Why You Can’t “Think” Your Way Out of Anxiety (It’s Your Nervous System) | Dr. Nicole LePera

The Dr. Hyman Show

Dr. Mark Hyman

Medicine, Health & Fitness, Nutrition

4.5 • 9.1K Ratings

🗓️ 25 February 2026

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

If you’ve ever said, “I know my patterns — so why can’t I change them?” the answer may not be in your mind, but in your body. On this episode of The Dr. Hyman Show, I sit down with Dr. Nicole LePera, The Holistic Psychologist, to explore how early experiences become your body’s default state—shaping your stress response, your relationships, and your risk for chronic disease. Watch the full conversation on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. In this conversation, you’ll learn: • How to recognize when your body is stuck in stress — even if your mind says you’re “fine” • Why people-pleasing, overworking, or shutting down can become your default response • What simple daily practices can calm your nervous system and support long-term health • How creating safety in your body improves sleep, energy, and stress recovery When you create safety in your body, you don’t just change your mood. You change your biology, your relationships, and your capacity to heal. Resources mentioned in this episode: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Questionnaire View Show Notes From This Episode Get Free Weekly Health Tips from Dr. Hyman https://drhyman.com/pages/picks?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast Sign Up for Dr. Hyman’s Weekly Longevity Journal https://drhyman.com/pages/longevity?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast Join the 10-Day Detox to Reset Your Health https://drhyman.com/pages/10-day-detox Join the Hyman Hive for Expert Support and Real Results https://drhyman.com/pages/hyman-hive This episode is brought to you by Pique, Timeline, PerfectAmino, Qualia, Paleovalley and BIOptimizers. Secure 20% off your order plus a free starter kit at piquelife.com/hyman. Receive 35% off a subscription at timeline.com/drhyman. Go to bodyhealth.com and use code HYMAN20 to get 20% off your first order. Go to qualialife.com/hyman and use code HYMAN at checkout for an extra 15% off. Head to paleovalley.com and use code HYMAN20 for 20% off your first order. Head to bioptimizers.com/hyman and use promo code HYMAN at checkout to save 15%. (0:00) Introduction and personal experiences with anxiety (0:23) Nicole LePera's background and the holistic psychology approach (1:10) Tools for nervous system regulation (3:19) Hyman's profound experience with Ibogaine and reparenting the inner child (6:33) LePera's journey and mind-body connection insights (9:32) Impact of childhood environments and ACES (13:20) Attachment disruption, generational trauma, and epigenetics (18:42) Understanding the inner child and adult behavior (22:13) Emotional regulation, parental modeling, and the role of shame (25:36) Reparenting, nervous system practices, and societal influences (29:21) Reframing mental health and attachment frameworks (37:38) The five developmental spheres (40:21) Creating safety and security in the body (43:48) Somatic therapy and stress management (50:00) Progress in habit formation and reconnecting with the authentic self (54:31) Purpose, fulfillment, and relational neuroplasticity (59:09) Dr. Nicole LePera's resources

Transcript

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0:00.0	I get an email and I feel all of a sudden this clutching in my chest, this tightness in my belly.
0:05.0	I'm like having literally a panic attack about sending an email that says no.
0:08.0	Why am I feeling like this?
0:10.0	I continue to hear, I can't help it, but I'm still stuck, repeating patterns.
0:14.0	So we come to believe this is just who I am, how I am, and how I will always be.
0:19.0	And so the reality, thankfully we know in science that we can change.
0:23.6	Dr. Nicole the pair is a holistic psychologist trained at Cornell University and in number one, New York Times best-selling author,
0:29.6	whose work has reshaped the global conversation around healing and personal responsibility.
0:34.6	Our environments have changed.
0:36.6	We've gained more resources or access to them,
0:40.0	but our nervous systems are still reflecting danger that it believes is present. In moments where we had
0:45.6	to learn how to create safety, security, belonging, where many of us had to modify or show up in
0:51.3	particular ways and performance-driven ways, and all of these models left out the physical body.
0:57.0	You could be eating the healthiest foods, but if you're doing so in a body that's on edge, that's bracing for that next shoe to drop,
1:04.0	then that's not going to create the safety that your body needs to repair.
1:10.0	What are the practices, what are the tools?
1:12.6	Because I get the concept, but like, how the hell do I do that?
1:14.6	We feel more shameful when we know better, when we try to white knuckle or get better quicker,
1:19.6	and then we end up falling right back into those old habits.
1:22.6	It takes the thing that we hate to do.
1:24.6	We just have to make consistent new choices to create that change.
1:28.9	First, the most important relationship is the religion to yourself is that is what other
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