Do you need therapy, or is a structured programme the right first step?
Many people assume therapy is always the best option, but that is not always the case. I use a stepped care approach, the same model used in the NHS and recommended by NICE: start with the least intensive treatment that is likely to help, and only move up to individual therapy if needed.
For mild to moderate anxiety, a structured self-help programme is often a sensible first step.
This programme is not generic advice. It is a structured psychological intervention based on the same models, tools, and worksheets I use in practice. I designed it to reflect the way I work clinically: helping you understand what is driving your anxiety, identify the patterns that keep it going, and learn how to change them in a clear, systematic way. It gives you practical tools and exercises you can begin immediately, in your own time.
Why learn from Dr Elaine Ryan?
As a psychologist who has also experienced anxiety, I understand both how difficult it can feel and what genuinely helps.
I am a Doctor of Psychology with 20 years of clinical experience, a background working in the UK NHS as a Highly Specialist Psychologist, and specialist training in anxiety disorders and OCD.
I created Retrain Your Brain to give you access to the same evidence-based psychological tools I use in practice, in a format that is practical, clear, and easy to follow in your own time.
This is not vague advice. It is a structured programme built by a senior psychologist who understands anxiety clinically, treats it professionally, and knows how to explain it in a way that is usable in real life.
I want you to find the course genuinely useful. If it is not the right fit for you, you are covered by a 10-day no-questions-asked refund.
How this programme helps you understand and change anxiety
Anxiety usually shows up through a pattern of:
- what you feel in your body
- what you think
- what you do or avoid
This programme helps you identify which pathway is most active for you. Some people are dominated by body-based alarm responses. Some are caught in learned situational fear. Some are trapped in thought and worry loops. Most have a mixture.
Once you understand your pattern, the work becomes much clearer. You learn grounding, CBT, mindfulness, exposure-based practice and attention-training tools that match the type of anxiety you are actually dealing with.
You were not born doing all of these anxious habits. They were learned. And learned patterns can be changed.
What's inside the course?
You will get immediate access to a structured, step-by-step programme that helps you understand and work with different pathways to anxiety.
- understand the different routes into anxiety
- learn how your “3 brains” contribute to anxious responses
- assess your own anxiety pattern and vulnerability factors
- calm body-based alarm responses more effectively
- learn CBT tools for anxious thoughts, beliefs and behaviours
- understand emotional memory and negativity bias
- work with common physical symptoms of anxiety
- use mindfulness, grounding and practical calming tools
- break worry loops and anxious habits through repetition
It's important you take time to look at the video as I talk you through what is inside the course.
What Our Users Are Saying
I was in a dark place ... this has been so helpful.
THANK YOU, Elaine. Wow, I was in a dark place when I began your courses, and I can't tell you enough how helpful this has been. I was struggling with intrusive thoughts which led down the rabbit hole of anxiety. Though I am not free from them, I feel much better about handling them and feel prepared to do so. Thank you again!
Wonderfully set out, easy to understand.
The course is presented in such a way that it's easy to understand, yet provides detailed information for greater clarity on why we experience anxiety and how to retrain your brain. I have a much better understanding now and have learned good strategies. Thank you!
I don't have the finances to see a professional in person and this has been so helpful.
Thank you for putting this together. I do not have the finances to see a professional in person and this has been so helpful. I did a few other online therapy programs, but none had a road-map or actual educational material and exercises to help me. This was the first time I felt I got something concrete.
You were a blessing in my life, Dr. Elaine! A true Godsend!
You have helped me SO much!!! Literally, my anxiety is so much better and I can recognize it more and work through my thoughts. This course has even helped me help my husband with his anxiety! You were a blessing in my life, Dr. Elaine!
I have read other professional books and Dr. Ryan gives a similar, understandable perspective
I have read anxiety books and Dr. Ryan gives a slightly different but similar perspective on anxiety. I think she makes the topic very understandable... I did get some real benefits from this, and I'm glad I took the course. It was a worthwhile investment.
For those who prefer to read, here is the full curriculum:
- Pathway 1: Your smart path to anxiety (5:47)
- Pathway 2: Your instinctual pathway (4:09)
- You're wired for the negative (10:43)
- Your 3 brains and anxiety (3:12)
- Your primitive reptilian brain (2:11)
- Your Mammalian Brain - now you can remember to be anxious (1:50)
- Your Thinking Brain - You're anxious because you are smart! (1:31)
My Program is effective because it is based on a few core, scientific principles;
- Automatic Processes: Much of your anxiety is caused by automatic, unconscious "scripts" your brain has learned. You can read more about this in my Guide to Anxiety, where I discuss automatic processes and anxiety.
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Neural Pathways: By practicing new ways of thinking, you can physically build new, calmer pathways in your brain.
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You Are the Teacher: This course teaches you how to stop being an accidental teacher of anxiety and retrain your brain to unlearn anxiety.