The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast

Synapses are where the business of the nervous system happens.(Note: this is an archived episode, normally for paid subscribers only but available for everyone for 7 days!)Lately, we’ve been talking about the basics of self-brain surgery to learn how to think about our thinking, and the ideas behind my new book.But this isn’t just some “self-help” or motivational speaker-type thing. Because the vast majority of your life, the decisions you make, the relationships you have, the things you accomplish or strive for come out of how you think: your attitudes, your thought patterns. Everything about how you handle stress, unexpected challenges, and the hard parts of life is determined by your thinking.But the problem is, most of us spend our lives reacting to our thinking, because we never think about our thinking.And the reality is, our baseline thoughts are not very reliable most of the time. Why? That answer is rooted in the science of how our nervous systems are wired. The bad news is that your nervous system has a set of responses to challenges, threats, and stresses, and that set of responses isn’t very specific. In other words, you basically feel the same things in your body when a tiger is actually chasing you as you do when you hear a sound in the next room and wonder if someone’s breaking into your house- even if it’s just the ice maker. Those triggered responses aren’t very helpful when they make us reflexively freak out.But the good news is, your brain can be trained to separate the response from the stimulus. But it requires brain surgery.That’s why I’m always saying, “You can’t change your life until you change your mind.”In other words, if you keep thinking the same thoughts- if you never change how you look at things or the mental framework from which you approach the world- then you’re going to keep experiencing the same patterns and outcomes.And the part of the nervous system that connects two nerves, or nerves and muscles or other organs, is called a synapse. In your brain, there are about 100 trillion of them. Trillion with a T. And when those synapses don’t work right, you don’t work right.Today, we’re going to look at two diseases that affect the synapses between your nerves and your muscles. And I want to show you a little of how the nervous system works, so we can see how important it is to make sure we have healthy synapses.If you want to become healthier, feel better, and be happier, you’ve got to think about your thinking. But sometimes life creates unhealthy connections- sick synapses- that trigger thought patterns and behaviors in us we’re not even aware of.You can’t change your life until you change your mind. And severing sick synapses- breaking down those bad connections life has created and making better ones- is a key to getting that done.Remember Proverbs 17:27-28 in The Passion Translation (TPT):27 Can you bridle your tongue when your heart is under pressure?That’s how you show that you are wise.An understanding heart keeps you cool, calm, and collected,no matter what you’re facing.That’s one of the secrets to becoming Infinitely Happier, friend.Learning to stay cool, calm, and collected no matter what we’re facing. That’s useful during a global pandemic, but it’s also useful in everyday life. And it doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by severing sick synapses. My friend, we’re going to learn how, and we’re going to start today.Hope is the First Dose: A Treatment Plan for Recovering from Trauma, Tragedy, and Other Massive Things is coming out on July 25, but you can pre-order it now anywhere books are sold. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe

It’s Self-Brain Surgery Saturday!Look: Life is Hard. But Learning Self-brain Surgery Can HelpIn the last episode, we talked about the basics of self-brain surgery to learn how to think about our thinking and learn to biopsy our thoughts- put a little pause in there between what happens to us, what thoughts pop up- and how we respond, either in terms of how we proceed to think or feel, or in what we actually.Listen: Life is not brain surgery. It’s harder. You can actually train someone to do brain surgery. But you have to live life to get good at it. But you CAN learn self-brain surgery with a little help, and it will help you think better so you can become healthier, feel better, and be happier.That’s why I’m always saying, “You can’t change your life until you change your mind.”In other words, if you keep thinking the same thoughts- if you never change how you look at things or the mental framework from which you approach the world- then you’re going to keep experiencing the same patterns and outcomes.I’m bringing you back some of the tools we first talked about in 2021, but today I want to start by talking about the importance of worldview and the problem of cognitive dissonance. Here’s a thought from Natasha Crain via Facebook:In this episode, we’ll get into the reasons why this important worldview distinction plays into our neuroscience and how crucial it is to be in charge of our thought life!I suspect you wouldn’t be here listening to a podcast designed to help you reshape your thinking if you were super thrilled with the patterns and outcomes you’ve been living with. I know I’m not.It’s time to take control of our brains, the most important six inches of real estate in each of our live, the space between our own ears.Last episode, we talked about how to pre-load some ammo, some good words and helpful thoughts, into our brains and hearts so that when stressful moments come, we’ll be able to call on those good things and use them to manage anxiety.And that is a great instrument, a powerful tool to use in our fight against the learned helplessness of being emotional slaves to our first thoughts. Because the first thought you have in response to something or someone or some memory is so often wrong, or just a reflexive, triggered pattern of thinking, that it’s almost self malpractice to go with it.So, just like in the real operating room, the secret to successful self-brain surgery is training, preparation, planning, and practice experience.Today, we’re going to look at how those four things- training, preparation, planning, and practice experience- play into successfully managing our minds and helping us overcome the issues that continually seem to drag us down.Proverbs 17:27-28 in The Passion Translation (TPT):27 Can you bridle your tongue when your heart is under pressure?That’s how you show that you are wise.An understanding heart keeps you cool, calm, and collected,no matter what you’re facing.That’s one of the secrets to becoming Infinitely Happier, friend.Learning to stay cool, calm, and collected no matter what we’re facing. That’s useful during a global pandemic, but it’s also useful in everyday life. And it doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by self-brain surgery. My friend, we’re going to learn how, and we’re going to start today.Music by Tommy Walker(Music shared on The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast is authorized under BMI license #61063253 and ASCAP license #400010513 )Hey, my new book is releasing July 25. Tommy is one of my early readers/endorsers. Here’s what he had to say about Hope is the First Dose.“Dr. Lee Warren has personally gone through the devastating school of loss and come out stronger on the other side of what he calls The Massive Thing—or TMT. No matter what your TMT is, you will walk away from this book with a deep infusion of God’s healing hope!”—Tommy Walker, singer-songwriter and worship leaderSelf-Brain Surgery with Dr. Lee Warren is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe

Do You Struggle With Anxiety?If so, this will help. A look back at a 15-part series from 2021 with a new preamble (10 minutes or so). Look, friend: Life is not brain surgery. It’s harder. You can actually train someone to do brain surgery. But you have to live life to get good at it.Anxiety is one of the major problems that prevent an abundant, healthy life, but we're going to learn some self-brain surgery techniques to fight it today. We’re going to start learning to be Infinitely Happier, friend. And we’re going to start today.Self-Brain Surgery with Dr. Lee Warren is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Hey, my new book is releasing July 25. Check it out by clicking on the cover! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe

Your Brain is Very EfficientI’m always telling you that “neurons that fire together wire together.” This is because God made your brain to be very efficient. So, things you repeatedly experience, think about, perform, or react to will create automatic “programs” through connections called synapses that will make the responses to those things more automated and require you to think about them less. This is the basis of things like “muscle memory,” but also of harmful things like post-traumatic stress syndrome/disorder.That’s the bad news. The good news? You’re not stuck with the brain you have. Through the gift of neuroplasticity, you can reverse this process and employ another neuroscience fact to your advantage: neurons that STOP firing together STOP wiring together. This means that if you have thoughts, feelings, behaviors, or reactions that are not helping you, you can change them.Listen to learn more!Music by Tommy Walker(Music shared on The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast is authorized under BMI license #61063253 and ASCAP license #400010513 )Hey, my new book is releasing July 25. Tommy is one of my early readers/endorsers. Here’s what he had to say about Hope is the First Dose.“Dr. Lee Warren has personally gone through the devastating school of loss and come out stronger on the other side of what he calls The Massive Thing—or TMT. No matter what your TMT is, you will walk away from this book with a deep infusion of God’s healing hope!”—Tommy Walker, singer-songwriter and worship leaderSelf-Brain Surgery with Dr. Lee Warren is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe

Christy Lefteri Wrote My Favorite Novel of All TimeI read The Beekeeper of Aleppo after Lisa and I found it in a bookstore in Casper, Wyoming. I love the story, and how the author crafted the story. She used such imaginative ways to jump back and forth between present and past tense, and her control of point-of-view was stunning. Her follow-up novel, Songbirds, is also fantastic, but Beekeeper is one of those books that gets under your skin. Back in 2020 when everyone was on lockdown, I reached out to Christy through our mutual publisher (Penguin Random House), and she graciously agreed to appear on the podcast. It remains one of my favorite episodes ever, and I wanted to give it back to you today. Christy has a new book coming out in January of next year, The Book of Fire. Join me for a fascinating conversation with International bestselling author Christy Lefteri about her life, her work, her novels, and what she's writing next, as well as her perspective on how to find hope even when it seems so far off. Hey, my new book is releasing July 25. Christy is one of my early readers/endorsers. Here’s what she had to say about Hope is the First Dose. “This is an intimate read. You will feel Dr. Lee beside you, the reassuring hand of a friend holding yours. He uses his own personal experiences and his wealth of knowledge to show us what it means to live again after catastrophic loss. Whether you are religious or not, whatever faith you may or may not have, this book will stay with you in times of trouble; it is memorable, universal, and inspiring.”—Christy Lefteri, bestselling author of The Beekeeper of AleppoSelf-Brain Surgery with Dr. Lee Warren is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe

It’s Tuesdays with Tata!Today, a great talk about how prayer helps us change our mind, even when massive, difficult things are happening in our lives. Scripture: II Corinthians 1Books Mentioned: The Awe of God by John BevereWords with God by Addison BevereHey, my new book is releasing July 25. John and Addison Bevere are two of my early readers/endorsers. Here’s what they had to say about Hope is the First Dose.“When hard things knock you out, you can’t stay out. Dr. Lee Warren prescribes a treatment plan that will help you rise again so you can discover hope in hardship.”John Bevere, bestselling author, minister, and co-founder of Messenger International“I should warn you that this book comes with deep breaths and the occasional tears. With beautiful prose and intimate insights, these pages take you where you need to go before life forces you to go there. And if you’re already ‘there,’ face to face with what Dr. Warren calls The Massive Thing, I have good news for you: you’ve found your book.”Addison Bevere, author and COO of Messenger International Self-Brain Surgery with Dr. Lee Warren is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe

It’s Mind Change Monday!Today we talk about how our thought patterns are predictable, usually negative, and often harmful to ourselves and others. So, to become master self-brain surgeons, we have to learn to anticipate those negative thoughts and treat them pro-actively. Here’s how. Scriptures: Isaiah 43:18-18, Psalm 37Check out my new book! You can pre-order it by clicking the book cover below. Self-Brain Surgery with Dr. Lee Warren is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe

Tommy Walker is a world-renowned songwriter, worship leader, and pastor. His song, "He Knows My Name," has helped people all over take comfort in being known by God. Today, Tommy shares the beautiful origin of "He Knows My Name," to help us all understand that even when we feel isolated and unnoticed, God sees us, hears us, and loves us. Check out Tommy's ministry, music, and story by clicking on the button below. Hey, my new book is releasing July 25. Tommy is one of my early readers/endorsers. Here’s what he had to say about Hope is the First Dose.“Dr. Lee Warren has personally gone through the devastating school of loss and come out stronger on the other side of what he calls The Massive Thing—or TMT. No matter what your TMT is, you will walk away from this book with a deep infusion of God’s healing hope!”—Tommy Walker, singer-songwriter and worship leaderSelf-Brain Surgery with Dr. Lee Warren is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe

[Flashback episode!]Hey my friend, it’s Throwback Thursday, and I’m bringing you one of my all-time favorite podcast episodes. Here’s an interview from 2020 with Paul Baloche, and I think you’ll get a lot out of it!Paul Baloche has given the global church hundreds of worship songs over the years. And through his leadworship.com ministry, Paul has helped equip thousands of musicians and singers to hone the craft of worship ministry. Join me for a conversation with Paul Baloche on how whatever you're going through, worship makes it better. Learn more about Paul at www.wleewarrenmd.com/baloche This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe

[Flashback episode!]Even in our hardest moments, hope is always available. Join me for a great conversation about hope and perseverance with American heroes Scotty and Tiffany Smiley, and you'll find yourself inspired and uplifted in this dark time.Blindness became Major Scotty Smiley’s journey of supreme testing. As he lay helpless in the hospital, he resented the theft of his dreams—becoming a CEO, a Delta Force operator, or a four-star general. With his wife Tiffany’s love and the support of his family and friends, Scotty’s response became God’s transforming moment. The injury only intensified his indomitable spirit. Since the moment he jumped out of a hospital bed and forced his way through nurses and cords to take a simple shower, Major Scotty Smiley has climbed Mount Rainier, won an ESPY as Best Outdoor Athlete, surfed, skydived, become a father, earned an MBA from Duke, taught leadership at West Point, commanded an army company, won the MacArthur Leadership Award and completed an Iron Man. Now he and his wife Tiffany travel all over the country sharing and inspiring others to find their hope unseen. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe