76: Panic Proof: an integrative approach to healing anxiety and building emotional resilience, with Dr. Nicole Cain

Dr. Nicole Cain is a leading expert in resolving anxiety and has helped thousands of patients break free from panic and build lasting mental wellness. In this insightful interview for the MindHealth360Show, she shares the powerful methods behind her revolutionary approach to treating anxiety.

Author of the book Panic Proof: The New Holistic Solution to End Your Anxiety Forever, Dr. Cain brings a unique and multidisciplinary perspective to mental health. With a degree in clinical psychology, training in EMDR, and a license as a naturopathic physician, she incorporates medical, psychological, and holistic approaches to healing, and successfully bridges the gap between biochemical and psycho-spiritual factors to address anxiety from multiple angles.

In this compelling and complex conversation, Dr. Cain introduces the 9 distinct types of anxiety (thought anxiety, chest anxiety, gut anxiety, depressive anxiety, nervous system anxiety, anger anxiety, endocrine anxiety, trauma anxiety, and immune system anxiety), emphasising that our different experiences of anxiety require tailored treatments. She highlights the importance of identifying the root-causes of anxiety for sustainable and effective healing and reminds us that anxiety is not caused solely by a stressor, but by how we respond to it in states of sympathetic activation. She outlines her ‘panic proof’ strategies that focus on mind, body and soul for healing from anxiety and panic attacks, and explains why focusing on our bodies, sensation, touch and connection is so important. With real warmth and optimism, Dr. Cain reassures us that we are designed to heal, offering a message of hope: recovery from anxiety is not only possible – it’s within reach.

In this episode you will learn:

• How anxiety and panic coexist on a spectrum, with panic at one extreme and generalised anxiety at the other.

• Why a trauma and biology-informed approach is essential, and how addressing both the biochemical and psycho-spiritual aspects of anxiety leads to deeper healing.

• Why anxiety originates in the body, and how thoughts are attached to those physical sensations – rather than the other way around.

• How to identify early “canary” warning signals of anxiety and why each person’s experience is unique.

• Why we can’t simply “talk” ourselves out of feeling anxious, and ways that trauma is stored in non-verbal parts of our brains, influencing anxiety in ways we might not consciously recognise.

• Why anxiety becomes maladaptive when it is not proportional to a threat, and ways maladaptive behaviours are those that stop you from adapting to new or difficult circumstances. 

• The neurophysiology of anxiety – understanding anxiety as a stress response that results from the nervous system getting "stuck” in a heightened state - and why it’s rooted in the reaction, rather than in the stressor. 

• The root-causes of anxiety, including environmental toxins, moulds, infections, hormone, nutritional and neurotransmitter imbalances, inflammation, trauma, and adverse childhood experiences - and how these biochemical and psycho-spiritual factors interplay.

• The 9 types of anxiety – thought anxiety, chest anxiety, gut anxiety, depressive anxiety, nervous system anxiety, anger anxiety, endocrine anxiety, trauma anxiety, immune system anxiety – the typical symptoms of each, and how each type informs targeted treatment strategies.

• How the brain’s salience network contributes to anxiety, and why excessive sensory stimuli (screens, social media, blue light, toxins) can trigger panic.

• How to shift from asking “how do I make the anxiety stop?” to “what is my body telling me I need” - and why listening to our bodies informs healing strategies. 

• How experiencing physical touch and building meaningful human connections play a vital role in recovery.

• Why asking “how can I become more of myself?” rather than “how do I fix myself?” can be a powerful tool reframes how we accept and heal from anxiety.

• 3 key foundational strategies that build resilience and adaptability; 1: meeting core human needs (prioritising connection, proper nutrition, hydration, warmth) 2: removing obstacles to healing (toxic relationships, unfulfilling jobs, and unhealthy environments) 3: strengthening brain/body health (herbal medicine, detoxification, micro-dosing, targeted nutrition, movement, bodywork, sauna therapy, and massage)

• A practical demo of the “3 minute hack” ,tips for panic attack prevention, and why self-compassion and care transform our experiences of anxiety.