential retreat. Overnight accommodations are not provided.

COVID Safety Protocols for non-residential programs: details here.

Cancellation Policy for On-Land: Daylongs, Multiday Programs (1-3 days), Family Programs, CE fees:

• NO REFUNDS.
• Open Credit or Donation to Spirit Rock = cancel 2 or more business days prior to program (Pacific Time)
• No Open Credit = cancel less than 2 business days prior

This program is applicable for licensed and license-eligible mental health and health care professionals, including psychologists, social workers (LCSW, LSW), counselors (LPC, LCPC, LMHC), marriage and family therapists, nurses (RN, NP), chiropractors, and other health care professionals, seeking education in anxiety and nervous system regulation. Please review our Continuing Education information page for provider details, and to determine if your association or board will accept credits offered by Spirit Rock.

This program offers a nervous-system-based framework for understanding anxiety, along with body awareness practices that can be incorporated when working with anxious clients and patients. This framework offers language and psychoeducational tools professionals can bring into client and patient interactions when explaining the body-based nature of anxiety. The practices can support professionals’ own capacity for regulation and embodied presence, which can support effective clinical work across care settings.

Learning Objectives for participating health care professionals:
At the end of the program, participants will be better able to:

• Describe the nervous system mechanisms known to underlie anxiety as a learned, conditioned response, rather than a fixed trait or personal failing.
• Apply body awareness practices to identify how anxiety is registered and expressed physically.
• Identify patterns that underlie and maintain anxiety, distinguishing root drivers from surface-level triggers.

Attendance policy for CE participants:

• Full, live attendance is required. Incomplete attendance nullifies CE eligibility, as board regulations do not permit partial credit for partial attendance.
• Sign in and out at the CE table, on time.
• Submit your professional information within one week of receiving the link. This link will be emailed within 2 business days after the program to all participants who met the attendance requirements.
• Certificates are issued only to those who meet the attendance requirements—without exception—to maintain compliance with our provider licenses and ensure the continuation of future CE programs.

Please note:

• Visit our Continuing Education information page for complete provider details and additional CE information, including attendance requirements and our cancellation and grievance policies.
• Continuing Education is sponsored by Mindful CECs.
• Mindful CECs is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Mindful CECs maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
• Mindful CECs is a provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP17985 for 4 contact hours.
• Participants are responsible for determining whether this program meets the CE requirements of their licensing board or certifying organization. Spirit Rock does not confirm CE applicability for license types beyond the scope of Mindful CECs’ provider approvals.
• Credit is awarded for instructional time only and does not include extended silent meditation, if offered.
• Conflict of Interest Statement: This instructor may have authored publications relevant to the subjects covered in this course, and may teach additional programs. The instructor might reference these publications and programs during the course, and may receive financial compensation if participants choose to purchase them.