The player is loading ...
Discover MORE and never miss an episode!
Is the mental health conversation too soft on social media? Has trauma become your identity? How do we break unhealthy patterns?
Michael Unbroken is a trauma coach, speaker, advocate for survivors of childhood trauma, and New York Times best-selling...
Is the mental health conversation too soft on social media? Has trauma become your identity? How do we break unhealthy patterns?
Michael Unbroken is a trauma coach, speaker, advocate for survivors of childhood trauma, and New York Times best-selling author.
Michael operates his life and mission statement around three identities: a trauma survivor, a trauma warrior, and a trauma mentor.
Michael was a son of drug addicts and abusers, molested by a family friend, his finger was cut off by his mother, became homeless by 10, and a drug addict by 12.
Of course, if the story ended there, we would not be sitting here today and this would be a very depressing episode.
We will deconstruct Michael’s way of life and how he went from being homeless to being a hero of his life and millions of others.
Expect to learn about why trauma is not an identity, why we must choose our struggle, how to break unhealthy patterns, how to take responsibility for our lives, the power of self-talk, how to raise our standards, and much more. Listen to it here on one of the best podcasts for mental health.
Let’s get this started.
*
Rate The Podcast:
https://ratethispodcast.com/discovermore
Show Notes
Michael’s Website: HERE
Michael’s Instagram: HERE
Michael’s Podcast: HERE
Michael’s Book: FREE
*
Subscribe to Youtube: HERE
Discover More Website: HERE
Connect Further on IG: CONNECT
*
Discover More is a podcast for independent thinkers who appreciate the importance of mental health and social sciences. Welcome to our tribe.
*
Thank you for Discovering More with us!
"It's Hard to Get Through a Hard Day"
This idea that you can just go and I'm having a hard day, so I'm going to go have a bath and a glass of wine. The easier you make your life, the harder your life becomes. And the mental health conversation and social media is so soft.
Michael Unbroken
Michael Unbroken is a trauma coach, speaker, advocate for survivors of childhood trauma, and New York Times bestselling author. We are going to deconstruct Michaels way of life and how he went from being homeless to being a hero of his life. Expect to learn about why trauma is not an identity.
Michael on Being a Victim of Trauma
Do you still believe that God was punishing you throughout your traumatic upbringing? How do we separate the fact that we are often victims of larger circumstances that's beyond our control? What value does being a victim play in my life?
I Went To War With My Own Self
Benoit: I went to war with myself. It was not nice, but it needed to be done. He asks himself: What are you willing to do to have the life that you want to have? Benoit: You can choose the lackluster life or you can create something incredible.
Living a Fair Life
You know, my three childhood best friends have been murdered. Do you really think anybody cares? No, because they have their own life and their own problems. Life is about doing what is required, not aboutdoing what you want.
What Was the Hardest Part of Your Childhood?
What do you think, in retrospect, was the hardest aspect of your childhood? Trauma and pain. Teachers that you had to move through. Shame, man. Tremendous amount of shame. But now, I'm not embarrassed of anything, like, ever anymore.
Why You're Stuck in Your Life
Many people have unclear direction in life. They are not living life with intention, with clarity, or with purpose. More people are scared of success, then they are a failure. Purpose is not about chasing money. It's about fulfillment.
Trauma and the Search for Patterns
You're used to a certain level of patterns. And we humans, evolutionally speaking, are innately gravitate towards patterns. Because patterns feel means familiarity. Familiarity means safety. And that's what trauma is. It's interruptions of perceived safety.
How to Develop the Power of Decision
How do you teach your clients to foster the power of discernment? It starts with action and looking at your life and assessing the truth. Ultimately, it's really about evaluating the simple changes that you can make today.
What are the barriers to behavior activation?
I just want to share something practical technique that you alluded to. It's called behavior activation. The key to activating your desired behavior is to exert the minimum effort. You have to segregate soul identity. The more that you understand, the more likelihood of success.
Mister Bush: Accountability
Mister Bush is one of your most influential teachers that believed in you and respected your dignity as a person, regardless of your grades or your tendency to skip classes. Why must we hold each other accountable if we care?
What I Learned From The Rape
You can have accountability in your life, but accountability without clarity is a dangerous game. Being a victim allows you the space to forego accountability. In doing so, you will lose the opportunity to have a fulfilling life. If I die with regret, it's because I did not hold to myself to a high enough standard through accountability.
Responsibility vs Reaction: How to Live Your Life
Reaction versus responsibility: Most people don't think about the fundamental differences. There's the emotional response, which, generally speaking, does not work out for anyone. And then there's the practical, thought out, cognizant response that gives you the ability to game plan.
The Emotional Response to Mistakes
A lot of the emotional response is predicated on anger. Fear is a primary emotion. Your fear center takes over is your neocortex, which is a thinking brain. You literally are incapable of being logical in light of emotions.
How to Stop Trapping myself in Self-Story
The one thing that we get to control is our own self narrative. People respond like that because they don't feel safe. If someone else is triggering anger based on fear, what if you're doing that to yourself?
How to Love Yourself
People who do not know how to be compassionate and love themselves, period. All relationships are extensions and reflections of a relationship with oneself. Action creates opportunities and every crisis has an opportunity. Love does not have requirements to be earned. You can love people even when you hate them.
On Accepting Love In AA
"I love me for my flaws, for my inadequacies, " she says. One of the things in AA is acceptance, right? And receiving love without sabotaging it is one of the core tenets of knowing that you've healed.
Rejection Is The Only Way To Win In Life
My biggest kryptonite in my interpersonal relationships is disappointment. Are you going to regret your life or not? Can you allow yourself what you desire the most in the world?
Control is a dirty word
So much of this conversation, Benoit, is really about control. For whatever reason, it's such a dirty word in our society. But people throw out all these words all the time, except the words that actually matter.
Letting Go and Giving Up
Michael Bennett: What is the difference between letting go and giving up? Bennett: At the end of the day, it's freedom. He says giving up is for people who are scared, people who want to run. Bennett: People need a couple of very small victories to ignite the flame in them.
Self-Care and Patience
Michaelangelo: Have a long game perspective, solve grace, solve patience. He says there's a vast difference between taking care of yourself and taking easy on yourself. If you want your life, he says, you have to be resilient.
An Asian Korean Therapist on Her Calling
As an Asian Korean American, that's particularly difficult. My therapist said, why not you? Carrying the burden of our calling is a burden not everyone can rise up to. And if we do not choose our addictions and suffering, the suffering will find us.
Emotional Freedom and the Challenges of Life
The resilience versus antifragility is your ability to revert back to the baseline of where you were after certain obstacles or challenges. If you can remove yourself from the idea that you are deserving of something more so than the next person, you'll find a lot of peace in life.
How to Deal With Your Love Life
So, yeah, you got to deal with it. Great, good. Because then you'll deal with that. And then, guess what? Here's what's really up. And that will rinse and repeat until the day you die. Life is going to life.
What do you think the difference is between grace and forgiveness
The author says forgiveness is choosing to no longer let something hold power over you. He says the process to forgiveness is very difficult. Forgiveness is a process of understanding, healing, rational thought and letting go.
Forgiveness for Mothers
Michael: I think forgiveness is especially close to your heart based on your mom's abuse towards you. Question what is the art of boundary setting through the lens of forgiveness. When did you come across this moment of grace?
I Tried To Kill My CODA Partner
And I told her and she told me, never tell anybody. And that night I snapped and I kicked her to the ground. It is the first time I really, truly stood up for myself. You must recognize when people do not have your best interest in mind. The thing stopping you from success might be your mother.
Michael Moore on Boundaries
Most people's boundaries are all or nothing. Would you ever leave your door wide open or locked? How do you get in and out then? Sustainable change demands incremental progress. Give us a self grace and then let the grace and forgiveness be part of our lives.
Michael Unbroken: A Year of Decisions
Michael: You're one decision away from your life being completely different. Where can people check out your TED talk, your podcast appearances, your book, the movie, anything in between? If you can share this episode with one friend, it's free for you, but priceless for the podcast's growth.
