Ep. 16 Navigating Power Dynamics & Personal Experience in Community & Religion with Ben Steinberger

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Jun 10, 2025

Ben Steinberger, a seeker and coach deeply rooted in Hasidic and Kabbalistic traditions, engages in a thought-provoking discussion about the intersection of trauma, community, and spirituality. He shares insights on recognizing and addressing rigid religious structures that can lead to trauma while highlighting the need for self-awareness in spiritual practices. Ben also emphasizes the importance of adapting traditions personally and discerning heartfelt observance from ritualistic compliance, all while fostering safe communal spaces that honor diverse experiences.

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INSIGHT

High Holidays As Nervous-System Regulation

Ben noticed High Holy Day liturgy naturally uses pendulation and titration to move people between fear and consolation.
He connects this to collective trauma-healing technologies embedded in Jewish ritual.

ANECDOTE

Repentance Exists Before Creation

Ben recalled Jewish sources saying repentance was created before the world to enable redemption.
He uses that to show Jewish tradition embeds return and repair into reality itself.

ADVICE

Choose Awe Over Fear In Spirituality

Avoid weaponized 'fear of God' messaging that triggers trauma and anxiety.
Instead cultivate awe and personal relationality with the divine to support healing.

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Jessie and Ben come together again (listen to Ep. 6 here if you missed it for their first conversation) to discuss their recent podcast recording and share personal experiences related to religious practices and trauma healing. They explore the concept of divine union, the importance of community and trust in leaders, and the balance between religious observance and personal spiritual experiences. The conversation also touches on the need for self-awareness and agency in choosing one's relationship with the divine, and the importance of questioning and engaging with religious teachings.

About Ben:

Ben is a seeker who’s had the great privilege of exploring several of the worlds most ancient wisdom traditions/lineages alongside his own namely Hasidic and kabbalistic traditions and is in deep awe and reverence of the brilliant lessons transmitted through millennia. He is passionate about human life, dignity, and sovereignty who relishes the opportunity to walk alongside other seekers on their journey whether as a coach, friend, or study partner.

After inheriting more than his fair share of generational trauma from his holocaust survivor grandparents and experiencing his own trauma, he was forced to confront this during the pandemic. Drawing on lessons from survivors like Viktor Frenkl and Edith Eger he began the work in earnest. The healing journey started as a physical health and wellness journey and discovering, while losing 100lbs, that childhood trauma which was contributing to disordered eating underneath his weight issue which led him to somatic work, polyvagal theory and all things nervous system regulation.

While on his health and healing journey, Ben was providing legal services and helping to build tech startups where he focused on organizational architecture, team and culture building, and optimizing human performance in chaos.

Ben can be found at @hasidichealing on instagram, (send a DM and say hi) and at https://cupolatransformation.crd.co & https://cupolacognition.crd.co