Sedona Prince: On Battling Her Bipolar II Diagnosis, Past Emotional Trauma, EMDR Therapy & Peak Performance

Summary

Podcast Summary: Change Your Brain Every Day

Episode: Sedona Prince: On Battling Her Bipolar II Diagnosis, Past Emotional Trauma, EMDR Therapy & Peak Performance
Hosts: Dr. Daniel & Tana Amen
Guest: Sedona Prince
Date: August 18, 2025

---

Overview

This episode features professional basketball player Sedona Prince, known for her advocacy in women’s sports, as she opens up to Dr. Daniel Amen about her mental health journey. The discussion dives into Sedona’s struggles with Bipolar II disorder, experiences of past trauma as an athlete, her transformative work with EMDR therapy, and the brain-health strategies she’s implementing for peak performance and personal well-being. The conversation is candid, relatable, and loaded with actionable insights for athletes and anyone facing mental health challenges.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sedona’s Mental Health Journey

• Early Struggles & Misdiagnosis

  • Sedona recounts feeling “very isolated” growing up as the tallest girl in a small Texas town, leading to bullying and early emotional difficulties.
  • “A lot of misdiagnosis and just medications. And I just want to be, you know, healthy and happy, and I think that will translate to basketball.” (Sedona, 04:18)
  • She was initially diagnosed with depression and anxiety after a traumatic leg injury in college, followed later by a Bipolar II diagnosis.

• The Challenge of Trauma

  • Dr. Amen underscores the overlooked impact of trauma in Sedona’s and many athletes’ struggles, warning about the compounding effects of both psychological and physical stressors like repeated injuries, surgeries, and heavy regimens of antibiotics.

“You just wonder about [the diagnoses], if maybe so much of it is trauma and then an unhealthy brain from all the antibiotics.”
— Dr. Amen (10:09)

---

2. Life-Altering Athletic Injuries

• Traumatic Events and Emotional Fallout
  • Sedona details the ordeal of her devastating leg injury in Mexico, subsequent surgeries, and the long, lonely recovery while in college.
  • The loss of her sport led to “crisis” times, with deep depression and feeling unable to connect emotionally.

“I was on a PICC line for five weeks pumping antibiotics as I’m a freshman in college… couldn’t walk for the better part of almost two years.”
— Sedona (07:54)

---

3. Bipolar II Symptoms & Medication Journey

• Cyclical Highs and Lows

  • Sedona describes periods of impulsivity, risk-taking, and then crashes—sometimes sleeping 16 hours a day in deep depression (13:58).
  • She questions whether her symptoms come from her diagnosis or from trauma:
    “Is this something that I... is real and it’s a part of me, or is it something that’s trauma related?” (14:08)

• Family Context

  • Family history of unaddressed childhood trauma is present but not a clear lineage of bipolar diagnoses.

---

4. Treatment Approaches: EMDR, Medication, and Brain Imaging

• EMDR Therapy
  • “Amazing. Been doing it for about a year now, every week.” (Sedona, 16:06)
  • EMDR has helped her revisit and reframe traumatic events with empathy for her younger self.

“The biggest thing I learned was having so much empathy for myself, right, and forgiving myself for so many things.”
— Sedona (16:50)

• Brain Scan & Evaluation
  • Dr. Amen reveals that Sedona’s “brain is freaking on fire”—indicative of being overly busy, with high emotional activity, but has no permanent damage.
  • Substances like alcohol, marijuana, and kratom are strongly discouraged for her “busy brain” (21:17).
  • Lamotrigine (Lamictal) at a higher blood level is recommended for calming her intense brain activity (24:27).

"Your brain is very active. It drives me nuts. I said I can’t escape my own head sometimes."
— Sedona (36:20)

---

5. The Quick-Fix Trap & Long-Term Brain Health

• Sedona admits to relying on “quick fixes” (like stimulants) and the lure of silencing her brain in the moment but finds they ultimately worsen her struggles:
  • “My brain tries to stay away. Like, it scares me, this long road of healing, you know?... Is it gonna be worth it on the other side?” (45:12)
• Dr. Amen emphasizes patience:
  • “You didn’t learn to be a great basketball player quickly… You always want to feel better fast, in a way that lasts.” (47:53)

---

6. Thought Management: Killing the ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts)

• Dr. Amen introduces “ANT-killing”—actively challenging negative, automatic thoughts in a practical, stepwise way, borrowed from cognitive behavioral therapy and ACT.
• Example Process (48:46–55:00):
  1. Identify the anxious thought (“I’m going to get re-injured.”)
  2. Ask: Is it true? Is it absolutely true?
  3. Notice how the thought makes you feel.
  4. Imagine how you’d feel without the thought.
  5. Turn the thought to its opposite and look for evidence.
• Sedona realizes: “It’s the thoughts that make me suffer. It’s not what’s actually happening.” (49:20)

---

7. Peak Performance: Mindset Training and Alter Ego Effect

• Dr. Amen and Sedona discuss the importance of elite mindset training, not just in sports but in life.
  • Sedona’s work with a sports psychologist included breathing, empathy training, and developing an “alter ego” to deal with hostile crowds:
    • “It gave me so much more confidence.” (61:38)
• Dr. Amen recommends Todd Herman’s book The Alter Ego Effect and similar strategies used by Kobe Bryant and other elite athletes (29:14).

---

8. Moving Forward: Practical Tools and Advice

• Brain-Healthy Coping Tools
  • Dr. Amen suggests a “toolbox” of non-harmful ways to regulate stress: GABA Calm supplements, theanine gummies, hypnosis, targeted breathing, and journaling.
• Daily Habits:
  • Start each day with, “Today is going to be a great day.”
  • End the day listing, “What went well today?” to combat a negativity bias (34:55).

---

9. Perspective, Self-Compassion, and Role Modeling

• Sedona reflects on her life and the power of self-forgiveness:
  • “If you looked at your 10-year-old self, how would she feel about how you’re doing now?... I wouldn’t believe it was true. I don’t think so.” (17:38)
• Her goal is to be the healthiest and happiest person she can be—and to be a role model for young female athletes.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trauma & Misdiagnosis:
  • “It was first isolating… being a young girl just trying to fit in and being so unable to.” (04:52 – Sedona)
• On EMDR:
  • “Forgiving myself for so many things, just like seeing myself as a young girl going through all these things… I’m so sorry to this young girl that I put so much pressure on. ” (16:50 – Sedona)
• On Negative Thoughts:
  • “It’s the thoughts that make me suffer. It’s not what’s actually happening.” (49:20 – Dr. Amen paraphrased)
• Dr. Amen’s Core Question:
  • “Every minute of every day, Is this good for my brain or bad for it?” (21:17)
• On Playing Through Criticism:
  • “Basketball is somewhere I’m... It’s so important to me… a place where I just get to go and just, like, just be me, be free and do what I get to love… being booed by thousands of people... it fueled me.” (58:58–61:38 – Sedona)

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–04:46 | Sedona’s childhood, athletic journey, and early struggles | | 07:36–10:49 | Traumatic leg injury and fallout | | 13:27–15:32 | Bipolar II symptoms and diagnosis | | 16:03–18:15 | EMDR therapy experience | | 21:13–24:39 | Brain scan review & substance use discussion | | 29:01–30:12 | Alter Ego & mental performance in sports | | 34:55–35:43 | Negativity bias & positivity training | | 36:36–40:12 | Being trapped in the “prison of my mind” | | 48:46–55:16 | Practical “ANT-killer” thought-challenging process | | 57:00–58:25 | Non-stimulant tools for calming the brain | | 58:25–61:49 | Peak performance and overcoming adversity | | 62:25–64:47 | Bringing sports mental skills to everyday life |

---

Conclusion

This episode is a raw, practical, and hope-inspiring look at the intersection of elite sport, trauma, and mental health. Sedona Prince’s journey showcases the struggles and triumphs behind the curtain of athletic success, while Dr. Amen provides tangible mental tools and a compassionate, neuroscience-informed perspective.

Whether you’re an athlete, high-achiever, or anyone seeking to overcome trauma and negative thinking, you’ll find powerful lessons in self-compassion, brain health, and the art of training your mind for resilience and joy.

---

Key call to action from Dr. Amen:

“If you do nothing else for me, but stop poisoning your brain and kill the ants, you will love me for the rest of your life.” (55:22)

Transcript

[Sedona Prince]

I got a diagnosis about a year ago, bipolar 2. Something will happen, it'll crash, and then, you know, it's just a week of sleeping for 16 hours a day. Very depressed, just can't get up, can't get out, very embarrassed, just feel like I'm not in my body.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

All this busyness can be associated with bipolar. I think it's associated with the trauma. And the more trauma work you do, probably the better. So let's talk about bipolar disorder. Typically you have periods where you're Sedona Prince is an American basketball player who plays plays for Panathinaikos in the Greek Women's basketball league. Negativity bias 36 that needs to be better. That makes you more vulnerable to depression. If your brain goes to what's wrong. Start every day like today is going to be a great day. End every day with what went well today. What's a bad bug that's going on?

[Sedona Prince]

I'm going to get re injured.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Five questions Is that true every day? You are making your brain better or you are making it worse? Stay with us to learn how you can change your brain for the better every day.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Are you excited to optimize your brain and help the brains of those you love? Do you want to prevent or treat memory problems, anxiety or depression? Do you want to be happier? That's why I created Amen University to take what I've learned over the last 45 years and help you have a better brain, a better mind and a better body. You can take courses like our 30 day happiness challenge, which was shown in research to increase happiness by 32% in just 30 days, or memory Rescue or Overcoming Anxiety, Depression, Trauma and Grief or Healing Add at home in 30 days and much more. We also have professional courses and courses for kids, including brain thrive by 25, which was found in independent research to decrease depression and improve self esteem. And as a special offer just for our listeners, you can save 20% on your next course. Visit amenuniversity.com and use the code PODCAST20.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

So I'm very excited about this week's podcast. We have Sedona Prince, who is a basketball player who played for the TCU Horned frogs, a Big 12 conference. She previously played for the Oregon ducks of the PAC 12 conference and the Texas Longhorns. At 6ft 7 inches, she's one of the tallest players to ever play for Oregon, one of the tallest players ever to play for anywhere. Prince generated national attention in 2021 after highlighting the disparity in facilities between men's and women's NC2A tournaments. February of 2025, she helped TCU achieve its highest ranking ever. Prince signed with Al Riadi of the woman's Lebanese Basketball League in May of 2025. Being Lebanese, I'm very excited to watch you play, and you've been public that you've had some brain and mental health challenges. So welcome. I'm very excited to meet you. I've seen your brain. We're going to talk about and a little bit, what's your goal in being here?

[Sedona Prince]

Yeah, I have struggled a lot for a long time, you know, as being an athlete. A lot of different challenges and just, you know, it's been a very silent struggle, I think. Been a long, just journey of just a lot of confusion about what is going on.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

A lot of misdiagnosis and just medications. And I just want to be, you know, healthy and happy, and I think that will translate to basketball.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

Um, my body is my job. I take care of it as best as I can. And I think that a lot of athletes don't consider that your brain is, you know, the biggest part of that. Um, and so I kind of just want to dive in and see what I can do and kind of heal from the traumas that I've been, you know, through in sports and. And just become the healthiest, happiest person I can be.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

So what was it like being the tallest girl?

[Sedona Prince]

Being the tallest. I actually grew up in a very small town in Texas. Very conservative, like, very small. We moved there. It was population 900, like, tiny town. And so it was first isolating is just. That is a, you know, a very strange thing, being a young girl just trying to fit in and being so unable to. I was taller than my coaches at, like, 12 years old, a foot taller than even the tallest boy growing up. And that caused also a lot of bullying, right? I was very different. Everyone knew I was different. A lot of bullying within my basketball team, right. Which caused a lot of different things and dynamics throughout sports with me, throughout my teammates, and just a lot of just very triggering things right. Throughout my sports career. But, yeah, I mean, it was, you know, I used to compare it a lot to, like, tell my parents, which is very heartbreaking. As a young girl, I would tell my mom, like, I feel like my world is dark, right? And the road to college, like, college is my white light. You know, I just want to get out and just get, like, I just need to push through this time of my life, which is my childhood, right? Supposed to be, like, fun and Growing and like this, you know, so many good memories and just sad to think back on that. It's like, that was just, you know, my reality for so.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

You know, people say it's supposed to be that, so I. It's public knowledge. I treat some really wonderful, interesting people like Miley Cyrus. I. I just remember with one of them that, like, were mourning their childhood, and I'm like, being a teenager sucks.

[Sedona Prince]

Yes.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

It sucks for most people. You were, like, performing in Australia.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

But I don't think that gets talked about enough, that girls that are tall often feel isolated and alone.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yep.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And it can be really hard for them. You were tall, but you were also excellent.

[Sedona Prince]

Yes.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Playing basketball.

[Sedona Prince]

Yes.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And did you like basketball? Was that a fun thing for you?

[Sedona Prince]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

I played volleyball as well, but, yeah. I mean, it's kind of a thing too, at a young age where, you know, I'm 6, 7 at 15 years old.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

And. Yeah. Choose.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

Right. And, you know, it's a decision that, okay, this is something I could legitimately pursue a career in.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

That's when it started to become really serious for me and kind of like a job at 14.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Amazing. When were you first diagnosed?

[Sedona Prince]

Mm, after my sophomore year. I was diagnosed first with depression, anxiety.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

In high school?

[Sedona Prince]

No, my freshman year. Sophomore year in College. Sophomore year, 2019.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yep.

[Sedona Prince]

Diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I'd gone through a really traumatic leg injury, had broken my leg, been through a really rough process. I got re. Injured. My leg died.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Did you break it in Mexico?

[Sedona Prince]

I did break it in Mexico, yeah. Mexico City.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And then you had to come home by yourself?

[Sedona Prince]

Yeah. Stuck there for two days alone. Had to come back, fly commercial, actually. With a broken leg. It was a crazy story. Crazy process. Had surgery, was rushed back too fast in my sport, and my leg ended up. The blood vessels were compacting too early of a stage, and so my leg died, my tibia died, became necrotic, and then it became infected, and so I had to fly to New York. My whole leg from my knee down is held together by a big plate. And so it was crazy. I was on a PICC line for five weeks pumping antibiotics as I'm a freshman in college, have a ball of antibiotics in my hand while I'm sitting in class. Crazy, crazy journey, you know? Couldn't walk for the better part of almost two years. It's crazy. And also losing my sport, you know?

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Yeah.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I mean, because you had targeted so much of your joy and your energy and your hope.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yep.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And all of that becomes, at Great risk.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yep. Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

That must have been very traumatic.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

For you.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

Crisis. Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Definitely. No. No wonder. The anxiety and depression. Was the anxiety and depression around earlier?

[Sedona Prince]

I've.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I thought not so much.

[Sedona Prince]

I don't think so. I've thought back to it. I think that it started when I started to have like really traumatic. Like that. That was the first time when I broke my leg. It was like that was a trauma that I went through. And then I didn't even realize it was that big of a trauma.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

In the time. And then all these things started coming, like the depression, anxiety and kind of these manic, you know, behaviors and stuff. And I didn't realize what was going on. I couldn't even like, you know, in that moment be like, hey, something's up.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

I just knew that something was wrong. But no, early in my life I was, you know, never really struggled. Some anxiety, some communication problems as a young girl.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

Going through being bullied every day and not being able to express that, you know, my life is, is, you know, it's horrible. I am miserable every day. I go to school.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

But yeah, it started after that leg injury.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Because I know you've had a number of different diagnoses.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yep. And.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

You just, you just wonder about them if maybe so much of it is trauma and then an unhealthy brain from all the antibiotics. People don't think about antibiotics in the brain, but you have a hundred trillion bugs in your gut and that's called the microbiome. And they make neurotransmitters and they detoxify your body and they help you with hormones. And if you get all of those IV antibiotics, they're damaging the bugs, which means your microbiome might not be as healthy.

[Sedona Prince]

Yeah, I actually got poisoned by the antibiotics. I had to stop early because it almost made me go into to kidney failure. So it was poisoning my body. So I can imagine that it did some serious damage.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Because when I show you your scan, emotional trauma is going to be the number one thing that you actually have a pretty good looking brain. When I read your history and then I saw your scan, I'm like, she has a good looking brain. I bet no one's ever told you that.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Oh yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And so, but it's very busy and when I see that it generally is where trauma sort of got stuck in your brain, which can then lead to all sorts of behaviors which we'll talk about. What was the turning point that made you want to sort of seek deeper answers?

[Sedona Prince]

Um, I think I recently restarted medication for bipolar, and I got a diagnosis about a year ago, bipolar two. And I just. I felt like I didn't have enough answers about it. I felt just really confused about what that meant. My moods and the medication that I was on, like, I just didn't. Something was just. I was just so much so confusion.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

And so I just wanted to know deeper and what's exactly going on. You know, I've. I've had struggles. I had a very long college career, seven years. A lot of trauma was built up in that. And I'm at a point in my life now where it's heading into my professional career.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

So as a decision to make, it's, you know, do I take care of this now or do I let it continue, you know, to affect me as a person, as a player? And so it's kind of the perfect opportunity before I transition into the next phase of my. My athletic career, is to. To digest everything that happened, you know, throughout the seven year crazy college experience I had.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

So let's talk about bipolar disorder. Bipolar 2. It's a cyclical mood disorder. And typically you have periods where you're down sad and periods when you're really up and you can be down for months at a time and up for weeks or months. Is that what happens to you? What were the symptoms that caused your doctor to go, I think you have bipolar disorder?

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yep.

[Sedona Prince]

I go through about. It's about a week, a week or two, a week and a half. This phase where, you know, it starts with. Could start with anything, triggers me into kind of like these highs.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

And through that, I've made some really bad decisions, been really impulsive that have affected my basketball career as well.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

Injury wise, you know, just. And also being in the public eye right through my college career, and then something will happen, it'll crash. And then, you know, it's just a week of sleeping for 16 hours a day.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

Very depressed, just can't get up, can't get out, very embarrassed of myself. And just in these states where I just feel like I'm not in my body.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

And that's when I kind of knew, like. And also I didn't know if it was, you know, do I have this? Because I never always struggled with this. Is this something that I. Is real and it's, you know, a part of me, or is it something that's trauma related?

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

And came from the trauma that I've been through?

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And do you have anybody in your family on your mom's side? Or your dad's side that has a serious psychiatric problem?

[Sedona Prince]

No. I mean, have some issues. A lot of childhood trauma for them.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

But a lot of undiagnosed. Right. So we don't know. I don't want to diagnose them, but they've struggled with a lot of things, right. In their past, in their childhood, some addiction issues and stuff that they've. They've gotten through, but nothing like bipolar. Nothing like this, you know, kind of what. I struggle with the symptoms.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And so with bipolar, when we think. When I think of mania, I think of, you don't need to sleep and your thoughts go fast, and you can begin to believe things that are not rational when you're in your sort of sane mind. Any of that happened to you?

[Sedona Prince]

Yeah, a lot of, like, I've taken flights before, like in the middle of season, right. Just like this. This thought that comes to my head is like, I have to do this. Like, I have to go and do something. And it's like chasing this kind of like, not high, but it is a high on, like, this excitement.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

And that comes with, like, impulsive decisions. Right. Spending and, you know, with nil and this new era of college athletics. Right. Being able to make money, you know, it's very crazy for me, this, like, shift. And all of a sudden overnight I was able to make all this money and then dealing with all these things, and it was just like, you know, kind of the. The perfect storm to. To make some really crazy decisions.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Interesting.

[Sedona Prince]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

In your therapy, you have found EMDR helpful.

[Sedona Prince]

Amazing.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

How many times have you done it?

[Sedona Prince]

Done it for about a year now. Every. Every week. One day a week.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I love emdr. So for people who don't know, it stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. And you bring up whatever's triggering you, whatever's bothering you, you do the emdr. And then how I do it is I get people, like, get on a train and go back to when it began. Is that similar to what you do?

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

So helpful because it just like, cleans out a lot of the triggers.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

It's been eye opening to. To go back to as well. Like, you know, the. The leg injury itself, but also, you know, I had elbow reconstruction. A lot of crazy things. I was out of college sports for a year.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

And so a lot of, like, this crisis that I went through in many different areas in different years, I was able to kind of like, look back at it from a different perspective, a different lens being later in my Life. I think the biggest thing I learned was like having so much empathy for myself, right. And what the things I've been through, like forgiving myself for so many things and just like seeing myself as a young girl going through all these things for the first time at like an outside perspective and being like, wow, like I. I'm so sorry to this young girl that I put so much pressure on, right. And just thought that I was bulletproof and you know, it was a crazy experience just feeling, you know, almost like bad. I'm like, I feel so bad for, for this girl that, you know, had to go through all these things.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

If you looked at your 10 year old self, how would she feel about how you're doing now?

[Sedona Prince]

I mean I would be mind blown I think, right. Being from a very small town and I did not fit in very. Just dorky and shy and kind of the goofball and the outsider of my life to looking now of, you know, being someone that I walk around in public and recognize people, you know, look up to me. Young girls in my sport when I was that age thank me for the work I've done in women's sports.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

It's just I would be, I wouldn't believe it was true. I don't think so.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

You'd be pretty amazed. You're like, whoa. So she would be very proud of you.

[Sedona Prince]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I love that so much. I've been waiting for this. Our best selling L theanine gummies are for finally back.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

I take them for calm, focused energy.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And they taste amazing, they sell out fast. So grab yours [e-mail] with code podcast 20 for 20% off. So part of our process is we test your brain and then we look at your scan. You know, I was telling you before we started, psychiatrists are the only medical doctors who virtually never look at the organ they treat. And so to have multiple different diagnoses with no one looking at your brain, yeah, that's insane. And I'm a psychiatrist. I was taught to diagnose crazy. And that's crazy because the first thing I'd have done is like, oh well, let's look our her brain to see what is going on. So we do a study called Brain SPECT S P E C T Imaging and SPEC looks at blood flow and activity. It looks at how your brain works and it basically shows us three things. Areas of your brain that work well, areas of your brain that are low in activity and areas of your brain that are high in activity. And then my job is to balance it. If it works too hard, want to calm it down and if it doesn't work hard enough, want to stimulate it. And when I read your history, I'm like, your brain is going to struggle because you've really struggled. So here we're looking at the outside surface. Here we're looking underneath the brain. This isn't yours, this is what we want it to look like.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Okay.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And this is down from the top, one side, then the other side. And it should just be full, even and symmetrical. So I'll show you that view and then this is going to be the money view for you or the one that really matters. So here we're looking underneath the brain. Top is the front, this is the back, and blue is average activity. Red is, is the top 15%, white is the top 8%. So white's like the super active. And it should be here in the cerebellum, which is in the back bottom part of your brain. And you're a professional athlete and that should be really busy because that's involved in coordination, reaction time, thought coordination, really important when we look at your brain. So again, looking at the outside surface, I mean you have a very good looking brain.

[Sedona Prince]

Thanks.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

It's a little bumpy. You see the bumpiness?

[Sedona Prince]

Yes, I do.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

So I don't like the bumpiness. And when it comes to things like alcohol, marijuana, Kratom, you gotta get rid of those. You want a sustained long term career where you're making good money and having fun, you can, can't poison your brain. All of those things are poison. And the one question I want you to leave here with that I want you to ask yourself every minute of every day, is this good for my brain or bad for it? Because I want you to love your brain and you have a great brain. Right? No one's ever told you that before, but you have a great brain. This is a brain that can do anything. Okay. The problem is your brain works way too hard. We'll get to that in a second. And so you're probably constantly trying to like shut it down because it's bothering you a lot. Shut it down. Alcohol shuts it down. Yeah, Kratom shuts it down. Marijuana shuts it down. But they're terrible for you because they're toxic and as soon as you do them, you're going to be in withdrawal in a couple of hours and you're going to have to do them again. They're insidious and that they make your brain crave them and so they're Trying to steal you. So if it was me, I would see them as the devil and stay away from them.

[Sedona Prince]

Yes, sir.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

That's a little bit of bumpiness, but nothing's permanent. You don't have permanent damage from anything. All right, so if we go here, your brain is freaking on fire. Your cerebellum's beautiful. So that's not the problem. Your emotional brain's high. That can go with depression, anxious, angst, feel just really uncomfortable inside. Was probably true.

[Sedona Prince]

Yes.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And you worry and you hold on to things, and if things don't go a certain way, it pisses you off.

[Sedona Prince]

Yes.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Am I right about that?

[Sedona Prince]

That's correct. Yeah.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Okay.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And it's in a trauma pattern, so. And I bet if I had this before the 50 sessions of EMDR, it'd be even crazy or worse, because that's what EMDR does. It calms it down. So even if you're in Europe, I'd have a really good connection with your therapist and keep doing it. And anytime you get a trigger, write it down. Especially if. If you do what I say and you just get rid of the substances. You know, I always tell my patients, let me do your drugs. I'm better at them than you are. And for this brain, I actually quite like lamictal, which is what you're on. How much do you take?

[Sedona Prince]

About 150 milligrams right now. I was at 250 at one point, but.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And why did you go down?

[Sedona Prince]

I just got with a new psychiatrist and we restarted, and so I went back up.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Okay. So I would get a lamotrigine level. So lamotrigine is the generic name of lamictal. I would actually get the level in your blood, and I would target mid to high range just to calm this thing down so you're not having to calm it down with other things. Actually just did a show with ktla. It's a big news station here in la. I scanned the anchor and the producer, and then a year later, I scanned them again, and not the anchor. The weather person, Casey Montoya. I love her. Her brain was so much better because she just did what I said. Yeah, the producer's brain was worse, which really made me unhappy. And I'm like, why is it worse? He goes, I don't know. I'm doing what you said. He picked up kratom from his first scan to his second scan.

[Sedona Prince]

There you go.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

It's not a good.

[Sedona Prince]

No, it's not good.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And I'm not happy. It's Legal. Yeah, Because I mean, it's basically. Basically an opiate.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

Literally.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

All this busyness can be associated with bipolar disorder. I think it's associated with the trauma. And the more trauma work you do, probably the better. But I agree with you. If you are going overseas and you want to be stable, have a really good doctor you're working with and, you know, do what she. He or she says. And plus, in those countries, those kinds of drugs will get you into a whole bunch of trouble, as we saw with another WNBA player.

[Sedona Prince]

Very tall.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

They got her into all sorts of. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What's legal here is not.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Legal there for sure. Is your goal to come back and someday play in the wnba?

[Sedona Prince]

Yeah, of course.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

It's been a childhood dream of mine. You know, wasn't the right timing now, but, you know, I've. It's been. That's the goal, right. As a young girl is that's what you have put in. My goodness. I count thousands and thousands and thousands of hours at this, you know, since I was 10, 11. It's my life and I love it. I have a gift. I get to, you know, play a sport that connects me with people and I get to use my platform to make change and talk about really cool things. And so, yeah, that's my, you know, my goal is to, you know, improve the WNBA and make. Bring more attention to it.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

Attention to a lot of the things that I, you know, brought attention to in the ncaa.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

Same kind of things going on. If there are, then, you know, use my platform in the same way that I have been for a long time.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Love that. Do you, have you gotten any mental health training for sports?

[Sedona Prince]

Not really. And I talked about it before coming here with one of my best friends. It's kind of crazy how thinking about it, being in college sports for seven years. Right. And being at three different schools and also meeting a lot of different athletes, being on a lot of different, you know, athletes teams. Right. I've had so many different teammates. It's crazy how they treat college athletes. Mental health, right. It really is. Just let's give them that quick fix medication, right? Give a, you know, your symptoms. Okay. Get you medic, get you meds because, you know, have you for four years and you're there to perform.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

At a certain level. And so they need you to perform at that level. And it's kind of just like, you know, and then when you're gone, it's. You're gone and that's that. And then it's good luck, you know, into the real world. And then as a college athlete, you're stuck with, okay, well, I'm taking this medication. Is it right for me? Like, you know, why did I get prescribed it? I was young, I was going through all these different things as this, you know, very difficult college athlete life.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

And it is very much of. There's not very many, like mental health resources, just psychiatry and medication.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

Let's fix it. Let's get, you know, you feeling better, get you back on the field, back on the court, and then that's something you're going to have to deal with, you know, when you're on your.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Any elite mental training or not.

[Sedona Prince]

We do some here and there.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I mean, you know, TCU's an elite school.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And I mean, all the schools you've been to are high level schools. In two weeks, Julius Randall is going to be on our podcast.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Wow.

[Sedona Prince]

How awesome.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And I love him so much.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And we're going to talk about the Alter Ego effect. Have you ever seen the book the Alter Ego Effect?

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

No.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

You should read it.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

It's so good. And I heard about it. We had Todd Herman on the podcast and I was watching a documentary on Kobe Bryant, and Kobe Bryant's alter ego was the Black Mamba. And he talked about the book. And so I got the book, I read it, and I'm like, well, all athletes should have an alter ego.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

When they like step on the court, it can't be all their failures and worries.

[Sedona Prince]

Right.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

It has to be like the Black Mamba.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

So you should listen to that podcast. I think you'll like it. But I would also get the book because it's really good. With elite mental training, like every day, you win or you learn.

[Sedona Prince]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And why the NBA allows their players to smoke pot and then go play. I'm just at a loss.

[Sedona Prince]

Yeah. It's performance.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Marijuana does not speed up your brain.

[Sedona Prince]

No.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

You know, I mean, one could argue, I certainly would understand why you would, but it's not going to get you what you want. Getting to the right dose of lamental can be really helpful. And then doing the trauma treatment could be incredibly beneficial. We also tested your brain. We did an X test, sort of an add test, and you short did okay on that. But this one is called Total Brain.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

And.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

You'Re good at recognizing faces. You recognize positive faces faster than negative ones. If you get your feelings hurt, it sort of sticks around a little bit. You're under a lot of stress. Now is that accurate?

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yes. Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And you're sort of depressed now.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Let me give you something called happy saffron. 28 randomized controlled trials showing it's equally effective to antidepressants Will not flip you into a manic episode like some antidepressants might. But it also helps with focus and memory because I think that's important to treat. Lamictal at higher doses. Also has antidepressant qualities. So I like that. Your long term memory is great. Focus here, not so much. And you also take concerta.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Why.

[Sedona Prince]

I stopped, but I did for a while. I was diagnosed ADHD probably 20, 2020 after, you know, some of my staff at Oregon were like, hey, we think you have adhd.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

And so got the test and they gave medication and it helped for a little bit, but then it kind of just. It made my manic episodes so much worse. Right.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

So risky with your brain. You don't have an issue. ADD brain.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

You have a busy brain. Usually ADD is a sleepy brain. Your brain is not sleepy. It's like, hey, what's going on?

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yes.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Planning is good. Your processing speed, I don't think I've ever seen 98. It's really good. That's what a professional athlete. I don't know if you know, but I did the big NFL study when the NFL was lying. It had a problem with traumatic brain injury. So we've seen 400 NFL players and their processing speed was like this. Always great. Flexibility, not good. So want you to learn the rule of 12. I don't get upset until the 12th thing has gone wrong. So if you need to work on flexibility, you do. You need to have a program. And the rule of 12 is just perfect. It's like, you're competent, you're capable, you've been around the world, you can handle problems. And so when something bothers you, it's like, okay, that's one. And you cannot get upset, yell, scream, have a fit until the 12th thing has gone wrong and then you can. So helpful. Short term memory is fine. Negativity bias. 36, that needs to be better. That makes you more vulnerable to depression. If your brain goes to what's wrong rather than what's. I have people that score 1 or 4. So 36 isn't terrible, but it's not good. Start every day with today is going to be a great day. End every day with what went well today. So every night I say a prayer and then I go, what went well today? And I start hour by hour going through My day looking at only what went well, and the bad stuff shows up, and I just kick it out because I'm like, not now. Deal with you tomorrow. It helps so much to begin to just train your brain because. Right. Whatever you allow it to think, it's going to think over and over and over. Because your brain is lazy, which is why you practice, right? You shoot free throws over and over and over again. So when it's an important point in the game, you make them because your brain knows how to do it. Same thing's true with thoughts. Whenever negative thought shows up, if you allow it there and you don't take care of it, they create these little grooves in your brain. So unlike positivity training, today is going to be a great day. What went well today? Your resilience can be better, but you're very social, which is awesome. Questions. That's a lot.

[Sedona Prince]

Yeah, a lot of questions.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

It's super cool. It's very precise. I like it. It's insane. You know, I think to see my brain, too, it's. I was really scared coming in just because, you know, been doing it, too.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

With some of the stuff you've done. But you've not had a big head injury.

[Sedona Prince]

No, thank God. No, I've not got any. I mean, if. Ball to the face, here and there, coming off the rim really hard. But other than that, no, no, no. You know, falling down or hitting my head, which is very common in basketball. And so he helps him so high up, too, right. I don't really get up close to the face. I am the one usually giving them, so.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And what's your position? Usually?

[Sedona Prince]

Center.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Center. Yeah. Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

All right, so repeat back to me what you heard me say about your brain.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Mm.

[Sedona Prince]

Very active. Very active. Which I. It makes so much sense. I knew that coming in, right? It's like, so. There's so much going on, it drives me nuts. It's like I'm. I said I can't escape my own head sometimes.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

And it's just so exhausting. It never can stop.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

And I think that's why I got the ADHD diagnosis as well. It's like, just. It's constantly going. And I think the people around me didn't understand, like, what was going on with me, and they just assumed it was adhd. Cause that's what they've heard about. But. But yeah, it's kind of like I'm stuck in, like. Or have been for a while, like the prison of my mind.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

And it's exhausting. It's overwhelming, right? And even when I sleep, it's just so. I'm so active, which I see here in like the 12 step. I love that, right? And a lot of things do not go right a lot of the time. And I've learned to just kind of like, just become numb to it, right? Not even. Just not even accept it or process it in time. Like, I just ignore it and like, kind of disassociate from it. It's not real, right? Which I think then I just can't. I'm not processing in real time, right? And it's been a struggle for me as well, is like, you know, then later down the road, I look back at it and I'm like, oh, my goodness, right? And then I make decisions from it based off of it, you know, this emotional things that come up from the things that are going on around me instead of realizing, oh, this hurts, right? This went wrong. I'm upset with this. Let me deal with this. And these emotions in real time. It's not like that. It's like, put that away, right? Didn't happen. It's not real. Or I'm fine and, you know, I'll make it.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Give me an example.

[Sedona Prince]

Oh, yeah. In 20. Let's see what year? 2023, 2022. I was going into what would have been my senior season at University of Oregon. Super excited. It's just like my year and we get more playing time coming off, you know, I'm going to get, you know, a lot of more minutes, really excited for the season with a great year. It was kind of like going to be like my breakout season before wnba. And about a month before the season started, I went line dancing with some friends and I tripped over a curb, dislocated my elbow, and that was it. Dislocated, it tore the top ligament and it was a full. Needed a full reconstruction on my elbow and. And that was it. I, like, literally, in real time, was like, it's not real. Like, I had just lost everything, right, Going through this crisis and I couldn't be there anymore. I couldn't even face, like, my teammates. I couldn't be in that space that I was supposed to have the season of my life, right? And within two weeks, I left. I moved down to la, got surgery and just kind of started a new chapter of my life, right? Without even processing it, without talking about it. And coming off of years of not. Not ever talking about my leg break, I never talked about it with anybody. I just kept going through these things, right? And Just processing them, you know, I'll get it. I'll get to it later, right? It's not affecting me. I'm super resilient. I'll be fine. I'll get through it. And then, you know, I look back and I'm like, I was going through a crisis. I was going through a crisis. I was having all of these emotions, right? Without even understanding what they were sleeping all day, right? I was. My brain was going of, like, I've just lost everything, right? My. My life is over, my career is over, Everything I've worked for, so much humiliation of, like, you know, the injury was my fault. I could have saved my career, right? I'm gonna look back at this for the rest of my life and just regret this for forever, right? Beat myself up for this. And these are things with EMDR that I've now been able to process, right. Without. Without emdr, it was just. I just. Was so. Just unaware of all of these things going on, right? Little things that.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Because no one had ever taught you to manage your mind.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yep. Right.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

That everybody has accidents. Not your fault. It's a freak thing. What's can I do? What's next, Right?

[Sedona Prince]

Yep.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I like Ariana Grande's song thank you, Next, and I'm friends with her, and I texted her when I listened to that song because, you know, it's sort of like a silly pop song until you realize it's mental health in three words. Gratitude for whatever happened. Looking forward. So thank you, Next. Gratitude, looking forward.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

And.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Yeah, and with emdr, that'll help. I have a process I teach my patients called Killing the Ants. Automatic negative thoughts. The thoughts that come into your mind automatically and ruin you. And a long time ago, I coined the term ants because I'm like, oh, my patients are infested, so they need an anteater. And so whenever you feel sad, mad, nervous, or out of control, write down your thinking and then just ask yourself whether or not it's true. But the act of writing helps to get it out of your head. How do you do in school?

[Sedona Prince]

Great. I have my masters. I just finished up, actually, and my master's in liberal arts. And then I got my business degree from University of Oregon, so.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Okay, that's sort of not add.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Yeah, Right.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah. Right.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I mean, you're able to focus and.

[Sedona Prince]

Yeah, for the most part, yeah, I can track here and there. And it's just because my brain will start hopping to different thoughts, right. Of. Of even not thoughts about my life and things that are going on.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Right? Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I'd be very curious. Careful with the stimulants.

[Sedona Prince]

Yes.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I'm not convinced ADD is. Yeah, I think. And I wrote a book called Healing ADD about seven different types. And if you had one of them, it would be the Ring of Fire, which is stimulants usually make worse when it comes spring.

[Sedona Prince]

Yes.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Let's calm this. When you're anxious and not with alcohol and not with Kratom and not with. With marijuana.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I make something called Gaba Calming. Like, if you're, like, feeling anxious, Theanine from green tea can be so helpful. Or Gabacomi. I'll give you some and try to tell me what you think.

[Sedona Prince]

Thanks.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah, Yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

I took Adderall for about two and a half years during the middle of the season.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

And it's very difficult to have intensified manic episodes on Adderall in the middle of, you know, a massive college basketball season.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

And hiding it, I think, masking it. I had to. Had coaches and stuff. Like, you know, they knew I'd make, you know, dumb decisions and they'd be like, oh, come on, Sedona. You know, like, get together. You're, you know, what are you doing? All this stuff. And I've been diagnosed something that was literally just in, like, heightening my episodes. And then, you know, I'd go for days without sleeping in the middle of season.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

I'm a professional athlete. I work out four hours a day every day, Right. And then imagine that was doing my body, right? And then a week and a half, I just crash and just be just devastated right in the middle of every day. Having to wake up and go to practice and be a teammate and a leader and a captain.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

And be a part of a team unit for, you know, a common. Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

We should have met like 10 years ago. Yeah, right, 10 years ago.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

Yeah, that would have been. Saved me lot. A lot of. A lot of struggling.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

But, you know, every day I want you to think about this every day you win or you learn. And if you have that mindset, there is no failure. This is every day when. Or you learn.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

And.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

It'S just the right mindset to have as a professional athlete.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Right.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Because you're not going to win all the games and you're not going to make every free throw. And Michael Jordan said he missed way more shots than he made. And yet it's the greatest of all time.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah. Right. Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Questions?

[Sedona Prince]

I think a part of, like, a part of my brain, too is, you know, the quick fix.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

It's. It's so much I really struggle with. Like, and it's really all I've known for a long time because I didn't have the resources or had not the people around me to put me in the right kind of therapy that I needed for a long time. And so it became like, this quick fix to just shut it down.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

For today. Cause I just need. I can't deal with this today. My brain is just going crazy. Right. I'm having all these thoughts and just going through all this. Just this nut. Like, I can't escape. I don't know what to do. And my brain tries to stay away. Like, it scares me, this long road of healing, you know? And I've gone out with emdr, and it's helped me tremendously.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

But I think that's a part of the fear that, like, you know, how long is it gonna take? Right. Is it gonna be worth it on the. On the other side?

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right?

[Sedona Prince]

Because I think the stimulant or, you know, the things that I've relied on have warped my brain into becoming. You're right. Poisons devil, right? Saying, oh, no, it's easier.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right?

[Sedona Prince]

It's easier, and you'll be fine. And. And, you know, it's not worth it on the other side. Like, it doesn't matter. I can just give you it. Dopamine right now or just calm your brain down right now.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

Um. How do I. I mean, how do I even go about that if, like, you know, with the thoughts. Yes. Of, like, every day. But it's something that's been ingrained in. In what I do every day.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

That decision to just, oh, this will. You know, it'll be today, and I'll go tomorrow and start tomorrow my mental health journey.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

You have any advice for that?

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Did you ever listen to Hardy, the country singer?

[Sedona Prince]

I've. I've heard of him.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah?

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Yeah. He's got a song called Jack.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

You want to listen to it? It's so good. I love this song. And it's just about that. It's like, hey, I fixed you. Even though everybody hates you, but I fixed you. Yes. I think in. You have to have, like, mantras in the moment, like, what do you want? Like, if I asked you that, what do you want?

[Sedona Prince]

Peace, you know, Peace.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Is a quick fix gonna give you peace? Is that your experience with the quick fix?

[Sedona Prince]

Peace in a different somewhat. Yeah, It's. It's. I think quiet is a better word for it. Quiet.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Okay. Yep.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

She probably have to up the little big Doll.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

To calm down. Very busy brain of yours. Right. If I was your doctor, go. Okay, what's your level? Then you might be. Because you're a big girl, you might need 600 milligrams.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

So it's. You never want to get away with the least amount of medicine. You want to go, what's right for my brain. And when it works right, you're going to notice it's just quieter inside. And you always want to feel better fast, in a way that lasts. So Gaba calming in the moment, that might calm it down. Or we make something called theanine gummies that might calm it down. But you didn't learn to be a great basketball player quickly.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Right.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And if you want to get on top. I'm not a fan of bipolar or borderline personality disorder, I would lose that diagnosis. It's completely unhelpful.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I think bipolar two, I sort of see that. Plus post traumatic stress justice were. Yeah, those would be the two. Based on your scans. I would hold on to inside, get my lamectal to a therapeutic level and keep with the emdr. I would add, start journaling your thoughts. And if you do this process that. That I have on just 30 thoughts, your brain will start to do it by itself. But you have to initially, like, let's take a bad thought. Like, what's a bad thought that's going on?

[Sedona Prince]

I'm gonna get re. Injured.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I'm gonna get re injured.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Okay, five questions. Is that true?

[Sedona Prince]

No, we don't know.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I don't know.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

Don't know.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Right.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I mean, you're a professional athlete. They get injured.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Right?

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Is it absolutely true? That's question two. It's absolutely true. You're going to get re. Injured.

[Sedona Prince]

No, no.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

How does that thought make you feel?

[Sedona Prince]

Anxious.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

How would you feel if you didn't have the thought.

[Sedona Prince]

Free?

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

You know, Fine. Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

It's the thoughts that make you suffer. It's not what's actually happening. It's the thoughts that make you suffer. In fact, one of the things I would do is I would do EMDR specifically around. I'm going to be reintroduced. And because your subconscious thinks it's protecting you with that thought when it's really hurting you. So I have a fun story. Alicia Newman is a Canadian pole vaulter and she did my show just like you're doing it. And afterwards I did EMDR with her and she completely failed in Tokyo. She had a concussion, and then she went to Tokyo in 2021 and didn't even jump. One bar and got drunk on the plane home and then DM'd me. And I saw her.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

And.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

20, 23, she was the world indoor pole vaulting champion because she got her brain right. And then she went to Paris. But in February of that year, doing something stupid like she was hurdling after her workout to just sort of wind down, tripped, sprained her ankle, and just. But she had disciplined her mind by that time, and she ended up. But that was the thought, I'm gonna get reinsured. So we did EMDR on that, and of all all things, minions came up in her mind as her subconscious. And they're like, well, we thought we were protecting you. And she goes, you're not protecting me. You're hurting me.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yep.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And she won the bronze medal in Paris.

[Sedona Prince]

Wow.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I'm so proud of her.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

But it comes. You guys remind me of each other, that her brain was so busy. You can discipline this, like, because you're a disciplined person.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Right.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I mean, you don't get to where you were if you're not a disciplined person.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Right.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

You have to discipline your mind. And so anytime you're triggered, I would take that to your therapist, but the fifth question. I'm going to get re. Injured. Is that true? I don't know. Is it absolutely true? No. How does it make me feel? Scared. Anxious. How would I feel without it? Peaceful. So it's the thoughts that make me anxious. Question five is, let's turn it to the opposite and just ask yourself, so the opposite is, I won't get injured. Do you have any evidence that's true?

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

I mean, I've been playing uninjured now for two years.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

A lot of evidence that that's true. So if you focus on, I'm injured, you're going to feel bad. Where you bring your attention always determines how you feel. And so if you focus on, I'm going on two years now, I'm not going to be stupid.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Right.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

You're going to be thoughtful as you play. You don't play with 100% abandon.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Right.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Nobody's been injured does that. Because you learn. Give me another thought.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

I'm gonna think.

[Sedona Prince]

There's a lot. I'm not gonna, you know, I'm not gonna make my dreams come true, and I'm not gonna be a failure. I'm gonna fail.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Is that true? And remember, this is not about positive thinking. It's about accurate thinking with a positive spin. I like the verse in the New Testament. Know the truth. The truth will set you free. You're a Failure. Is that true?

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

No.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Your 10 year old self doesn't think so. We've already established that. Right?

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yep. Yeah. Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

My dream won't come true. Is that true?

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

No.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Is it absolutely true?

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

No.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

How does that make you feel? Awful.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Ashamed. And how would you feel if you didn't have that thought?

[Sedona Prince]

Proud. And. And like, look at what you've done.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

You have 2.4 million people who follow you, who are interested.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yes.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

In you. So if we take that thought, my dream is not going to come true and turn it to the opposite. My dream is coming true. Do you have any evidence your dream is coming true?

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

I'm playing professionally, you know, signing contracts and, you know, making an amazing salary. I get to play in Athens, Greece this next season. So.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

So are people going on vacation? Your parents?

[Sedona Prince]

I get to live in downtown Athens for seven months in.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

Not the worst thing in playing the game.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

You love playing the game you're good at.

[Sedona Prince]

Yep. For an amazing amount of money, I would.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Do you see how your brain is the one stealing from you? It's your undisciplined mind.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

That should piss you off.

[Sedona Prince]

Yeah. Like I've been cheated out of a lot of joy.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I feel not so you kill yourself. Right. But so you go, oh, no, I have to do the work.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Because you're not afraid of work.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah, yeah. No, no.

[Sedona Prince]

Done a lot and it's, you know, it's paid off in dividends. Right. But yeah, it's not talked about. It's not talked about.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I think the women's side, I have a whole chapter. Give her a copy of your brain is always listening. There's a whole chapter on this ant killing stuff. And if you become. If you do nothing else for me, but stop poisoning your brain and kill the ants, you will love me for the rest of your life. That would make me so happy. You know, I was 28 years old in my psychiatric residency when one of our professors said, you have to teach your patients not to believe every stupid thing they think. And I'm like, but I believe every stupid thing. I think there's nowhere in school where we teach people to manage their minds. And it's not pie in the sky thinking.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Right? Yeah. You.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

You living your dream.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Right?

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I mean, maybe it'd be in the WNBA and that would be awesome. Maybe. Unless you're on Caitlin Clark's team. We're so picking on that poor girl. But love her, right? I mean, fame gets you haters.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

For sure.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah, right?

[Sedona Prince]

Yes, indeed.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Yeah, I have them too. I mean, like, who would hate me? I'm, like, nicest person.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

And I can't. I can't blend in, which is the crazy thing, too. I'm, you know, born to stand out, so it's definitely different in. In the public.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

You're born to sound out.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah. Good. Yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

That's crazy. That is a lot of.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

We have to calm this thing down.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

But it can be. That's the cool thing about your brain. It is imminently treatable. And so I actually. I would kill the stimulants. Optimize the lamectal. Start happy Saffron, because I think you'll be happier and come up with a list of 10 things that don't hurt you to calm you down.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah. Right.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I'll give you two Gaba calming. That'll calm you down. Theanine gummies. Have you ever been hypnotized?

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

No.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Oh, you totally should.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah. Oh.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I think you should find a hip, a hypnotist that you like that just helps you with peak performance and helps you with anxiety, and so hypnosis can calm you down. I have an app called brain fit life 5.0. You should download it. I'll have Natalie give you a code for it. There are six hypnosis audio. One for peak performance, one for sleep, one for anxiety, I think. And then there's. So we have GABA calming, theonine hypnosis. There's a breathing experience on it. If you learn to breathe in a specific way, that will calm you down.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yep.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

So we're already four out of the ten.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

I love that. I've. I've learned. My last year of college was. Was. I was 24, also playing with. You know, it's. I've been doing this for a long time of college basketball, but it was this, like, I need to start training my brain like a professional athlete.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

It was the last step in, like, my performance. And so I got a sports psychologist, and he has been like, every day. I mean, went through a lot of, like, social media stuff and gained a lot of haters. Right. A lot of hatred. And so that translated literally into going into basketball arenas and being booed at by thousands of people.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

While I'm playing the sport that I love, it's like the place where I come to escape.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

It's my peace, my safety. Basketball always has been. It's a place where I just get to go and just, like, just be me, be free and do what I get to love and, like, you know, entertain People, right? And I mean, literally being booed by thousands of people, right? Thousands of people. Every time I touch the ball, it was crazy experience going into that. And it was, how do I master this, right? Because, you know, I, for instance, played at Kansas State and it was to. We had to win the game to, like, win the regular season for sure, right? To make our. The end of our season much easier. And went into their place. We hadn't played them yet. They were undefeated in the Big 12. We were undefeated, killing it. And I went in and, I kid you not, a C off student section. Every time I touched the ball, right? It was the loudest. People said they could hear it to the tv. It was crazy, right? And the whole time I just was like, I just want to sink into the ground. Like, I just want to shrink and not be here, right? And just this, I. This is insane. And I told my sports psychologist, you know, we lost the game. I played horrible. I shot horrible. Every time I touched the ball, I was like, get out of my hands. But we had a game a few weeks later, we lost. So, okay, now we have to win now, right? We had a few games a week later, the last game of the regular season at Baylor, who we had just beat them for the first time in 31 years in school history. Would you play them twice a year? It's about 68 games of never beating Baylor. TCU history. And we just beat them on our home court a couple weeks earlier, right? And so I said, I'm going into Baylor in a few weeks and it's going to be worse, right? Their student section is going to be crazy. It's packed out. I broke my finger in the arena last season on Baylor's home court. How do I master this? And we worked every single day on breathing, on being present in the game, right? On facing it, right? Turning to the crowd and looking at these people, right? Not shying away, not being scared, but facing it as these are human beings, right? They can't hurt me. They don't know me. And just having this alter ego almost like. Like embracing it and being like, yeah, let's go. And in the first, I think 10 minutes, I had like 12 points, right? And just went off. And it fueled me, right? And so that was my goal is, how do I. And we won. We won the Big 12 season on that game. And it was just, you know, that moment of it taught me, like, I can really put my mind to anything I want to. It was my thoughts of, like, oh, I'm small, right? And it translated into me playing horribly and, like, throwing the ball out of bounds and doing things I'd never done before. And then instead of, like, for weeks being like, I have a goal. I'm gonna achieve it, and I'm gonna work on it. I got it right as my test, and it was amazing. Passed. And it was. You know, it gave me so much more confidence.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

So I want you to do that in your real.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Life. But in your sport life, I want you to have an alter ego.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

You maybe even want to work with Todd Herman. I think it would be a good investment. And he's got, like, a course online, the Alter Ego effect, or alter egoeffect.com. because when you bring your amazing mind, you do amazing things. When you bring the scared little girl who's been hurt and traumatized, you do terrible things.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Right.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

But ultimately, you have a choice of how you show up. And alcohol feeds the fear, and Kratom feeds the fear, and marijuana feeds the fear. And it's like, no, you want to face the devil, and you want to, like, use the energy to be great.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Because your goal is to be great.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Right. Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

And you won't ever do that if you don't discipline your mind. But you can see. I mean, that's just such a great example of you allowed them to bully you, and you played terrible, and the bully showed up and you punched him in the face and you played great.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

It's easy to think of it like, it's my job, you know, and it's so easy to be, like, working at basketball.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

Because it's like a step outside of my. You know, it's a different version of. Of, you know, the. The person I am. Every day I go home, and it's quiet and it's. Nobody sees that.

[Interviewer/Supportive Commentator]

Right.

[Sedona Prince]

And it's something. Basketball is somewhere. I'm. I'm. It's so important to me. It's something that's almost easier to, like, work on it and pinpoint. Focus on it.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

But you want to love yourself.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

That's the most important side of it.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

I mean, you want to love it for your sport, but then you want to translate it.

[Sedona Prince]

Yes.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

To who's the alter ego. You want to show up at home.

[Sedona Prince]

Yeah, exactly.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Sedona Prince]

Never focus on, like, that. That. That's the most. It's also affecting basketball, too.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Right. I mean, Kobe Bryant, when he was dad, was not the black mamba. He goes, that wouldn't have worked.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Be sneaky and hurt you.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yeah.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

No, but figure out who you want to be in all of these situations.

[Sedona Prince (Alternate Label for same speaker as A)]

Yep.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

What a joy.

[Sedona Prince]

Yes.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

Such a joy to meet you.

[Sedona Prince]

Ditto autism.

[Dr. Daniel Amen]

What is it? How do you know if you have Autism's not one thing. It's many different things. There's so much to know about autism. It's not hard to understand. Hi, this is Dr. Daniel Amen. I'm so excited to tell you about our new course, Healing A New Way Forward that I did with my father and really autism expert Dr. Jerry Cartzinel. It's a completely new look at autism. This course is for parents of children or adults who have autism, but it's also for professionals. We hope you'll join us with Healing Autism A New Way Forward. You have been listening to Change your Brain every Day with Sedona Prince. Thank you so much for sharing. Leave us a Comment Question Review subscribe We're going to follow her career together.