Less Stressed Life: Helping You Heal Yourself #389 Digging Deeper to Heal Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, and Autoimmunity with Don Wood, PhD
This week on The Less Stressed Life Podcast, we’re breaking down the fascinating connection between unresolved trauma, chronic inflammation, and the nervous system. Dr. Don Wood explains how past experiences get "stuck" in the brain, keeping the body in a constant state of stress and driving symptoms like anxiety, autoimmune issues, and even chronic pain.
We discuss why emotional trauma can show up as physical illness, how it alters immune function, and—most importantly—how to reprogram the brain to stop running old stress patterns. Dr. Wood also shares real-life transformations, including how healing trauma helped an athlete break a world record!
Don's FREE video series "3 Hacks To Reset Your Mind". Here's the link: https://www.inspiredperformanceinstitute.com/3-hacks-video/
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- How unresolved trauma keeps the nervous system stuck in survival mode
- The surprising link between stress, DNA, and inflammation
- Why depression is often unresolved anger (and what to do about it)
- How past emotional wounds show up as physical symptoms
- A simple test to know if you’ve fully processed past trauma
- What happens when you release stored trauma—for health, performance & longevity
ABOUT GUEST:
Dr. Don Wood discovered the link between unresolved trauma and chronic health issues while searching for answers to his daughter's autoimmune condition. This led him to develop the TIPP program, a neuroscience-based approach that provides immediate and lasting relief. His work has helped trauma survivors, elite athletes, and executives, including a double-amputee marathon runner who broke a world record and the first athlete with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman. He is also the author of You Must Be Out of Your Mind and Emotional Concussions.
WHERE TO FIND:
Website: https://www.inspiredperformanceinstitute.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdonwood/
WHERE TO FIND CHRISTA:
Website: https://www.christabiegler.com/
Instagram: @anti.inflammatory.nutritionist
Podcast Instagram: @lessstressedlife
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lessstressedlife
Leave a review, submit a questions for the podcast or take one of my quizzes here: https://www.christabiegler.com/links
NUTRITION PHILOSOPHY:
- Over restriction is dead; if your practitioner is recommending this, they are stuck in 2010 and not evolving
- Whole food is soul food and fed is best
- Sustainable, synergistic nutrition is in (the opposite of whack-a-mole supplementation & supplement graveyards)
- You don’t have to figure it out alone
- Do your best and leave the rest
SPONSOR:
Thanks to Jigsaw Health for sponsoring this episode! Try their MagSoothe or MagSRT for better sleep and less stress. Use code LESSSTRESSED10 at JigsawHealth.com for 10% off—unlimited use!