Trauma Is Wreaking Havoc On Our Lives

There's a common misconception that artists have a monopoly on creativity...But the very act of making waves - no matter the career - is a creative one. The Chase Jarvis Live Show is an exploration of creativity, self-discovery, entrepreneurship, hard-earned lessons, and so much more. Chase sits down with the world's top creators, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders and unpacks actionable, valuable insights to help you live your dreams in career, hobby, and life.

"Deep in the grips of drug addiction, Gabby Bernstein was sitting in her beaten-up white Toyota Corolla playing a cassette again and again and listening to a psychic saying to her, “You have two choices in this lifetime: You could stay addicted—and that’s not going to be good—or you can get clean and make a major impact on the world.”

In that moment, she couldn’t contemplate what it would be like to get out of bed later that day, let alone make a major impact on the world. But she kept listening.

Fast forward almost two decades, Gabby has written her ninth book, Happy Days, in which she guides readers down a path where they can go from trauma to profound freedom and inner peace.

In her own words, the book “will answer your questions about why you feel blocked, scared, anxious, depressed, or alone, and it will liberate you from the belief system that has kept you small for so long.”

Trauma can happen to anyone
Gabby is not alone in having gone through trauma. Research shows that experiencing a mental state of extreme shock is not rare. About six out of every 10 men (or 60%) and five out of every 10 women (or 50%) experience at least one trauma in their lives.

Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms may include sadness, feeling nervous, anger, irritability, difficulty sleeping, nightmares, flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, trouble feeling positive emotions, and avoiding places, people, memories, or thoughts associated with the traumatic event.

If you or a loved one is suffering from trauma, you don’t want to miss today’s episode because I’m rejoined by Gabby, a dear friend of mine, #1 New York Times best-selling author, spiritual leader, motivational speaker, and the host of her weekly podcast, Dear Gabby.

Gabby has spoken to tens of thousands in sold-out venues throughout the world and has long been loved by her fans as a catalyst for fundamental inner change.

She was featured on Oprah’s SuperSoul Sunday as a “next-generation thought leader”, and The Oprah Winfrey Network selected her to be part of the SuperSoul 100, a group of trailblazers whose vision and work are bringing a higher level of consciousness to the world.

Gabby co-hosted the Guinness World Records’ largest guided meditation with Indian-born American author Deepak Chopra, and appears regularly as an expert on TODAY, Good Morning America, and other programs.

The list of her achievements feels endless, but there’s a line in her bio that has captured my heart and mind as it relates to the show, which reads: “For more than sixteen years, Gabby Bernstein has been transforming lives—INCLUDING HER OWN.”

I have great respect for Gabby and believe her work is transformational because she shows us those invisible doors that we all need to open in order to create the change that we seek in our lives.

She’s living proof that it’s possible to overcome the challenges of addiction, trauma, and depression and find hope again.

If she did it, you can too. But where to start?

The power of desire
Gabby, a wife and mother of one, told me that a strong desire and genuine willingness to change is the first step toward healing. “It can happen right now,” she says.

She reminds herself of the last lines of a poem by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Mary Oliver, which read: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Gabby believes asking this question can fill one’s heart with an intense desire to change for the better.

In her opinion, with desire comes bravery, and with bravery comes faith. “There’s no way I could have come from where I was to where I am today… without having that spiritual connection by my side,” she explained.

According to Gabby, fear is the reason why most people feel stuck in patterns that make them unhappy but acknowledges that true and lasting change takes time.

Our work, she says, is to continue the practice of reaching for better-feeling thoughts and emotions to move up the emotional scale as described by Abraham-Hicks.

“I don’t think that we wake up overnight without anxiety, but when we make a commitment to do this type of work and to look more closely to shine light on our past, to shine light on our wounds, to do therapeutic processes with the therapy that is right for us, to be on a spiritual path, to take care of our energetic system, we have so much grace along the way,” Gabby shared.

The role of hope
When I asked her about the role that hope plays in the healing process, she said hope is a vision for a better future and humans cultivate hope when they have the desire to see things differently.

“With that desire comes answers, and the universe is always responding to us,” Gabby told me during our wonderful conversation.

Take a listen to today’s episode if you’re eager to learn from Gabby how you can view the past with purpose rather than regret and transform your pain, whatever that may be, into freedom and strength.

Here are some highlights from today’s episode:

• [00:00] Intro
• [02:25] Who is Gabby Bernstein?
• [05:23] Gabby’s two choices
• [09:30] What’s the first step toward healing?
• [16:30] Different types of trauma: Small ‘t’ versus capital ‘T’
• [25:00] Waking up with anxiety
• [27:30] Why do most people feel stuck in patterns that make them unhappy? What’s Gabby’s prescription?
• [32:50] Trauma treatment: Tools and resources
• [42:40] Using the Abraham-Hicks Emotional Guidance Scale
• [45:30] Cultivating the idea of hope