Trapped in 'Worst Case Scenario': Lysa TerKeurst on Healing Emotional Trauma & Reclaiming Her Purpose

Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: Change Your Brain Every Day
Episode: Trapped in 'Worst Case Scenario': Lysa TerKeurst on Healing Emotional Trauma & Reclaiming Her Purpose
Hosts: Dr. Daniel Amen & Tana Amen
Guest: Lysa TerKeurst
Date: March 13, 2026

In this episode, Dr. Daniel Amen and Tana Amen sit down with bestselling author Lysa TerKeurst to explore the impacts of emotional trauma, the tendency to catastrophize or envision worst-case scenarios, and how brain health plays a role in personal healing. Through personal anecdotes and expert analysis, they discuss practical steps, brain imaging insights, and the journey of reclaiming purpose after trauma.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Pattern of "Worst Case Scenario" Thinking

• Lysa describes her tendency to loop on negative scenarios, often feeling she's the only one preparing for disaster.
  • Lysa: "If I don't worry about it, then who is?... I want to go ahead and try to manage the fallout now before it happens so I can sort of brace for impact." (00:20)
• Dr. Amen points out the negative impact:
  • Dr. Amen: "That's going to make you miserable... If you predict the worst all the time, it'll wear out your immune system." (01:34, 01:47)
• Humorous example from Lysa:
  • Lysa: "I've planned a lot of funerals that absolutely never happened. If we're really close... you got four shots before I deem you funeral worthy." (03:51 - 04:25)
• Key insight: While some preparedness can be adaptive, constant catastrophizing is a drain on emotional and immune health.

2. Physical Symptoms of Anxiety and Their Triggers

• Lysa describes physical manifestations (tightness in the throat, shaking hands), often triggered by both identifiable stressors and seemingly random occurrences.
  • Lysa: "Either it is a legitimate concern... Or sometimes it will happen and I cannot figure out what the source is." (02:18)

3. Brain Health Evaluation and Imaging

• Dr. Amen reviews SPECT brain scans with Lysa, highlighting areas of concern and linking them to her experience.
  • Dr. Amen: "Your frontal lobes are sleepy... could it have been the concussion you had when you were young? Could it be the surgeries... general anesthesia... sleep apnea?" (05:11 - 06:00)
• He reassures her about her brain health:
  • Dr. Amen: "Your mom has a great brain... She's a creator because her frontal lobes are a little bit sleepy at rest, but they're better when she concentrates." (09:06)
  • Dr. Amen: "You're not getting Alzheimer's disease anytime soon." (08:01)
• Lysa voices relief:
  • Lysa: "I was worried that you were going to tell me that I had dementia or something... it's really good to know that I don't have those." (09:37, 10:12)

4. The Link Between Brain Function and Everyday Behavior

• Forgetting where she parked her car vs. giving eloquent talks:
  • Lysa: "I can give a 45 minute talk... But then... where's my car and can't remember it. So what is the difference between those two?" (11:55)
  • Dr. Amen: "One is you're highly competent and passionate... The other is a detail of the day... your mind is always elsewhere." (12:41, 10:12)
• Solution offered: Suggestions for brain supplements and practical tools (e.g., using Apple CarPlay for car location) to support memory and attention. (11:37, 13:09)

5. Trauma, Healing, and Brain Patterns

• Discussion on trauma’s stacking effect and recovery through therapy (e.g., EMDR):
  • Dr. Amen: "They stack... But you've also done a lot of work. EMDR... calmed down the diamond pattern in the brain." (14:03)
• Brain patterns are discussed as both a product of past injuries ("stacking" trauma) and ongoing healing processes.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On catastrophizing:
  • Lysa: "I have planned a lot of funerals that absolutely never happened." (03:51)
• On brain scans and reassurance:
  • Dr. Amen: "Your anxiety centers are pretty high... There's actually a trauma pattern in the brain, and I call it the diamond pattern. But you don't have the top of the diamond." (08:01)
  • Dr. Amen: "Your mom has a great brain... She's a creator." (09:01)
• On living with complex trauma:
  • Dr. Amen: "They stack. But you've also done a lot of work." (14:03)
• On practical improvements:
  • Dr. Amen: "If I give you the supplements, your brain may be better tomorrow." (10:21)
  • Lysa: "[On addressing the parking lot issue] I just need to...." (13:23)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introduction to Catastrophic Thinking: 00:02 - 03:13
• Physical Symptoms & Triggers: 01:55 - 03:13
• Humorous Perspective on Overthinking: 03:44 - 04:31
• Brain Scan Review with Lysa: 04:31 - 09:37
• Everyday Function vs. Big Skills: 09:37 - 13:24
• Supplements & Practical Tools: 10:21 - 13:23
• Trauma and Brain Healing (EMDR): 13:34 - 14:34

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Conclusion

This episode delivers a compassionate, detailed look at how trauma and worst-case scenario thinking manifest both mentally and physically. Through personal stories and clinical expertise, Lysa and Dr. Amen guide listeners from recognition of anxiety patterns to practical steps toward brain health and emotional healing. The episode is rich with empathy, reassurance, and actionable advice for those struggling with anxiety, memory, and the long-term effects of trauma.

Transcript

[A]

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. So looping thoughts. Tell me about that.

[B]

If I get a thought, or usually it's. It's not a thought that's originating. What usually happens is something happens that I have to think about so an event will happen. And I find myself feeling like I can't settle down until I think this all the way through. Sometimes I feel the pressure like nobody else seems to be worried about this. So if I don't worry about it, then who is? And so this, this pressure of knowing what can happen with worst case scenarios and no one else is feeling like this could potentially ever play out like a worst case scenario. But I think because I've had so many instances where nobody thought this would be a worst case scenario and then it was for me. And I think what I'm trying to do is, is if this plays out to be another worst case scenario, I want to go ahead and try to manage the fallout now before it happens so I can sort of brace for impact.

[A]

So that's going to make you miserable.

[B]

Sometimes it makes me feel empowered.

[A]

I guess it depends on how often you do it. But there's so many awful things that can happen.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

That if you predict the worst all the time, it'll wear out your immune system.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like the only people should really be predicting the worst all the time are contract lawyers. They should be protecting you. But that's what happens with trauma. Some physical symptoms, tightness in your throat, shaking hands, sweating, feeling hot, feeling nervous. How often does that happen?

[B]

Like every couple of months something will happen, happen. And either it is a legitimate concern that I feel like this is very legitimate. I can put my finger on exactly why I'm feeling this way. Or sometimes it will happen and I cannot figure out what the source is. Or I have to work really hard to figure out why in the world am I feeling this? And in that scenario it's usually because it's a combination of a bunch of things and it's hard to sometimes figure out which one is really driving this feeling right now. But most times now it's when something new is happening and it's a situation that's just completely out of control with the potential to be pretty detrimental if it were to play out.

[A]

Worst case scenario, predicting the worst, how often does that come up?

[B]

I feel like it happens often, but it's a way. It's. It's not something that makes me Just sit down and want to give up. It's more like predicting the worst so that I can better manage what I might need to do now so that it's not catastrophic later.

[A]

Well, good CEOs are always planning for disaster, creating plans and then growing their business.

[B]

I have planned a lot of funerals that absolutely never happened. I really have. If we're really close and I try to call you, like one time, I'm like, they're busy. Two times, I'm like, wow, they're really busy. Three times and you're not answering, I'm like, huh, this feels odd. Four times, something's happened. Five times, you're probably not here with us anymore.

[A]

And nine times out of ten, they're still there.

[B]

Very much still there. They left their phone at home.

[A]

Try and answer.

[B]

It's okay. You got four shots before I deem you funeral worthy.

[A]

Well, let's talk about your brain. So we do a study called Spec that looks at blood flow and activity, looks at how your brain works. And we did it twice. I'm really glad we did it twice. One at rest and one when you concentrate. When you concentrate, your brain should activate, but at rest, it's too sleepy. So here's an example of a healthy scan. So the four images on the left, we're looking at the outside surface, and it should just be full, even and symmetrical. The top left, we're looking underneath the brain just like this. Bottom right, we're looking down from the top and then one side on the other side.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And it should just be full, even and symmetrical. The image is on the right. Color does matter. Blue is average activity. Red and white are the most active parts of the brain, which should be here in the cerebellum. And everything else sort of quiet. We look at your scan, see these holes? Your frontal lobes are sleepy. It's too sleepy. And I'm like, why is it sleepy? Could it have been the concussion you had when you were young? Could it be the surgeries you had? Because general anesthesia is not great for your brain. Could it be the sleep apnea? Those would be my top three and we're gonna fix it.

[B]

Okay, that sounds great.

[A]

I love follow up scans because if you do what I ask you to do, you get better. I mean, I'm really confident what we do.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

If you don't do what I ask you to do, probably if you came to see me 10 years from now, it'd be worse. That's not what you want.

[B]

Nope, not what I want at all.

[A]

I'm like, which brand do you want? The healthy one or the unhealthy one? So here is your left temporal low. How's your temper?

[B]

I don't think that most people would say I have a bad temper. I think they would say I'm pretty even tempered.

[A]

And how about in your head?

[B]

I think I'm pretty even tempered until something is really wrong. Like when some. Something is very unfair, then in my brain, I can have a whole conversation about how unfair this is. But I also.

[A]

But you're not throwing things.

[B]

No, I'm not throwing things. No.

[A]

Sometimes when I see this, it can go with temper issues, but we have to make these stronger. And then when you concentrate, it gets better. But I want it better still. Your left temporal lobe right here is still less active than it should be. Could be.

[B]

And what is that part of the brain? What is that?

[A]

So memory, mood stability. Sometimes it can generate anxiety. Okay, now here's your active one. And your cerebellum is beautiful. You have a great cerebellum. This is an interesting area called your posterior cigulate. Gyrus goes with IQ and it's the first area that dies in Alzheimer's disease. Yours is busy, so you're not getting Alzheimer's disease anytime soon.

[B]

That's so great.

[A]

That's good news. Your anxiety centers are pretty high. There's actually a trauma pattern in the brain, and I call it the diamond pattern. But you don't have the top of the diamond. You have the bottom of the diamond, but not the top. And what that may have been, the EMDR really helped it. And PTSD has been treated and is not currently active. The thing that's really active is the anxiety.

[B]

Okay, but you said the bottom part is out the cerebellum. Is that what you said?

[A]

The cerebellum's here. I'm sorry, do this again, the diamond would be here.

[B]

Okay, got it.

[A]

And I think the work you've done has really helped that your cerebellum, which is supposed to be busy and active, is beautiful.

[B]

And how does that play out in everyday life?

[A]

Sort of the great processor.

[B]

And

[A]

if I was explaining this to your kids, I go, your mom has a great brain. Your mom's not getting Alzheimer's disease, which is really good news for you kids. She's a creator because her frontal lobes are a little bit sleepy at rest, but they're better when she concentrates. So she sees the world differently than other people see it. And that's been really good for you. But it can give her some Challenges with focus and follow through.

[B]

Okay, that's really good. And then what about on a practical level? Like, I have. No, I was worried that you were going to tell me that I had dementia or something because it feels. Or that I had a brain tumor or something, you know, so it's really good to know that I don't have those. But like, when I walk out of a store, no matter how many times I tell myself this is where. Like this is where when you park, you have to remember where you parked your car. And I go in the store and I walk out, cannot remember where because

[A]

you didn't focus on it before you went in the store. Your mind is always elsewhere.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And that's the sleepy frontal lobes you have. If I give you the supplements, your brain may be better tomorrow. I mean, that's sort of the cool thing. We have this MMA fighter we scanned and he had really low frontal lobes. I'm like, I know, I know the supplements work. I just didn't know how fast they work. The next day his brain was better. Now he had to keep taking them. But let's hope. And in the supplements, let me go through them with you. There's something called brain and body power. There're going to be two pockets a day. Multiple vitamins, not any multiple vitamins. Got 55 nutrients for your brain. It's very powerful fish oil at a high concentration level. And a brain boost that works in six different ways. It's my NFL formula. You don't need as many pills as they needed, but it's two packets a day. There are five pills in each packet. Multiple vitamin, fish oil, brain boost. So you don't need anything else because I saw you take athletic greens periodically, which is great, but you don't need it. So that is going to help repair your breath.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And then happy saffron, boost your mood and your memory. And then feeling just when you feel like I need a drink to calm down, the anxiety centers and the probiotic to begin to rescue your microbiome.

[B]

Okay, that sounds great. So another thing I was curious about, I can stand up and I can give a 45 minute talk and not have any notes. And I can clearly see in my mind the, the outline. And you know, I may have maybe a sticky note to remind me of a Bible verse or I'll have my Bible and I'll turn to the verse and read that out loud. But pretty much like I just can do that. But then remember, like I said, like, walk out into the parking lot and where's my car and can't remember it. So what is the difference between those two?

[A]

Well, one is you're highly competent and highly passionate, and this is a skill you have. The other is a detail of the day.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And so it doesn't surprise me at all that you can do that because you've done it. For how many years have you done that?

[B]

Almost 30.

[A]

Yeah. So you're just highly competent.

[B]

But I've also walked out of stores

[A]

into the parking lot for 30 years and 54 years. You're gonna have to activate Apple CarPlay because my wife says there's a way to get it to tell you where your car is.

[B]

This is true. I just need to.

[A]

But I think as I activate your frontal lobes, this is your short term memory. It's not. Although on the test it was fine.

[B]

Okay, that's good to know. And then when we talk about trauma and how it affects people's brain, is. Is my brain the way that it is just because it would. It would naturally be that way anyways just from childhood trauma, or is it that the trauma that I've experienced in the past 10 years, has that done damage?

[A]

They stack. Okay, but you've also done a lot of work. And the work I published a study on emdr, on soldiers who are involved in shootings, and they're all developed PTSD because of it. And they all were not working. Average of 8 EMDR sessions, they all went back to work and they had that diamond pattern in their brain and it calmed it down. So I think the work you've done has been helpful.

[B]

Well, good. Thank you. This is really fascinating.