Owen O'Kane
Owen is a psychotherapist and author of Ten Times Happier and the globally acclaimed and Sunday Times bestselling book, Ten to Zen. Owen has over 25 years’ experience in physical a...
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Who are you and what is your background?
I am Owen O'Kane. I'm a psychotherapist, author, and mental health speaker, and for the last 25-30 years I've worked in physical and mental health. Prior to that, I grew up in Belfast in a period known as The Troubles, and that started my interest in trauma and anxiety, which are the two areas I focus on. And from that then I moved to the UK, specialized in palliative care for a long period of time. And after that, retrained as a psychotherapist, which has brought me to where I am today.
Have you ever experienced difficult anxiety and how did you manage it?
Yeah, I've experienced anxiety, and I think it's one of the important things about doing this job. If you're talking about anxiety and you've experienced anxiety, I think it's important to be able to talk about that. And for me, really growing up in Belfast during the Troubles, I was hardwired to be anxious and didn't realize I was until I left and came to London. And it took a long time for me to work out what anxiety was for me. And primarily it was very physical and I didn't understand that at the beginning. But yeah, I do know what anxiety feels like, but I also know how to work through it. And more importantly, I use my own experience to help others.
What makes us anxious?
So as human beings, anything can make us anxious. It can be stuff that's going on in our personal lives, it can be stuff that's going on in the world and I think most importantly, it can be how we are responding to life. So to be human is to be anxious, and it's how we are responding to the triggers and the stimulus that makes us anxious.