Written by: Rob Cook, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Healing is vital to changing the suffering worldwide.
I stand before you not just as the author but as a survivor. A survivor of some of life's most harrowing battlefields – both those fought with guns and explosives and the internal wars waged within the confines of my mind.
Today, I'm an internationally renowned speaker and veteran who shares a message of hope titled 'Life After Trauma. I offer a fresh perspective on mental health that uncovers the secrets of resilience and transformation.
But why is this important? For shared context, please consider the following statistics.
At least 70% of adults in the US have experienced at least one traumatic event.
About 48% of individuals with PTSD also experience major depression.
55% may develop generalized anxiety disorder.
27% of individuals with PTSD have contemplated suicide at some point.
These numbers illustrate the widespread impact of trauma and PTSD on our society, including you reading this article. These statistics are alarming because they include some of our leaders, influencers, government officials, veterans, coaches, practitioners, advocates, and athletes.
The battlefield
Having had my upbringing plus my military experiences at the Pentagon and Special Operations Command, I often asked how I went from my Battlefield to Breakthrough. The answer is surprisingly simple: Learning I wasn't broken and how my mind worked allowed me to see that PTSD was not my problem. It was my system's response to the cumulative amount of stressors.
I lived a life most could only dream of until 2015 when a perfect storm of personal and professional challenges brought me to my knees.
Imagine carrying the weight of childhood and professional traumas, haunting every step, day in and day out. The trauma not only affected my mental health, but it seeped into my spirituality and physical well-being as well.
There were so many things going wrong. I had an extremely high alcohol intake, financial hardships, relationship tensions, legal matters, and extreme difficulties transitioning off active duty service. The fall created a shame and a guilt that kept gnawing at me whenever I dared to pick my head up. Over three more years, I'd have intrusive thoughts/memories, nightmares, and triggers with hyper-vigilance and numbness that created intense suffering.
My progress was gone. The adverse effects of PTSD had stolen my life.
The breakthrough
That would remain until I met my now mentor, coach, and dear friend, Michael Niell, in 2018. I started a conversation about his new book, and we talked about everything from mental health to
football that night. He later invited me to speak with him more about what he did in the form of a three-day live coaching demo intensive, and the rest is history.
He would introduce me to a vibrant psycho-spiritual teaching that uncovers how the human mind works. It was the perfect balance between spirituality and humanity that I'd ever experienced.
The most significant piece of those days for me was learning how the power of thought shapes my reality, and although I was facing the worst days of my life, I wasn't broken. I didn't need to be fixed.
I needed to learn how my system worked and not weaponize my past against myself.
The three objectives to progress
The effects of trauma and PTSD are far-reaching, touching the lives of millions globally. It's not just a personal struggle; it's a societal one. The stress and burden of unhealed trauma impede our progress as a global community. The cumulative stress has seeped into our US government and created a polarization that makes it hard for bipartisanship, which lies the biggest threat to democracy. We need to do more than acknowledge the problem; we must take action steps towards healing and transformation.
Objective 1: Raise Awareness about the Impact of Trauma and PTSD
Provide research and evidence of impact to educate the audience about the prevalence and far-reaching effects of trauma and PTSD on individuals' mental health and well-being.
Objective 2: Inspire Empathy and Understanding
Share personal experiences and struggles with trauma and PTSD to create a sense of empathy and connection with others, emphasizing that anyone can be affected, regardless of their background or experiences.
Objective 3: Create Action and Responsibility
I'm appealing to all coaches, therapists, practitioners, advocates, and parents, highlighting their crucial role in addressing and alleviating the weight of unhealed trauma. Please encourage them to actively engage in solutions and support systems for individuals with trauma and PTSD.
I'm appealing to all leaders, influencers, government officials, veterans, coaches, practitioners, advocates, and athletes. We all play a crucial role in helping others overcome trauma and alleviating stress hindering their lives. Our society's current experience of anxiety is killing global progress.
Let's create a world where we bring our resilience to making global progress.
Rob Cook, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Rob is a highly respected coach and consultant who inspires self-care, healing and building meaningful lives. He is the founder of Life After Trauma which focuses on finding the balance between mental, physical, and spiritual health to alleviate the adverse effects of trauma-related events. Rob is a retired combat veteran turned transformative coach using the Three Principles, also known as the inside-out understanding, as his guide to help clients overcome traumatic experiences. Rob is an engaging and passionate speaker and consultant who works with start-ups, non-profits, and Fortune 500 companies.
