Judson Brewer author photo
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Judson Brewer

Judson Brewer is an American psychiatrist and neuroscientist whose work centers on addiction, anxiety, habit change, and mindfulness training. He is the author of The Craving Mind and Unwinding Anxiety, books that translate clinical and brain research for broad audiences and have helped popularize evidence-based approaches to breaking compulsive behaviors.

Biography & Author's Journey

Judson Brewer built his career at the intersection of science, medicine, and contemplative practice. He studied chemistry at Princeton, where he also completed a certificate in music performance, then entered the Medical Scientist Training Program at Washington University in St. Louis, earning a Ph.D. in immunology and an M.D. After psychiatry residency, chief residency, and additional research training at Yale, he moved through a sequence of academic roles that linked lab science to clinical work: assistant professor and clinic leader at Yale, research leadership at the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness, a research affiliation with MIT, and, from 2018 onward, Brown University, where he serves as director of research and innovation at the Mindfulness Center and a professor in public health and psychiatry. ((https://vivo.brown.edu/docs/j/jbrewer2_cv.pdf?dt=295011251))

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Quotes

quote
Curiosity comes in two flavors: pleasant and unpleasant
-Curiosity: Our Superpower for Just About Everything
quote
Mindfulness is really about paying careful attention to our thoughts and behaviors, not trying to suppress them
-Before You Dismiss Mindfulness
quote
In other words, curiosity — our drive for information — can induce a state that is either aversive or pleasant
-Did you know curiosity comes in different forms?
quote
So here’s a little exercise to use to reboot that RAM in your brain: It’s called five finger breathing
-Mind going a million miles a minute?
quote
My goal is to translate these insights into effective behavior change therapeutics
-Researchers@Brown profile
quote
Worry as a mental behavior can be fed by feelings of anxiety and make anxiety worse as the two feed off of each other
-Finding calm amid chaos

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Community Voices

"Judson Brewer has given us a breakthrough program with great tips and hacks that anyone can use to feel better"

B. J. Fogg

"In Unwinding Anxiety neuroscientist Judson Brewer offers a brilliant breakthrough, brain-based methods for lessening our anxiety-driven habits"

Daniel Goleman

"Judson Brewer has written a relatable, introspective guide to overcoming anxiety"

Sharon Salzberg

"Unwinding Anxiety provides a step-by-step guide to Judson Brewer’s personally designed, clinically proven path"

Daniel J. Siegel

"Judson Brewer offers a potent recipe for healing unhealthy eating habits"

Tara Brach

"Judson Brewer’s research has contributed greatly to our understanding of why anxiety is so hard to shake"

Kelly McGonigal

"Judson Brewer’s revolutionary approach challenges all of us to look again and really see what gets us stuck in self-destructive habits"

Mark Williams

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