How Trauma Shrinks Your Brain (And How Exercise Reverses It)

Jim Kwik explains the neuroscience of trauma: how stress shrinks the hippocampus, disrupts the prefrontal cortex, and heightens the brain's fear response. He then details how exercise—specifically aerobic movement that boosts BDNF—can stimulate neuroplasticity, grow new brain cells, and repair damaged pathways. The episode covers pairing exercise with mindfulness for accelerated healing, and introduces a 7-day brain healing challenge that also integrates sleep, nutrition, social connection, and lifelong learning.