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December 30, 2024 12 mins

What if the very things meant to protect us are holding us back? Join me, Russ Tellup, as we unravel the complexities of trauma and its grip on our lives. Through an enlightening discussion, I shed light on how our bodies cling to past experiences, shaping behaviors and patterns that can stifle our growth. Discover healing paths like brain spotting and somatic work, which can unlock buried emotions and lead us towards a more fulfilling life. My personal journey of overcoming trauma serves as a beacon of hope, offering reassurance that healing is within reach, and you are never alone in this endeavor.

I also invite you to become a vital part of this journey by sharing your thoughts on the episode's format. Whether you enjoy direct discussions or prefer insights from interviews with coaches and therapists, your feedback is invaluable in shaping future content. Explore one-on-one opportunities with me at Brainspotting Colorado Springs and connect through social media for further support. As we step into a new year, I look forward to continuing this conversation, fostering a space for healing and growth, and building a supportive community together.

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, welcome to Trauma Talks with Russ Tillop.
I am Russ Tillop.
This week, I'm going to dosomething a little different and
talk about what trauma is, howit affects us and how we can
start to work on those thingsand work with that trauma to
live a better life.

(00:21):
And I've also got a questionfor you guys.
I've tried out a coupledifferent formats for this this
podcast to include interviewingprofessionals, which I've been
doing for the last few weeks, toget their insights and pass
those, their insights, onto youguys and to give you guys access
to to professionals in thefield that can help, to

(00:43):
professionals in the field thatcan help if, if you're looking
for that help.
Previous to that, I had donemore like this week's episode,
where I, where I do someeducation and talk to you guys
about trauma and how you canstart to work on this stuff on
your own, as well as justoffering some hope.
You know that that what you'refeeling is real, um, and then

(01:06):
how to heal from that.
So I'd love to hear yourfeedback.
Uh, do you, do you enjoy theinterviews?
Do you enjoy when I'm justtalking to you guys directly?
Uh, which format resonates morewith you guys?
I'd love to get your feedbackso I know how to move forward
with the podcast and continue todo these things.
So thanks so much for tuning in.

(01:27):
This episode is called when thePast Holds you Back, and we're
going to learn how to understandand let go of trauma.
So thanks for tuning in, enjoythe show and we'll talk to you
guys afterwards.

(01:52):
Hi there, welcome to anotherepisode of Trauma Talks with
Russ Tellop.
I'm Russ Tellop, I'm your hostand I am a trauma-informed
somatic coach and brain spottingpractitioner based in Colorado
Springs.
If you're tuning in, you'reprobably someone who's curious
about trauma, how it affects usand, more importantly, how we
can move forward and heal.
Today's episode is called whenthe Past Holds you Back, and we

(02:15):
will learn how to understand andlet go of trauma.
We'll chat about how traumashapes our lives, the habits it
creates and how to break freefrom its hold.
Let's start with this.
Trauma isn't what happened toyou.
It's about how your body holdson to it.
A lot of us carry aroundinvisible scars that show up in
our everyday lives.
Maybe you're overly cautious inrelationships where you find it

(02:38):
hard to relax, always feelingon edge.
These reactions aren't random.
They're your body's way ofsaying I've been through
something and I'm trying toprotect you.
Maybe you avoid certainsituations or you feel like you

(03:00):
need to be perfect and keeppeople happy.
Maybe you're quick to anger orfind yourself shutting down
completely when things feeloverwhelming.
All of these things are signsof how the past can reshape your
present.
Here's the thing these patternsare not your fault.
They are your nervous system'sway of trying to help you
survive.
They are your nervous system'sway of trying to help you

(03:21):
survive.
But while these responses mighthave been useful in the past,
they can become barriers toliving fully now.
The good news is that while wecan't change the past, we can
change how it affects us now.
Healing doesn't mean erasingthe memory of what happened.
It means finding a way to livewith it in a way that doesn't

(03:43):
control you.
It means feeling safe again,taking back control and letting
go of the shame or fear thatwe've been carrying around with
us.
This process starts withawareness, recognizing the
patterns, the triggers and theway we've been shaped by our
experiences.
From there, we can begin togently challenge those patterns
and create space for somethingnew.

(04:04):
So, as I said before, my name isRuss Tellip, excuse me and I've
been there For a long time.
I felt like I was stuck, barelypresent in my own life.
I'd only remembered the big,extreme moments from my
childhood, but my body, itremembered everything.
I felt like I was carrying theweight of the world on my

(04:24):
shoulders, but I couldn't quitefigure out why.
For years I ignored the signs.
I pushed through, convincedthat if I just worked harder,
moved faster or stayed busyenough, I could outrun the
discomfort.
But eventually that approachstopped working.
I hit a point where I couldn'tpretend anymore.
I couldn't shake the feelingthat something deeper was going

(04:46):
on.
Things started to shift when Idiscovered brain spotting and
somatic work.
These weren't just techniques,they were lifelines.
Brain spotting, in particular,allowed me to access and release
the emotions I'd buried sodeeply that I didn't even
realize that they were there.
It wasn't just aboutremembering what had happened to

(05:06):
me.
It was about reconnecting withmyself and giving my nervous
system the chance to feel safeagain.
Through this process I realizedsomething profound I didn't
have to carry around the beliefthat I wasn't enough.
That idea, which had beendriving so much of my life,
wasn't mine to hold on toanymore.
Slowly but surely, I started tolet go of it and in its place I

(05:30):
found something I had neverfelt before hope.
Healing wasn't linear for me.
There were moments of doubt andfrustration, but there were
also breakthroughs, moments ofclarity and growing sense of
peace.
Over time, I started to feelmore like myself not the version
of me who was always bracingfor impact, but the real me

(05:50):
underneath all of it.
Now, when I look back on thatjourney, I see one that I see it
as one of the most importantthings I've ever done.
It's what my fuels my passionfor helping others.
If you're feeling stuck,overwhelmed or unsure of where
to start, I want you to knowsomething Healing is possible.
You don't have to live withthis for the rest of your life.

(06:12):
It's not a life sentence.
You don't have to do it alone.
You don't have to have all theanswers right now.
Just take the first step,whatever that may look like for
you.
So what happens in the brainwhen we experience trauma?
Trauma rewires the brain'spathways in ways that prioritize

(06:33):
survival over everything else.
The amygdala, the brain's alarmsystem, becomes hyperactive,
constantly scanning for threatsand sounding the alarm even when
there's real no danger.
It's like being stuck with asmoke detector that goes off for
burnt toast, as if the house ison fire.
At the same time, theprefrontal cortex, the part of

(06:56):
the brain responsible fordecision-making and rational
thought, becomes less active.
This is why you can't thinkyour way out of a trauma
response.
The brain is prioritizingsurvival instincts, not logic
response.
The brain is prioritizingsurvival instincts, not logic.
Meanwhile, the hippocampus,which helps us differentiate

(07:17):
between past and present, oftenstruggles, making it feel like
the traumatic event is happeningright now, even if it's long
been over.
This is why trauma responsescan feel so overwhelming and out
of control.
They're not about what'shappening now, but about how the
brain has been shaped by what'shappened before.
The good news is that the brainis incredibly adaptable.
This is also known asneuroplasticity.

(07:38):
It means that the right toolsand support we can help the
brain unlearn these traumas,trauma-driven patterns, and
create new, healthier pathways.
If you imagine a snowy hillwith deep snow and you go down
once or twice with your sleddown the same path, you start

(07:59):
digging a groove into that snowand it makes it really difficult
to change direction while inthat groove.
But as you start going down innew areas, you will create new
pathways.
One of the most effective waysto do this is through modalities
like brain spotting.
Brain spotting works directlywith the brain and body to

(08:19):
process and release trauma.
Brain spotting uses theconnection between where we look
and how we feel to accessdeeply held memories and
emotions.
By focusing on a specific pointin our visual field, we can
unlock the brain's naturalability to process trauma.
Another crucial element isnervous system regulation.

(08:40):
When our nervous system isconstantly in fight, flight or a
freeze state, it's hard to feelsafe.
Practices like groundingexercises, deep breathing and
mindfulness can help calm thenervous system and create a
sense of safety in the presentmoment.
Over time, these practices canhelp retrain the brain to
recognize when it's truly safeand let go of those old survival

(09:04):
patterns.
Healing from trauma isn't abouterasing the past.
It's about helping your brainand body learn that the danger
is over.
You can feel safe again.
It's a process, but it'sabsolutely possible.
So what are some steps that youcan take today?
How can you start working onthese things now?
Well, first, recognize whatyou're feeling.

(09:25):
It's okay to feel whatevercomes up, write it down, talk it
out or just sit with it andfeel.
It's okay to feel whatevercomes up, write it down, talk it
out or just sit with it andfeel it.
You have to feel to heal.
Find moments of safety.
Consider what makes you feelsafe and calm.
It could be a warm blanket,deep breath or even a favorite
song.
For me, it's music.
I'm the lead singer of a band,so music is a huge part of my

(09:50):
toolbox to deal with trauma.
Look into healing modalities Ifyou're ready.
Explore options like brainspotting, emdr, somatic therapy,
hypnotherapy.
These approaches are designedto help you move forward.
Healing isn't a straight line,so be patient with yourself.
You're doing the best that youcan.

(10:10):
So, before we finish up, I wantto remind you of this.
Your trauma is part of yourstory, but it doesn't have to
define you.
You have the power to heal andcreate a life you love, one step
at a time.
If something from today'sepisode struck a chord with you,
I'd love to hear from you.
You can connect with me throughmy website.
Episode struck a chord with you?
I'd love to hear from you.
You can connect with me throughmy website excuse me, brain

(10:31):
spotting cscom.
You can go there and downloadfree resources to help you get
started, or schedule anappointment with me to do some
coaching or brain spotting.
Thank you for your time.
This, uh it.
I.
I'm honored that you guyslisten to this and take time out
of your day to to learn, and,um, I want to.

(10:51):
I want to offer the best helpthat I possibly can.
So, thank you for for tuning in.
Uh, take care of yourself andremember you.
You are enough, just as you are, I think.
So much for joining me, guys.
I really appreciate it.

(11:11):
Um, I hope that today's episodeshine some light on what, the
way that you're feeling, um, andif so, and and you'd like to do
some one-on-one work with me,you can reach me at brain
spotting, cscom.
Um, you can also, uh, check usout on Google.
If you just search for drains,excuse me, brain spotting,
colorado Springs uh, we'll popright up and you'll get some
information on how to get intouch with us.
Otherwise, if you wanted toreach out to me on Facebook or

(11:35):
Instagram, you can send me amessage.
Russell Tellup is my screenname there, so go there and send
me a private message and I'llget back to you as soon as I
possibly can.
And then let me know, guys, whatyou thought of today's episode
and how it relate or how itcompares to the more interview

(11:55):
type shows that I've been doingrecently which one you prefer?
Do you prefer when I talkdirectly with you or do you
prefer the insights from some ofthese coaches and therapists
that I've been interviewingrecently?
I'd love to hear your feedbackand how we should move forward.
So have a wonderful new yearand I hope you guys enjoyed it.

(12:16):
So thanks again for joining inand we'll talk to you next week.
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