Dr Ryan's Health Anxiety Programme
I designed this course based on how I work in private practice. I followed the session by session format I use, to allow you to start CBT for Health Anxiety immediately from wherever you are.
Look inside the course
Example Curriculum
Understanding Health Anxiety
Dr Elaine Ryan
Why learn this from me?
I’m Dr Elaine Ryan, a Chartered Psychologist with over 20 years’ experience specialising in anxiety and OCD-related conditions.
Before creating my online programmes, I worked in the NHS as a Highly Specialist Psychologist. My work has focused on translating evidence-based psychological approaches into clear, practical steps that people can use in real life.
I created this programme because health anxiety is not usually helped by more reassurance. People need a clear way to understand the loop, reduce the behaviours that keep it going, and practise a different response repeatedly.
I also want you to know whether the programme is the right fit. If it is not right for you, you are covered by a 10-day no-questions-asked refund.
This programme is for you if:
- normal sensations quickly feel dangerous or significant
- reassurance helps briefly, then doubt returns
- you Google symptoms, scan your body, or seek repeated reassurance
- you avoid triggers such as illness stories, hospitals or health information
- health worry is draining your time, sleep, work or relationships
How this programme helps you step out of the health anxiety cycle
Health anxiety is not “just worrying too much”. It often becomes a loop:
A sensation or health thought appears → it feels threatening → anxiety rises → you check, Google, scan or ask for reassurance → you feel relief for a moment → the doubt comes back.
This programme helps you understand why the symptoms feel so convincing, why reassurance never lasts, and how to stop feeding the cycle. You will learn a different response to the urge to check, search, and seek certainty.
The goal is not to ignore your health. The goal is to stop treating every sensation like an emergency.
This programme may be a good fit if
- reassurance helps briefly, but the doubt comes back
- you repeatedly Google symptoms or search for certainty online
- you scan your body for sensations, changes or signs of illness
- you check your pulse, breathing, skin, pain, swallowing, lumps, moles or other symptoms more than you want to
- you ask loved ones, doctors or online sources for reassurance, but never feel fully settled
- you avoid health information, hospitals, exercise, illness stories or other triggers
- you feel caught between “I need to check” and “this checking is taking over”
- you want a structured way to work on health anxiety rather than another piece of reassurance
The programme helps you understand the health anxiety cycle and practise reducing the behaviours that keep it going. It does not ask you to ignore your health.
What you will work on inside the programme
You will get immediate access to a structured programme that helps you understand both the fear and the behaviours that keep health anxiety going.
Inside the programme, you will work on:
- understanding why health anxiety feels so physically convincing
- learning how the brain and body respond when something feels threatening
- mapping your own cycle of symptoms, thoughts, checking, Googling, reassurance and avoidance
- identifying the behaviours that give short-term relief but keep the fear alive
- reducing checking and reassurance gradually rather than forcing yourself to stop all at once
- working with catastrophic interpretations such as “what if this is serious?”
- understanding common health fears, including fears about cancer, brain tumours and heart symptoms
- using mindfulness and attention training to widen your focus beyond the body
- practising new responses when the urge to check, scan or search appears
- building a plan for setbacks, so one anxious day does not become a full relapse
The aim is not to make you careless about your health. The aim is to help you stop treating every sensation as an emergency.
Verified reviews from people who have taken this course
“This course has been life changing for me. I would recommend it to anyone suffering with health anxiety.”
“I have spent a few thousand dollars on counselling, and this course has been far better than any of that. It is helping so much.”
“Within a week of working through the course, my life changed for the better and I felt like myself again.”
“I’m feeling better and making a conscious choice not to seek reassurance from friends, family, or Google. The specificity to health anxiety is very helpful.”
“I’ve done many online courses, and this is the best one I’ve found in presentation and efficacy. Very legit.”
FAQ
Do I need a diagnosis to use this?
No. If you strongly recognise the pattern of health anxiety, repeated reassurance and checking, the programme may still be useful.
What if I’m worried I’ll miss a real illness?
This programme is not about ignoring legitimate medical concerns. Appropriate medical care matters. The goal is to stop repetitive reassurance cycles once appropriate checks have been done and to respond differently to anxiety.
Can anxiety really create physical symptoms?
Yes. Anxiety can affect muscle tension, digestion, breathing, sleep and heart rate, which is one reason health anxiety feels so convincing.
Is this like OCD?
Health anxiety and OCD are different diagnoses, but they can look similar when fear triggers repeated checking, reassurance and safety behaviours.
Can I use this with therapy or medication?
Yes. Many people use a structured programme alongside therapy or medication. Medication questions should be discussed with your GP or psychiatrist.
How long does it take to see progress?
Many people notice early changes once they start reducing checking and reassurance consistently, but lasting change comes from repetition over time.