The Hidden Truth About Your Brain, Trauma & Healing with Kelly Noonan GoresThe Hidden Truth About Your Brain, Trauma & Healing with Kelly Noonan Gores
The Brain Warrior's Way Podcast
Dr Daniel Amen and Kelly Noonan Gores talk through her childhood stress, alcohol use, brain scan results and spiritual experiences. The conversation raises questions about how trauma shapes the brain and how different healing tools might replace alcohol as a coping strategy.
54:06•22 Sept 2026
Brain Scans, Childhood Trauma and Rethinking That “One Vice” with Kelly Noonan Gores
Episode Overview
- Childhood environments marked by anger and rigid expectations can wire the nervous system for chronic stress and perfectionism.
- Alcohol may feel like stress relief, but it harms brain function, the gut microbiome and can worsen anxiety over time.
- Brain SPECT imaging can reveal areas of reduced activity from head injuries and toxins, with the encouraging message that many changes are reversible.
- Tools such as EMDR, breath work and carefully facilitated spiritual practices can help process trauma and reduce triggers without relying on substances.
- Consistently asking, "Is this good for my brain or bad for it?" helps guide daily choices towards long-term healing and healthier coping strategies.
“"I'm not a fan of drinking a disinfectant."”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation in The Brain Warrior's Way Podcast brings together psychiatrist Dr Daniel Amen and filmmaker/podcaster Kelly Noonan Gores for a very human look at trauma, brain health and the role alcohol plays in coping. You'll hear Kelly talk openly about growing up with a father whose explosive temper left her "constantly walking on eggshells" and feeling she had to be super hypervigilant and perfect.
That early stress still echoes in adulthood through people-pleasing, guilt and a strong discomfort with criticism. Dr Amen gently reframes this as genuine emotional trauma and links it to how her brain functions today. A big focus is Kelly’s relationship with alcohol, which she calls "literally my one vice" and a way to relieve pressure from an overactive mind.
Dr Amen challenges this gently but firmly, asking whether it really helps or "creates more problems" and pointing out how alcohol damages the brain and gut microbiome. His line, "I'm not a fan of drinking a disinfectant," lands with a mix of humour and reality. The episode also walks through Kelly’s brain scan, revealing reduced activity in her temporal lobes and a very active "God spot" connected to her strong spiritual life.
She shares experiences with psychedelics, breath work and faith that helped her feel held by God and see her life as "divinely orchestrated". Dr Amen offers practical tools like EMDR for medical and childhood trauma, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, supplements, and simple breathing exercises to calm anxiety. Throughout, the tone stays warm and curious, making brain science feel accessible while showing how daily choices around alcohol, stress and self-talk can either hurt or heal your brain.
If you’ve ever used alcohol to quiet your mind or soothe old wounds, this episode might get you asking: is this habit really helping, and what kinder tools could you use instead?
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