Nothing Is Wrong With You: Rebooting Your Mind To Freedom And Health With Dr. Don Wood, PhDNothing Is Wrong With You: Rebooting Your Mind To Freedom And Health With Dr. Don Wood, PhD
I Love Being Sober
Tim Westbrook talks with Dr. Don Wood, PhD, about how trauma and emotional pain can drive addiction and anxiety, and how his Inspired Performance Program aims to reset the brain’s responses. The conversation focuses on reframing addiction, calming trauma loops, and opening up space for health and recovery.
45:03•8 Mar 2022
Nothing Is Wrong With You: Dr. Don Wood on Trauma, Addiction and Rebooting the Mind
Episode Overview
- Addiction is presented as a survival response to pain, not self-sabotage or a moral failing.
- Unresolved trauma can keep the nervous system in a fight-or-flight state, contributing to anxiety, depression, and physical illness.
- The Inspired Performance Program aims to "reboot" high-definition traumatic memories so the brain stops treating them as current threats.
- Everyday "emotional concussions" from criticism or harsh words can shape beliefs and behaviour long into adulthood.
- Calming trauma loops may free up energy for better health, stronger performance, and more stable relationships.
“"It's not about your character, willpower, morals, or ethics. It's about the science of how our brains work. It will do whatever it can to get out of pain."”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation between Tim Westbrook and Dr. Don Wood, PhD, digs into how trauma and painful memories can quietly drive addiction, anxiety, and even physical illness. You’ll hear Dr. Wood explain why he believes, "There's nothing wrong with you, there's nothing wrong with your mind," and how the brain’s survival system can turn old experiences into constant alarms.
When the subconscious keeps replaying high‑definition memories of past danger, it can trigger fight‑or‑flight responses, push people towards alcohol or drugs for relief, and even compromise the immune system. For anyone tired of being told to just "live with" anxiety, depression, or post‑traumatic stress, this chat offers a different angle. Dr. Wood challenges the idea that addiction is self‑sabotage, saying, "You're not destructive.
I think you're trying to feel better." He talks through his four‑hour Inspired Performance Program, aimed at "rebooting" traumatic memories so they feel more like last night’s dinner than a current emergency. The episode touches on big traumas like the Boston Marathon bombing and everyday "emotional concussions" such as harsh comments from parents or teachers.
You’ll also hear how unresolved trauma might be linked to autoimmune issues, and why calming the mind can unlock extra energy and performance, whether in recovery or athletics. The style is relaxed but packed with examples, from a heroin user who was reframed as someone trying to stop pain, to a sniper story showing how the brain prioritises escaping pain over everything else.
If you’ve ever wondered why staying sober feels like fighting your own brain, this conversation offers a science-based explanation and a hopeful perspective: what if your mind isn’t broken at all, and just needs a reset? Could a different way of looking at trauma and addiction change how you see yourself and your recovery?
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