With The Perrys: "A Conversation About Anxiety" with Blair Linne

Date: December 1, 2025
Hosts: Preston Perry & Jackie Hill Perry
Guest: Blair Linne

Episode Overview

This heartfelt and honest episode dives into the complex subject of anxiety, trauma, and faith through conversation with poet and author Blair Linne. Sharing personal stories of panic attacks, childhood tragedy, and sudden loss, Blair, Preston, and Jackie explore how anxiety has shaped their lives, their dependence on God, the value of therapy, and what it means to find peace in Christ amidst fear and uncertainty. The episode also highlights Blair's new book, Made to Tremble: How Anxiety Became the Best Thing That Ever Happened to My Faith, inviting listeners to contemplate the intersection of mental health and spiritual growth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Roots of Anxiety: Personal Stories & Early Experiences

• Blair's Childhood Trauma:

  • Blair shares (07:13–10:39) that her struggles with anxiety began long before she recognized them, rooted in early childhood trauma—her mother's incarceration, caring for an infant brother who died of SIDS at 13, and the lack of emotional processing after this loss.
  • Quote:
    “There was no one there to process that with me. And so I just went on living my life. ... When I would smell the scent of my brother, it was like it kind of haunted me.” — Blair, [09:34]

• Unacknowledged Patterns:

  • Through therapy, Blair realized that what looked like “first” panic attacks were actually part of a long history—biting nails as a child, hyperventilating at school—all signs of early anxiety.

The Impact of Sudden Trauma and Delayed Anxiety

• Blair’s Car Accident and Panic Attacks:

  • Blair recounts (07:54–19:44) a car accident that triggered her first recognized panic attack and a subsequent period of debilitating anxiety.
  • Quote:
    “A week later as I was driving ... I felt like, I can't breathe, it spiraled me into a panic attack.” — Blair, [07:54]

• Delayed Bodily Responses:

  • Anxiety may not emerge immediately after trauma; for Blair, symptoms came days later when driving or recounting the accident, illustrating that anxiety can be both physiological and psychological.

Therapy, Faith, and The Christian Stigma

• Therapy as Common Grace:

  • All three discuss the importance of therapy alongside discipleship, especially for trauma processing (14:22–16:33).
  • Quote:
    “We are a whole being. ... God has graciously given us common grace as well. And I think within that category, there are things that can help us...like therapy, like counselors.” — Blair, [14:22]

• Therapy Provides Language for Repentance:

  • Andrew shares how therapy helped him identify triggers and deeper wounds, echoing Blair’s experience:
    “Therapy doesn’t necessarily give me the language to repent... but it gives me the language for repentance.” — Andrew, [14:16]

The Physiology and Triggers of Panic Attacks

• How Trauma Returns in the Body:

  • The conversation (16:49–19:48) connects unresolved grief and trauma to panic attacks, often triggered by new connections or stressful events in adulthood.
  • Quote:
    “Anxiety is the body speaking...it’s the body telling us, I can't take anymore.” — Blair, [16:33]

• Triggers May Not Be Conscious:

  • The hosts note (22:03–26:24) that panic attacks often arise without conscious thought about trauma—the body “keeps the score.”

Different Kinds of Fear: Natural, Sinful, and Religious

• Puritan Insights:

  • Blair references John Flavel’s categories of fear (natural, sinful, religious) and how trauma often triggers natural fear, which only becomes sinful when it morphs into obsessive control.
  • Quote:
    “I think what I do in the book is I talk about three different types of fear from a puritan, John Flavel. ... Natural fear, sinful fear, and religious fear.” — Blair, [26:24]

• Desire for Control:

  • Sinful anxiety emerges when we try to “play God” for ourselves and our loved ones, rooted in fear of loss and need for control.

Grief, Sudden Loss, and The Church’s Response

• The Special Weight of Sudden Grief:

  • Andrew shares (29:54–31:05) repeated experiences of sudden loss—the murder of family members and friends—leading to deep anxiety and fear of future loss.
  • Blair discusses the church’s struggle to comfort people well, contrasting human and divine tenderness.
  • Quote:
    “God is tender. Whether it's a drawn out loss or a sudden loss, our God is tender.” — Blair, [31:05]

• Don’t Shame the Anxious:

  • Citing Job, Blair urges Christians not to condemn those who struggle with anxiety (31:05–32:02).

The Path from Anxiety to Deeper Faith

• Scripture’s Prescription for Anxiety:

  • Blair emphasizes reading familiar scriptures (like Philippians 4:6) in context:
    • Recognizing that “be anxious for nothing” is not condemnation, but an invitation to bring cares to God through prayer and thanksgiving (34:35–36:24).
    • Quote:
      “Thanksgiving helps you remember who your God is, how he's brought you through in the midst of your difficulty.” — Blair, [36:14]

• Peace is a Person, Not a Feeling:

  • True peace, they agree, is found in Christ’s presence, not in perfect circumstances (39:35–40:44).
  • Quote:
    “Peace is a person. ... It has to be who's with me, that even if another deer comes, I serve the God who's over the deer.” — Blair, [39:35]

• Theology of God Amidst Fear:

  • Preston links peace and security to knowing God's character, not mere emotional assurance (41:06–41:27).

Vulnerability, Suffering, and Spiritual Fruit

• Affliction Leading to Dependence:

  • The group meditates on 2 Corinthians 4:7–10, reflecting on how human weakness exposes God’s strength (43:49–44:43).
  • Quote:
    “Anything that reveals your humanity and then exposes or reveals God's divinity ... you have to say, okay, you're working good.” — Blair, [44:02]

• Fruit From Suffering:

  • Anxiety, when surrendered to God, produces comfort for others, depth in family and church, and a reliance on Christ (47:09–48:23).

Coping Mechanisms vs. True Peace

• Temporary vs. True Peace:

  • The team contrasts unhealthy coping (e.g., substance use) with the sustaining peace of Christ (50:15–51:45):
    • “Any of those things ... it's only temporary. ... It's not just getting rid of the anxiety. ... It's finding the Lord and trusting that he's going to be with you, even if he has you trembling the rest of your life.” — Blair, [51:45]

• Embracing the Worst, Trusting God:

  • Preston, referencing Tim Keller, says peace comes when you trust that even the worst will not break you, so long as God is with you (52:57–53:05).

Practical Strategies for Peace and Rest

• Rest and Meditation:

  • Blair advocates (57:24–60:16) for intentional rest and soaking in scripture, poetry, and music as means to direct the mind toward truth, even when meditation feels impossible during anxious moments.
  • Quote:
    “Let’s stop. Why? Because we’re human. ... We can’t do it all. We were never meant to bear it all.” — Blair, [57:29]

• Nature as a Means of Grace:

  • The group discusses (61:19–63:52) the spiritual and psychological benefits of spending time in creation:
    • “God actually, like, created the world beautiful. ... Take advantage of all the things that God created.” — Andrew, [62:59]

Closing Exhortation: The Unshakable Kingdom

• Blair’s Encouragement & Scripture:
  • Reading Hebrews 12:14–29 (64:14–68:31), Blair urges anxious listeners to reflect on the unshakable kingdom of God, Christ’s finished work, and the reality that God is with them in every fear.
  • Quote:
    “The king in that kingdom is a God who never trembles, who's not anxious, right? ... My encouragement ... is to know that God can be with you right there.” — Blair, [67:56]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Anxiety is the body speaking...I can't take anymore.” — Blair, [16:33]
• “Therapy doesn’t necessarily give me the language to repent... but it gives me the language for repentance.” — Andrew, [14:16]
• “Peace is a person. ... Even if another deer comes, I serve the God who’s over the deer.” — Blair, [39:35]
• “Anything that reveals your humanity...and exposes or reveals God’s divinity, allows you to cling to him even more...what you’re doing in the midst of it is good.” — Blair, [44:02]
• “True things, we want to hold fast to that which is true. But also we want to know that God reveals the truth. As I said, truth is a person. Capital T in Jesus.” — Blair, [58:05]
• “God is tender. Whether it’s a drawn out loss or a sudden loss, our God is tender.” — Blair, [31:05]
• “We have a kingdom that cannot be shaken ... the king in that kingdom is a God who never trembles, who’s not anxious.” — Blair, [67:56]

Important Timestamps

• Blair’s early life & trauma: [07:13–10:39]
• Therapy & Christian stigma: [14:16–16:33]
• Delay and triggers in anxiety: [18:18–19:44]
• Physiological vs. rational fear: [22:03–22:21]
• Different kinds of fear (Flavel): [26:24–28:51]
• Discussion of sudden trauma: [29:54–32:02]
• Scripture and real peace: [34:35–36:24]
• Peace is a person: [39:35–40:44]
• 2 Corinthians 4 ("jars of clay"): [43:48–44:43]
• Coping: peace vs. vices: [50:15–51:45]
• Rest & meditation on truth: [57:24–60:16]
• Nature as therapy: [61:19–63:52]
• Hebrews 12 encouragement: [64:14–68:31]

Final Exhortation

Blair closes with comforting reflections on God’s sovereignty, Christ’s compassion in Gethsemane, and encouragement for listeners to encounter true, unshakable peace—not in fixing anxiety, but in trusting Christ’s presence, even amidst trembling.

If you’re anxious, grieving, or feeling alone in your struggle, this episode offers both practical tools and deep spiritual comfort, reminding you that, in Christ, you are never abandoned and never without true hope.

For more on Blair Linne’s journey and wisdom, check out her book, "Made to Tremble."