PTSD 2026 NEW INFO!PTSD 2026 NEW INFO!
Dr. Will Horton
Dr Will Horton talks about PTSD as a survival response, links it to addiction and self-medication, and outlines practical NLP, hypnosis and tapping methods aimed at updating old trauma patterns. The conversation focuses on calming the body’s alarm system and choosing healthier ways to feel safe.
34:54•11 Nov 2026
PTSD, Veterans, and Updating Your Brain’s "Windows 98" Response
Episode Overview
- PTSD is described as a loyal survival response, not a sign that the body is broken.
- Trauma can come from single events, prolonged chaos, or witnessing harm, including childhood neglect.
- Memories become changeable when recalled, allowing new feelings and meanings to be attached.
- Techniques such as vagus-nerve stretching, EFT/TFT tapping and NLP fast phobia work aim to reduce the bodily charge of traumatic memories.
- Replacing addictive self-medication with calmer self-soothing activities is encouraged once the internal alarm is turned down.
“"Your brain's running Windows 98. It worked great when it was needed, but now it needs an update."”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This session with Dr Will Horton zooms in on PTSD, especially for veterans and anyone using alcohol or other substances to cope with old wounds. You’ll hear PTSD framed in a different way: "If you have a PTSD response, your body isn’t broken, it’s loyal." It’s described as a survival system that’s still protecting you from something that ended long ago.
Dr Horton breaks trauma down into single incidents, prolonged exposure, and things you witness happening to others. He also talks about "acts of commission" – the awful things that happen to you – and "acts of omission", such as growing up without the love and care you needed, which can feed lifelong beliefs like "I’m not good enough" and later drive addictive behaviour.
For people struggling with alcohol and other addictions, he links PTSD to self-medication: when the internal alarm keeps going off, drinking or using can feel like the only way to turn it down. Instead, he shows how that alarm can be updated. Using ideas from energy psychology, NLP and hypnosis, he walks through practical techniques including vagus-nerve stretching, tapping (EFT/TFT), and the NLP fast phobia process, explaining that memories are "open for editing" each time they’re recalled.
There’s plenty of straight talk and humour as he compares old trauma programmes to "your brain running Windows 98" and points out how media and repeated stories can actually install phobias and stress. Throughout, the focus stays on giving people tools to reduce the bodily charge of fear and replace it with calmer, healthier ways to soothe themselves.
If PTSD, anxiety or old memories seem tied to your drinking, this conversation might get you asking a powerful question: is it time to update your internal software and choose a different way to feel safe?
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