The Brutal Truth About Anxiety—and How to Heal It Naturally | Dr. Ellen Vora

What if your anxiety isn’t just in your head—but actually rooted in your body?

In this episode of The Brave Table, I sit down with Dr. Ellen Vora, a board-certified psychiatrist, acupuncturist, yoga teacher, and author of The Anatomy of Anxiety. Ellen takes a refreshing, functional medicine approach to mental health, helping us understand anxiety through the lens of the whole person—not just symptoms.

We dive into how anxiety shows up in the body, the surprising root causes often overlooked by traditional medicine, and the empowering steps you can take to start regulating your nervous system and reclaiming your peace. If you’ve ever felt stuck in cycles of stress, overwhelm, or burnout, this conversation will give you so much clarity and hope.

Key Timestamps
00:00 – Intro
01:45 – The hidden connection between your body and anxiety
06:35 – How anxiety and grief show up in the body
12:45 – Why most of us block ourselves from truly feeling emotions
22:55 – Differentiating “true” vs. “false” anxiety
26:00 – How diet, sleep & lifestyle fuel anxiety symptoms
27:45 – Practical tools to regulate your nervous system
34:00 – Why Dr. Ellen’s approach flips conventional medicine on its head
37:40 – How the attention economy is silently hijacking your mental health
41:45 – Breaking free from the endless anxiety cycle
43:25 – Alternative approaches to healing anxiety—beyond just medication
54:00 – What Ellen is braving in her own life right now

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Connect with Ellen
WEB / https://ellenvora.com
IG /   / ellenvoramd  
BOOK / https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Anxiet...

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Follow along for more tips, community, and resources to brave a better you!
IG /   / neetabhushan  
IG /   / thebravetable  
TIKTOK / http://www.tiktok.com/neeta.bhushan
WEB / https://neetabhushan.com

Dr. Neeta Bhushan is a 5x award-winning author, emotional health advocate, and host of The Brave Table podcast. CEO of Highest Self Institute and author of That Sucked, Now What, she’s been featured in Forbes, ABC, and more. A former dentist turned global speaker, Neeta’s work blends psychology, ancient wisdom, and resilience from her own life experiences. She's also a mom, wellness lover, and chai enthusiast.