Page 15 - Advance Copy: Todd Kaufman, Author

Introduction
There are few things more unsettling then being the focus of attention of over 500 wedding guests, all of whom have the same question you do: “What happened to the bride?”
Last spring, I was just wrapping up an incredibly fun and engaging day of teaching fellow therapists and doctors The Anxiety Release Protocol. The classroom was lined with handwritten flip chart notes—opportunities for everyone to review the information as it was presented. Everyone in the workshop had bonded, and as they were saying their final goodbyes, I began to collect the large sheets peppered with key thoughts and strategies.
“Excuse me, Todd?” It was Sarah, a young, twenty- something social worker who had arrived that morning to quietly sit in a back row seat. As the day unfolded, she had become incredibly engaged and animated. By the end of the day, Sarah had moved herself front and centre. She was a petite woman, perhaps five-foot-four, with a warm, open face and big, round, saucer-like eyes that reminded me of those character drawings that circulated in the 60s. She had replaced her morning shyness with a warm and broad smile that, when directed your way, simply made you feel loved. “Thank you, I learned so much today. I really think it’s going to help my clients. A lot of them have panic attacks and, well, as you know, so do I. But the best part is the fact that I had so much fun. I don’t usually expect that when I come to a workshop!”
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