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🎙️ EPISODE TITLE:
"When Healing Feels Like an Attack: Identity, the Brain, and the Path to Freedom"

Welcome to another Thoughtful Thursday with Dr. Michael and May Bagnell! Today’s episode is a powerful and eye-opening conversation centered around a deeply human question: Who are you? More importantly — who have you become in the face of pain, illness, or trauma?

Together, we explore how the Default Mode Network (DMN) — a brain network responsible for your sense of self — plays a role in how your identity is shaped, challenged, and even hijacked by life experiences. You’ll learn why some people struggle to heal despite taking all the right steps, and how your thought patterns and language (even something as simple as saying "my anxiety") can entrench unhealthy identities.

In this episode, we unpack:

• How your brain forms your identity — and why it often happens subconsciously
• The real reason why healing can feel like an emotional attack
• The danger of personalizing conditions (“my depression,” “my migraines”)
• Why people can get stuck in their identity of illness — and how to gently detach from it
• What it takes to envision a future version of yourself beyond trauma or disease
• How affirmations from others (even just one mentor or teacher) can shape your entire life

Whether you’re on a journey of recovery, supporting a loved one, or simply ready to change the story you tell yourself, this conversation offers both science-backed insights and soul-nourishing encouragement.

If you’ve ever felt like you don’t know who you are anymore or you’re ready to reclaim your identity with hope and intention — this episode is for you.

💬 Quote to remember:
"When your disease becomes your identity, healing can feel like an attack."

🎧 Tune in now. You can heal — and we can help.