In this episode of Bulletproof Radio, my guest is Dr. James Gordon, a Harvard-educated psychiatrist and a world-renowned expert in using mind-body medicine to heal depression, anxiety, and psychological trauma. He founded and now serves as executive director of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine—an organization that focuses on life-changing therapeutic work with individuals, families and groups.
Dr. Gordon explains that trauma is a human experience, not a pathological anomaly. His new book, “The Transformation: Discovering Wholeness and Healing After Trauma,” helps people understand their own capacity to heal themselves.
“The premise is that what we’re teaching about self-awareness and self-care—and also encouraging people to get support from other humans—is fundamental to the understanding and treatment of all trauma,” he says.
For more than 25 years, he has led teams in relieving population-wide psychological trauma: during and after wars in the Balkans, the Middle East and Africa; after climate related disasters in Louisiana, Texas, California, Puerto Rico, and Haiti; in communities affected by school shootings; and with active duty U.S. military and veterans and their families.
Enjoy the show!
Follow Along with the Transcript
Hacking PTSD With Gratitude – Dr. James Gordon – #644
Links/Resources
Website:jamesgordonmd.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jgordonmd
Twitter: @JamesGordonMD
Instagram: @jamesgordonmd
Book: The Transformation: Discovering Wholeness and Healing After Trauma
The Center For Mind-Body Medicine: cmbm.org
Key Notes
- At what point in his career did Dr. Gordon “flip his profession “the bird” 00:05:10
- Are we better today than we were in the past? 00:08:15
- Should we go to the doctor for trauma? 00:11:05
- Vaccinating ourselves against trauma through addiction 00:14:10
- When does it go from a challenge to a trauma? 00:16:45
- Bullying can be traumatic or a growth opportunity 00:18:00
- Breathing techniques for changing trauma 00:23:25
- Defining trauma 00:27:05
- Professions who need to be “tough” aren’t dealing with their trauma 00:30:15
- Why Dave keeps a list of his traumas on his phone 00:33:10
- Balancing out the physiology 00:34:50
- Using art/drawings to identify traumas 00:38:20
- Group healing and group learning is powerful 00:43:00
- No drugs have been shown to help PTSD 00:45:40
- The role of the gut in trauma healing 00:54:10
- How gratitude reduces PTSD 00:57:25
- How forgiveness fits into gratitude and healing 00:59:35
- Everyone can be your teacher 01:06:00
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