Overcoming trauma and finding meaning in difficult experiences can lead to personal growth and resilience.
Opening up about trauma can foster connection, support, and understanding from others.
Addressing and processing past trauma is crucial for holistic healing and overall well-being.
Cultivating inner peace enables individuals to navigate challenges and make a positive impact on the world around them.
Deep dives
The Power of Opening Up About Trauma
Lewis House shares his personal story of facing and overcoming trauma, including sexual abuse and family challenges. He emphasizes the importance of finding meaning and healing from traumatic experiences. Opening up about trauma can lead to connection, support, and understanding from others who have had similar experiences.
Embracing Adversity and Finding Meaning
House discusses the difference between adversity and trauma, highlighting that both can provide valuable lessons and growth opportunities. He encourages embracing adversity and finding meaning in difficult experiences to cultivate personal growth and resilience.
The Journey of Self-Acceptance and Healing
House shares his journey of self-acceptance and healing, emphasizing the importance of accepting oneself and finding compassion for past actions and experiences. He discovers the healing power of vulnerability and the importance of opening up to trusted individuals, finding support, and building stronger relationships.
Parenting and Nurturing Resilience in Children
Reflecting on his experiences, House discusses the balance between protecting children and allowing them to experience adversity to develop resilience. He acknowledges the importance of creating a safe and loving environment while also enabling children to face challenges and develop the necessary tools to overcome them.
The Importance of Challenging the Immune System
It is important to challenge the immune system in order to avoid the development of autoimmunity. When the immune system is not exposed to enough stimuli, such as in the case of children being put in a bubble and not getting sick, it can turn on itself and lead to autoimmune disorders. On the other hand, if the immune system is not strong enough due to lack of exposure, it can result in frequent sickness and poor health. Finding a balance where the immune system is strong but not constantly overwhelmed is crucial for overall health.
Unresolved Childhood Trauma and the Impact on Health
Unresolved childhood trauma can have profound effects on both physical and emotional health later in life. Adverse childhood experiences, such as abuse or witnessing violence, can significantly impact emotional well-being and increase the likelihood of anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. Additionally, there is evidence to suggest that higher scores on the adverse childhood events scale correlate with worse physical health outcomes. Addressing and processing past trauma is essential for holistic healing and overall well-being.
The Pursuit of Inner Peace for a Fulfilling Life
Inner peace is the ultimate goal and currency for a fulfilling and abundant life. It allows individuals to face challenges, stress, and adversity with grace and poise. Seeking therapy, coaching, and other modalities can provide the necessary tools to navigate emotions, heal past wounds, and develop inner peace. Inner peace is not about achieving perfection or eliminating all stress but rather about cultivating a calm and resilient mindset that enables individuals to live authentically and make a positive impact on the world around them.
Lewis Howes is a New York Times best-selling author, entrepreneur, speaker, and host of the popular podcast, The School of Greatness. In this episode, Lewis opens up about the various hardships and traumatic events he experienced starting at a very young age and reveals the valuable lessons he learned as he worked through those traumas to improve his emotional health. He talks about how his past hardships likely contributed to his success in business and athletics, only to leave him feeling unsatisfied and unfulfilled. Next, he discusses how many aspects of his life were suffering, the inflection point that drove Lewis to seek help, and the long but beautiful healing journey that followed. Lewis makes the case that adversity, and even trauma, can be beneficial if one finds meaning in tribulations and has the courage to face one’s fears and insecurities. Finally, Lewis shares the many modalities of therapy that helped him along the way and gives advice for those wanting to find inner peace and live a fulfilling, rich, abundant, joyful life.
We discuss:
Lewis’s upbringing and the impact of his older brother going to prison [2:45];
Finding lessons in tragedy and adversity [10:45];
Lasting trauma from being sexually abused at age 5 [13:15];
Inflection point that drove Lewis to seek help, and a beautiful experience at a therapeutic workshop [16:45];
A powerful workshop on emotional intelligence jump started Lewis’s healing journey [27:30];
How being authentic can strengthen bonds with family and bring inner peace [39:30];
Comparing adversity with trauma and finding meaning in struggle [45:15];
Association between adverse childhood events and diseases in adulthood [56:15];
How addressing his issues with intimate relationships helped Lewis overcome physical pain related to his past trauma [59:15];
Healing is a journey that takes time and requires courage to face your fears and insecurities [1:08:45];
How Lewis thinks about mortality and uses it as motivation to pursue his dreams [1:13:00];
How anyone can benefit from therapy or coaching, and Lewis’s advice for finding inner peace [1:22:45];
Lewis’s newest book, The Greatness Mindset [1:29:15]; and
