This is Why You're Afraid of Being Happy
The Dr. Leaf Show
Dr. Caroline Leaf
4.6 • 3.2K Ratings
🗓️ 12 November 2025
⏱️ 22 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Why do we sometimes panic when things finally get better? Why can rest, safety, or even joy register as unpredictable or unsafe?
In this episode, I walk you through what happens when a trauma-trained brain reacts to peace like it’s danger—and how your mind can gently redirect that response. You’ll learn what joy-triggered anxiety actually reflects, why the brain loops it so quickly, and how to retrain the pattern in a way that doesn’t rely on guilt or pressure.
If you're tired of waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under you, this video is for you.
📘 My new book Help in a Hurry is out now!
✏️ Rewire your mind, reclaim your peace, and save $50 on the new Help in a Hurry course—signed book included at www.helpinahurrycourse.com
Inside the book and course, I walk you through:
• How to interrupt trauma-trained reactions using the 5-step Neurocycle
• Tools for building joy tolerance gradually and intentionally
• Why your brain loops protective responses—and how your mind can step in
• Real language to redirect thought patterns in the moment
🧠 Explore the Neurocycle app: https://neurocycle.app
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DISCLAIMER: This podcast and blog are for educational purposes only and are not intended as medical advice. Please consult with a professional for personalized support.
#JoyAfterTrauma #TraumaHealing #DrCarolineLeaf #Neurocycle #HelpInAHurry #MindAndBrain #PostTraumaAnxiety #EmotionalSafety #BrainRewiring #HabitRecovery #MentalHealthTools #PsychologyPodcast
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Have you ever felt anxious when something good finally happens? Like the peace registers is |
| 0:06.5 | unpredictable, like your mind's waiting for the next interruption, for the shoe to drop. |
| 0:11.9 | I've heard this from so many people. I've got the good news and I burst into tears, or I was |
| 0:18.2 | finally on vacation, but I just couldn't settle in. It feels like your body didn't |
| 0:23.6 | get the memo, like your mind knows you're safe, but something else is running in the background. |
| 0:28.6 | That response, it's a recorded loop that your brain has practiced under pressure. Here's why that |
| 0:35.2 | matters. When you've practiced tension long enough, peace doesn't always register as peace. |
| 0:40.7 | It registers as unpredictable. |
| 0:42.9 | And the moment something becomes unpredictable, your brain will default to the pattern that knows how to run. |
| 0:48.9 | That's where the mind has to step in. |
| 0:51.8 | Not to erase the response, but to reinterpret it. This is where the philosophy |
| 0:57.8 | becomes practical. The brain stores, the mind directs, and in high intensity experiences, trauma, |
| 1:06.1 | prolonged pressure, emotional whiplash, your brain is just trying to stabilize the loop. |
| 1:11.7 | It's working with what it's been fed or given. |
| 1:14.7 | But that's not the final word. |
| 1:16.4 | Your mind has the ability to reshape how those cues get processed and put into the brain. |
| 1:22.3 | And over time, that reshaping becomes a new pathway. |
| 1:27.3 | In this week's episode, we are talking about why joy can feel so unbearable after trauma. |
| 1:33.4 | What's happening in your brain, how your mind can direct something different, and how to make peace feel safe again. |
| 1:39.6 | One response at a time. |
| 1:42.0 | If you've been listening to the show for a while, you know how deeply |
| 1:45.0 | connected our gut health is to our mental health. Your gut houses about 80% of your immune |
... |
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