The Blog

Notes on anxiety, trance, and the trap of self-help

The mechanism underneath the symptom, written down. The same ideas the book works through, one piece at a time.

The Hidden Trance: The State That Keeps Anxiety Alive

The hidden trance is the absorbed state of monitoring and fixing yourself that keeps anxiety alive. The full definition of the term from Stop Fixing Yourself: what it is, how it forms,…

July 11, 2026 · 9 min read

Does self-help actually increase anxiety — looking at the evidence

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The Hidden Trance: The State That Keeps Anxiety Alive

Does Self-Help Actually Increase Anxiety? The Evidence

Thought suppression effect: why fighting thoughts backfires

Why trying to fix anxiety makes it worse, not better