I can't tell you how many people, once they've gone through no matter what the worst is, when they realize that they can serve other people and help them and break free from that, not only do they get back at the people who hurt them, but it can actually be a prerequisite to have a purposeful and meaningful life. Not the only way, but it certainly can be a path. Okay? So who here wants this purpose thing? Let me see if I show of hands. Alright. Couple of voidants in the back. That's okay.
No problem. We'll get you later. It's fine. Alright. So what's gonna stop you? Me? What part of me? Every part? No. My amygdala? Maybe. Your what? Your pathology? What? Patterns? What? Unconscious? Maybe. Let's get more specific. Hey. Trauma. That's right. That's right. Okay? Now here's the thing about trauma, guys. It is so misunderstood. It's so misunderstood. And when I saw the whole doctor Ford hearing, regardless of what you believe, what I saw was mass misunderstanding of what traumatic
memory is and how it works. So misunderstood. People think if it's trauma only if you have an abuse or a bruise or physical damage and that you speak up right away, you tell everybody about it. Like, no. No. No. That's not how this shit works at all. Okay? So what is trauma? I'm curious. What do you think it is? And before you came here, maybe, what do you think it is? It's okay. Just yell it out. A big emotional event. Okay. What else? Shock? What else?
Separation? What? Disconnection? What else? Hurt? Psychological what? Injury? Okay. Conflict of desire. Conflicts of desire. Okay. So now notice we all have a different definition. You notice that? Okay. So how are we talking about a thing we all think is different? Let's define this shit. Okay? Now before we do, here's a few symptoms. These these are a few. Right now, you're thinking, I am so right? Who here has at least one of these things? Let me see if I
show hands. Who here knows someone that has some of these things? Right? Here's the truth, guys. Every human being has trauma. All of us. Okay? It's not like, okay. Here's our traumatized population over here, and then here's all the other people. Right, unless you wanna put all the other people as nobody in that category and everybody in this category. It's all about a spectrum, though. What level do you have? And in the brain, pain is pain is pain. So please don't go to the place
of if you hear someone's trauma story and it's like, oh my goodness. That's intense. I don't have trauma like that. I don't have trauma. Don't first of all, don't minimize what you went through, and also please don't compete on who has the biggest trauma, you don't want that. You don't want that. Okay? If someone has a significant trauma history or trauma story, you wanna go, wow. That's incredible that they're here. Amazing, but it does not diminish what you went through too. Who
follows? I'm a 6 foot 5 white guy with a lot of privilege. Do you think I have trauma? Do you think that there are people who are not like me who have trauma? Which one's more valid? The experience is equally valid. And the truth is there are people who are more marginalized that more need more attention today. So I'm not saying all lives matter in the same context, because here's the thing. Here's why all lives matter is extremely racist and marginalizing. K, it's like
if you have a 911 call, my house is burning down. And the 911 operator says, okay. Thank you for telling me, but all houses matter. So we're well, you're about 5 miles away. We have to send to every house first in between before we get to you. There are some people who are experiencing more immediate threat and danger right now. So when you say all lives matter, that is super marginalizing and racist. It's not okay. Is it true that everyone
is equal? Yeah. That's in our constitution. We all believe that. But right now, different people need different you don't walk into an emergency room spying to doctors treating the well people. Right? If someone's having myofarctal and cart whatever the hell that's called. Myo my heart attack. Okay? And someone else has a little cut with needs a Band Aid, who they gonna go to 1st? No. The Band Aid because all lives matter. No. You go to the person who's having the most pain in that moment, but
it doesn't diminish someone else's history who follows. So it's a weird paradox. Okay? Everyone's equal, but some people need attending to right now. So don't minimize what you've been through because of your skin color or because of your experience, and don't think that I think that anyone's is more significant. However, someone's in significant pain right now, they need more attention right now. Who follows? Okay? Important.
Okay. So let's define this thing. We'll start all the way back in ancient Greece. It was a wound, but that's vague. What kind of wound? Is it like a bloody gash? Right? So let's update it. Okay? Clinically, the APA, here's what they say, an emotional response to a terrible event. I guess. That's okay, I guess. I think we can probably do better than that. Webster's has actually a better definition, but still not good enough.
A disturbed psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional distress or physical injury. That's a little maybe a little bit more in the right direction, but still not quite good enough. Alright. Let's go to the DSM 5. Anyone not know what the DSM is? Anyone not know? Okay. It is a fiction piece. No. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding.
I'm just kidding. It is a manual where all the mental health diagnosis has come from published by the American Psychiatric Association that has symptom clusters into specific diagnosis categories that mental health health care professionals use, to categorize a diagnosis to bill for insurance. And I don't like it. But I respect it as a piece of the data that's needed, but there's so much missing from it. Okay? I'm not anti DSM, but it's like if you have a buffet, the DSM is like
the the the green beans. There's so much more than you put on your plate besides green beans. Okay? However, the DSM five defines it, if you look at under the PTSD diagnosis, actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violence. Alright. That sounds intense, Mastin. Right, I think we need an integrative and holistic definition. I think we need a better definition because everyone's confused. You guys are a little
confused about what trauma is? Like, I know I need trauma something, inform thing, but what is this shit? Who's really confused if we're honest? Still, only half the room? The really confused people aren't raising their hands, I guess. It's easy to be confused because the space is confused. Okay? If you go to the psych American Psychiatric Association, they're gonna give you a different definition than some of the leading researchers. If you go back to Freud,
it's gonna be different. To go back to Greek words, it's gonna be different. Okay? Now SAMHSA has a pretty awesome definition. An event series of events or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual's functioning of mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being. That's a little better. Who thinks that's better? Who can see themselves
more in this one than the other ones. Right? Okay. But let's where'd it come from, this idea of trauma? Who who was the first to really bring it up in the field. Anyone know? Shock? Trauma? Anybody? No mental health people? Okay, I'll tell you. Freud. Okay? So here are a couple different definitions, but here's the important one. Any excitations from the outside, which are powerful enough to break through the protective shield of the psyche.
Okay. Little that was a little harder to conceptualize, though, I think. Like, well, what's the protective shield? What's breaking through? I don't understand. Maybe. Okay. Now we go over the attachment theory in John Bowlby, who I love. He has a pretty awesome definition too. Any event that seriously threatens the attachment relationship. But what if it doesn't threaten your relationship with your mom? That's confusing. I'm is it confusing? I think so.
Okay. Let's go to Cutting Edge Neuroscience. Let's see what they say. Alright. Doctor Bruce Perry. And experience or pattern of experiences that impairs the proper functioning of the person's stress response system, making it more reactive or sensitive. Oh oh, who likes that one? Me too. It's way clearer, especially for people who understand what those words are. What it means is something that makes you not function the way you used to.
That's what it means. Okay? Now let's go super cutting edge. Who wants to go super cutting edge? Anybody? Alright. Doctor Steven Porges, author of the polyvagal theory. Trauma is a chronic disruption of connectedness. That is extremely cutting edge. So simple too. Isn't it simple? I like that one. He's cool. He's like modern day Yoda, if you know his work. Alright. Also, super can we go even, you know, maybe even maybe equally cutting edge? Who wants to go even equally cutting edge? Yes? Okay.
Bessel, what does Bessel say? An illness of not being alive in the present moment. Oh, coming in. Making it I know that one, Mastin. Who's who's like, yeah. I'm not in the present moment a lot. Let me see if I show of hands. Now we're understanding. Maybe Eckhart was on to something. One more equally cutting edge, doctor Yerba Mate I mean, Gabor Mate. I couldn't wait for that one.
Trauma is what happens inside of you as a result of traumatic events. It's a loss of connection to oneself in the present moment. I love that. I love that one too. And the truth is, guys, there are many phases of trauma, many different types. Okay? So there's tons, and this
isn't even all of them. This is just the big ones. Developmental attachment, intimate partner trauma, acute trauma, interpersonal trauma, chronic trauma, physical trauma, religious trauma, survival trauma, early childhood trauma, terrorism, bullying, sexual assault trauma, violence trauma, grief trauma, disaster trauma, identity trauma, medical trauma, abuse trauma, and many more. So many types. Okay? And what you have to understand is what happens to us changes our biology.
What happens to us changes our biology. And depending on when it happened to us and who did it to us, and what happened after it, it's all gonna be different. But the result is nonoptimal functioning. Who follows? So if someone says, easy for me to do it, you can do it too. Okay. Well, did you grow up in the same environment? Do you have the same epigenetic expressions? Do you have the same financial capabilities and privilege, or not. Right? Everyone has a trauma
history. We have to understand what happened. So it's not what's wrong with somebody. What's the pathology? No. What happened and when? Because depending on what happened and when, it's gonna be very different. If you have a relatively secure life for the 1st 10, 15, 20 years of your life and you experience a significant trauma, you are far more resilient than someone who had that from birth who follows? This make sense? Okay. So what is trauma? What is it?
We're close. What? It is ubiquitous. So I create a definition, and we can roll with it for this event. You can reject it or not. Okay? But this is the definition I came up with. Trauma is any experience of threat, disconnection, isolation, or mobilization that results in a physical or emotional injury that dysregulates the optimal functioning of one's body, emotion, brain, spirit, or health. Nasty Kipp, NMD, which is not medical doctor.
Who here feels like you that applies to you in one way or another? Let me see by show it's not just about the normal function of something. It's the optimal function. Our bodies are designed to be optimized. And if your body and what's happening in here isn't optimized, your emotions aren't optimized, your brain isn't optimized, your spirit isn't optimized, your health isn't optimized, there's some type of trauma there. Okay?