Chris speaks with Dr. David Berceli about his innovative approach to therapy for patients suffering from trauma and addiction.

David Berceli, Ph.D. is an international expert in the areas of trauma intervention and conflict resolution. Dave has spent two decades living and working in nine countries providing trauma relief workshops and designing recovery programs for international organizations around the world. He has lived and worked extensively in Israel/Palestine, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Yemen, Egypt, and Lebanon. David is unique in that he holds a solid academic and experiential grounding in psychotherapy and therapeutic body-work. He integrates that with a keen understanding of the intertwining dynamics of religion and ethnic customs. This combination has allowed him to develop unique and specific processes that enable people from all parts of the world manage and move beyond personal trauma as well as bring healing and reconciliation between diverse groups.

Show Notes

War Zones – David talks about how he spent much of his career in war zones, including Lebanon, the Palestinian West Bank, Israel, Uganda, Sudan, Yemen, and Ethiopia, which led to an important observation he made about himself and his co-workers, which is largely responsible for the work that he does today.

What Is Trauma? – David discusses what trauma actually is and how it’s not created only from what’s typically associated as a “traumatic” event.

Trauma And The Body — David explains how we carry trauma in our bodies as well as how the body copes with said traumas.

The Brain and Trauma – David discusses the brain and how it processes trauma?

Trauma and Addiction – David and I explore the relation between addictions and trauma.

Trauma and Self-Destructive Behaviors – David speaks from a trauma perspective, as to why people return to self-destructive behaviors, even after years on a spiritual path, or in recovery and so on.

Beyond The Therapist’s Couch — David talks about a chapter in his book The Revolutionary Trauma Healing Process titled, “Beyond the Therapist’s Couch,” in which he explores the bodies wisdom and how it take more than just traditional counseling to heal trauma.

Healing Our Divisions – David discusses another chapter in his book titled, “Healing Our Divisions” and how we can reconnect our alienated parties.

Making Sense Of Trauma – David and I discuss how to make sense of traumatic times and look to them as our teachers.

TRE – David talks about the process of TRE (Trauma Release Exercises) including what is it and why it is so effective.

Find David online at traumaprevention.com.

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