Addiction, Trauma, and Rewiring Your Brain: Dr. Lee Warren Explains the Art of Self-Brain Surgery

“You are not stuck because of what happened. You’re stuck because your brain keeps running the same play. And your brain is always ready to run a new one the moment you tell it to.”

That's just one of the incredible insights from practicing neurosurgeon Dr. Lee Warren, who joins us today to talk about a practice he calls "self-brain surgery." In this conversation, Lee explains how modern neuroscience confirms what Scripture has been teaching for thousands of years: transformation happens through the renewing of the mind, and our brains are not fixed, broken machines doomed to repeat the past.

Drawing from his experience as a neurosurgeon, Iraq War veteran, and grieving father, Lee walks through the science of neuroplasticity and why addiction is best understood as a hijacked reward system rather than a moral failure. We talk about how thoughts shape brain structure, why trauma isn’t what keeps us stuck—but our responses to it can—and how believers often unknowingly participate in their own demise by assuming change isn’t possible.

This episode is not about quick fixes or denying the need for professional help. It’s about recovering agency, reclaiming responsibility, and understanding that God has designed the brain to change. If you’ve ever felt trapped by patterns you hate, weighed down by grief, or discouraged by how slow sanctification feels, this conversation offers both hope and a way forward. Listen if you want a deeper, grounded understanding of how faith and neuroscience work together in real transformation.

We explore:

— Why the brain is not creating your thoughts but responding to them
— How neuroplasticity explains biblical commands to renew the mind
— Addiction as a hijacked reward system rather than mere behavior
— The difference between trauma and the responses we form to trauma
— Why grief can become something we unconsciously worship
— How “self-brain surgery” describes real, structural brain change
— The role of metacognition in interrupting destructive thought patterns
— Why Christians often feel stuck even while believing the right theology
— The limits of medication and the necessity of professional care alongside cognitive change
— What it means to refuse to participate in your own demise

Get Lee's new book: The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery
Sign up for Lee's emails
Lee's Instagram: @drleewarren
Follow me: @jonseidl
Order my new book, Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic

Support the Show: https://www.jonseidl.com/

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.