In this talk, I explore the intricate relationship between the rational brain (prefrontal cortex) and the emotional brain (limbic system), particularly how trauma affects their balance. Trauma rewires the brain, causing the emotional center to dominate, often leading to impulsive reactions and heightened emotional sensitivity. I draw from personal experiences and societal trends, highlighting how trauma can distort decision-making, memory, and emotional regulation. The discussion also focuses on healing and rewiring the brain through techniques like mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), grounding exercises, and physical activity. The goal is to emphasize the importance of self-regulation to regain control over emotional responses, ensuring a more balanced and rational approach to life.

Key Points:
Rational Brain (Prefrontal Cortex):

Controls decision-making, impulse control, and emotion regulation.
Trauma disrupts its function, leading to impulsivity and poor stress management.
Emotional Brain (Limbic System):

The amygdala (emotions) and hippocampus (memory) are key parts.
Trauma causes the amygdala to become hyperactive, increasing fear and emotional sensitivity.
The hippocampus struggles with memory, causing blurring between past and present trauma.
Impact of Trauma:

Trauma shifts the brain into survival mode, making it hard to think clearly or regulate emotions.
Society today is often stuck in this emotional overdrive, as seen in public discourse and media.
Personal Experience:

I made many impulsive decisions due to trauma, such as moving states and reacting with anger.
I share an incident at Bob Evans, where trauma led me to overreact emotionally to a situation.
Healing Techniques:

Mindfulness and meditation to calm the brain's fight or flight response.
CBT to identify and challenge distorted thoughts and emotions.
Grounding techniques (e.g., tactile methods, breathing exercises) to stay present.
Physical exercise like gardening to help regulate emotions.
Conclusion:

Healing is about rewiring the brain and prioritizing self-care to regain emotional balance.

Disclaimer:
The content shared on this podcast and YouTube channel is intended for informational and inspirational purposes only. I, Paula Walters, am not a licensed medical professional, and the information provided should not be construed as medical advice. I am sharing my personal journey of healing—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual—based on my own experiences and the research I have found to be beneficial for me.
Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions regarding your health or treatment options. What works for me may not work for you, and it is important to find a path that is right for your unique needs and circumstances.

In this powerful episode of Courageous Conversations, Paula Walters reflects on the intense emotional experiences of the past few weeks, including an eye-opening podcast with a military veteran and survivor of traumatic brain injury. Paula discusses the struggles many face—whether survivors of abuse or veterans—navigating a medical system that often fails them. She shares a deeply personal moment watching a TV show that mirrored her own battles with the healthcare system, reliving the pain of fighting for proper diagnoses and treatment while feeling misunderstood.

Paula also highlights the importance of chance meetings, the "power of one," and how a single conversation with a compassionate doctor changed the course of her life. She emphasizes the need for systemic change to better support survivors and military members alike and discusses how trauma can trap people in emotional brain responses, leading to struggles with rational thinking.

In the spirit of Courageous Conversations, Paula encourages listeners to show kindness, respect, and empowerment to those around them, reminding us that we never know how our words or actions could change someone's life.

Join Paula as she shares raw emotions, insights, and the lessons she’s learned on her journey of healing and advocacy.

Key Topics Covered:

• Navigating trauma and the broken medical system
• The struggles of survivors and military veterans
• The emotional brain vs. the rational brain
• The power of one conversation to change a life

Don’t miss this heartfelt and inspiring episode!

Description: In this episode of The Courageous Survivor, join me, Paula Walters, as I dive deep into the complex world of our body's stress hormones—adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol. These hormones play a crucial role in how we respond to stress, but when impacted by trauma, they can become our greatest challenge. Today, I’ll be sharing my personal journey through over four decades of trauma and how these hormones nearly led to my demise. This episode is a continuation of our previous discussion on the "feel-good" hormones—dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins—and how balancing these is just as critical as managing our stress hormones.

Key Highlights:

• Understanding the Stress Hormones:
  • The function of adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol in the body.
  • How these hormones prepare us for "fight or flight" and why they are essential for survival.
• Trauma's Impact on Stress Hormones:
  • Short-term effects: Rapid heartbeat, heightened senses, and energy surges.
  • Long-term effects: Chronic anxiety, insomnia, muscle tension, and weakened immune system.
• Being Stuck in "Fight or Flight":
  • Symptoms of short-term and long-term exposure to elevated stress hormones.
  • Personal anecdotes about how I lived in a state of chronic stress and how it affected my physical and mental health.
• Path to Healing:
  • Natural ways to regulate adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol.
  • The importance of regular physical activity, mindfulness, sleep, and a balanced diet.
  • How these lifestyle changes not only benefit us but also improve the lives of those we love.
• My Personal Journey:
  • How being stuck in the "medical mayhem" almost led me to take my own life.
  • The turning point in 2019 was when I sought functional holistic treatment, which changed the trajectory of my life.
  • The importance of taking control of your healing journey, even when the traditional medical system falls short.

Disclaimer: Please note that I am not a medical professional. I am a survivor sharing my experiences, research, and the knowledge I’ve gained from seeking functional holistic treatments. My goal is to help others avoid the pitfalls I encountered in the medical system and to offer hope and guidance to those struggling with the effects of trauma.

Call to Action: Join me as we unpack these stress hormones and learn how to take steps toward healing. Your well-being matters—not just for you, but for those who love and depend on you. Let’s work together to break free from the grip of trauma and reclaim our lives.

🎙 Episode 1: Healing Through Faith and Self-Reflection 🎙

Welcome to the very first episode of Courageous Conversations. In this inaugural episode, I invite you into my world—a place where I openly share the private thoughts, journal entries, and moments of accountability that have shaped my healing journey from over four decades of trauma.

Today’s episode is especially personal, as I dive into the pivotal role that growing in my faith and deepening my relationship with God has played in my journey. I discuss how I came to understand the profound impact that pain, anger, and resentment had not only on me but also on those around me. This episode is about looking inward, taking responsibility for how my own wounds have caused me to hurt others, and embracing the humbling process of change.

Through God’s guidance, I’ve learned that true healing isn’t just about addressing the wounds inflicted upon us—it’s also about forgiving those who hurt us and seeking forgiveness for the ways we’ve allowed our pain to impact others. Join me as I reflect on this transformation, share a powerful devotion that resonated deeply with me, and explore the importance of moving from a place of anger to one of love and compassion.

This episode is just a glimpse into the kind of raw and honest content you can expect as Courageous Conversations transitions to a subscription-based platform in October. For now, I’m sharing these vulnerable parts of my journey with you freely, so you can see firsthand what this journey of healing, faith, and self-reflection looks like.

Thank you for joining me on this path toward healing and growth. May you find peace, strength, and hope in your own journey as well.

Podcast Episode: Breaking the Chain—Rewiring Your Brain Chemistry After Trauma

Welcome to The Courageous Survivor: Breaking the Chain. In this powerful episode, Paula Walters takes you on an enlightening journey into the science behind our "happy hormones"—dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. With nearly five decades of personal experience overcoming chronic trauma, addiction, and the medical system's failures, Paula shares how understanding and naturally boosting these key brain chemicals has transformed her life.

Discover how trauma disrupts these hormones, leading to issues like anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and a lack of motivation. Paula provides practical, holistic strategies she's implemented to restore balance in her life—strategies you can start using today to begin your own journey toward healing and well-being.

From morning routines and dietary changes to building meaningful connections and practicing gratitude, this episode is packed with actionable insights. Paula also previews the next episode, where she'll dive into the impact of cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline on trauma survivors.

Tune in, take notes, and start breaking the chain of trauma in your life. Don't forget to check out Paula's blog and social media for more resources and in-depth discussions on boosting your feel-good hormones naturally.

Disclaimer:

The content shared on this podcast and YouTube channel is intended for informational and inspirational purposes only. I, Paula Walters, am not a licensed medical professional, and the information provided should not be construed as medical advice. I am sharing my personal journey of healing—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual—based on my own experiences and the research I have found to be beneficial for me.

Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions regarding your health or treatment options. What works for me may not work for you, and it is important to find a path that is right for your unique needs and circumstances.

In this episode of The Courageous Survivor, I dive deep into the complex relationship between our innate need for connection and the importance of staying true to oneself. I explore how early life experiences, especially those involving trauma, can deeply affect our ability to connect authentically while remaining true to who we are. Reflecting on my own journey, I share how my upbringing and past experiences led to a disconnect between my true self and the person I felt I had to be to survive.

Throughout the episode, I discuss the process of rewiring these foundational aspects of myself, addressing the ways in which I’ve learned to prioritize my needs, set healthy boundaries, and make decisions based on facts rather than feelings. This journey of self-discovery has been a challenging but necessary part of my healing process, and I invite listeners to reflect on their own experiences and the ways they might be making decisions out of a need for connection rather than from a place of authenticity.

Join me as I continue to explore these themes, sharing insights from my healing journey and offering encouragement to others who may be on a similar path.

Disclaimer:

The content shared on this podcast and YouTube channel is intended for informational and inspirational purposes only. I, Paula Walters, am not a licensed medical professional, and the information provided should not be construed as medical advice. I am sharing my personal journey of healing—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual—based on my own experiences and the research I have found to be beneficial for me.

Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions regarding your health or treatment options. What works for me may not work for you, and it is important to find a path that is right for your unique needs and circumstances.

Episode 1: Breaking the Chains and Redesigning Me

Welcome to the inaugural episode of "The Courageous Survivor: Breaking the Chains and Redesigning Me." Join Paula Walters as she shares her transformative journey of resilience, overcoming child abuse, domestic violence, near-fatal strangulation, addiction, and mental health struggles. Discover how a shift in mindset and the help of a functional medicine clinic paved the way for her healing.

In this episode, Paula reflects on the dangerous cycles of abuse she once thought were normal and the inner work required to break free from those chains. She emphasizes the importance of individualized healing journeys for survivors and the profound realization that hurt people often hurt others. By taking accountability for her past actions and connecting with another brain injury survivor, Paula found a new path to wellness.

Paula also delves into the significance of addressing wellness in all areas of life—spiritual, physical, emotional, financial, social, and professional. Her 20-year career as a paramedic provided insights into her own unresolved traumas and the need for a supportive environment.

Tune in to hear Paula's raw and honest story, offering hope and inspiration to fellow survivors and supporters. Learn how breaking the chains of past traumas and redesigning oneself is possible through courage, connection, and unwavering belief.

Show Notes:

• Introduction to Paula Walters and her journey
• The role of functional medicine in her healing
• Breaking dangerous cycles of abuse and shifting mindset
• Importance of individualized healing journeys
• Taking accountability and the impact of unresolved trauma
• Wellness in all areas of life
• Insights from a 20-year paramedic career
• Finding hope and inspiration through connection

Thank you for joining us on this courageous journey. Visit our website for more about Paula's story and her speaking engagements.

https://thecourageoussurvivor.com/