3 Hidden Elements of Anxiety Disorders No One Talks About

September 16, 2024

In this episode, Dennis uncovers the 3 often overlooked elements of anxiety disorders that play a crucial role in recovery. Enjoy the podcast and don’t forget to visit our Programs Page to find your personalized path to anxiety healing.

Episode Summary on the 3 Hidden Elements of Anxiety Disorders No One Talks About:

In this enlightening episode of The Anxiety Guy Podcast, Dennis uncovers 3 hidden elements of anxiety disorders that are often left unaddressed. These underlying factors contribute to the persistence of anxiety, but once identified, they offer new pathways toward healing.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Unconscious Perceptions of Threat (Wired):
    Many anxiety sufferers are wired to perceive threats unconsciously. This deeply ingrained response triggers the fight-or-flight reaction, keeping the anxiety cycle alive without conscious awareness. Dennis discusses how to bring these perceptions to the surface to rewire your brain’s response to non-threatening situations.
  2. Fatigue (Trauma, Full Stress Bucket, Addiction to Suffering, Doer-ship):
    Emotional fatigue from unresolved trauma, an overflowing “stress bucket,” and an addiction to suffering keeps you stuck in survival mode. Dennis explains how chronic stress and the habit of “doer-ship” – the constant need to act or fix – drain your energy, making it difficult to heal.
  3. Safety Perceptions Within the Anxious Identity:
    For many, anxiety becomes a familiar part of their identity, connected to hardship and suffering. Dennis explores how the mind clings to the comfort of the known, even when it’s harmful, and provides tools to shift toward a new identity based on safety and well-being.

Why You Should Listen:

If you’ve been trying to recover from anxiety but feel something is still holding you back, this episode reveals hidden elements that could be preventing your progress. Dennis provides valuable insights and practical strategies to address these core factors, helping you move closer to freedom from anxiety.

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

  • Health Anxiety University – For ongoing support and education on health anxiety healing, check out the Health Anxiety University.

Quotes from the Episode:

  • “We don’t realize that the way we unconsciously perceive threats is keeping our anxiety alive.”
  • “Fatigue isn’t just physical—it’s emotional, mental, and spiritual. When the stress bucket overflows, anxiety takes control.”
  • “The anxious identity feels safe in hardship, but real safety comes from creating a new identity.”

Episode Timestamps:

  • [00:00] Introduction and overview of the 3 hidden elements
  • [02:30] Unconscious perceptions of threat (wired)
  • [08:45] Fatigue and its connection to anxiety
  • [15:10] Safety within the anxious identity and how to shift it

Connect with The Anxiety Guy:

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Leave a comment on this episode on anxiety disorders and share your thoughts or experiences below.


The Anxiety Guy Podcast is one of the most popular mental health podcasts in the world with more than 6 million downloads alongside the Health Anxiety Podcast Show.

It has been selected as the top mental health and anxiety podcast on Apple 6 times, and has been listen as a top podcast for anxiety today on Psychology TodayChoosing TherapyBetter HelpWomen’s HealthMarissa Peer and many more. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.

Listen to all future anxiety guy podcast episodes on SpotifyTune-inPodbeanPodbayPodcast AddictScribdLuminaryGoogle PodcastsAmazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch all previous anxiety guy episodes through video on YouTube here.

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