How Trapped Emotions May Show Up as Physical Pain in Your Body featuring Dr. Bradley Nelson

This week I sat down with Dr. Bradley Nelson, a holistic physician, USA Today bestselling author, and founder and CEO of Discover Healing, the creator of the Emotion Code, the Body Code, and the Belief Code. He's a father of eight, a grandfather of seven, and a great grandfather, and he opened with an incredible story about how his wife's first daughter, placed for adoption before they met, found them and was officially adopted into the family at 47.

We got into his newest book, The Heart Code, which he wrote with his wife Jean, and the idea of a heart wall that many of us build after painful experiences. Dr. Nelson shares his view on trapped emotions and the body, stories from his practice, and how emotional patterns can pass from one generation to the next. I also respectfully pushed back with my own 20 years in the operating room, and near the end I opened up about what I've been feeling as my 18 year old leaves for college. If you grew up in an unpredictable home and want to break the cycle for your kids, this one is for you.

Timeline Summary

[0:00] Introduction and the October Dad Edge Alliance promo: a signed book, two free courses, and an advance copy of The Marriage Drift

[3:05] Dr. Nelson on his family of eight kids, seven grandkids, and one great grandchild

[4:00] His wife's first daughter, placed for adoption before they met, finds them 18 years ago

[7:36] A faded whiteout on a birth certificate and a call to BYU help put the pieces together

[12:40] Dr. Nelson's background and his three systems: the Emotion Code, the Body Code, and the Belief Code

[16:59] Why Dr. Nelson sees symptoms as the check engine light, not the real problem

[18:17] Muscle testing as a way to communicate with the subconscious mind

[22:18] A waking vision in 1998 that led to the discovery of the heart wall

[28:01] A patient with severe low back pain and a trapped emotion of anger from 20 years earlier

[34:47] A nurse who swore off dating for eight years, and what happened after her heart wall was cleared

[38:29] Larry respectfully pushes back with his 20 years in the OR and thousands of spine surgeries

[50:16] Why emotional patterns repeat even when a dad promises himself he won't become his own father

[55:00] Unconditional love, and Dr. Nelson's own struggle with conditional love as a father

[57:18] Dr. Nelson's closing message to dads: slow down, because childhood goes by so fast

[1:00:11] Larry shares what he's feeling as his 18 year old leaves for college and what his therapist helped him see

[1:05:57] Where to find Dr. Nelson and the free video that walks you through releasing a trapped emotion

Key Takeaways

  1. Dr. Nelson teaches that unresolved emotions can get trapped in the body, and that symptoms like pain can be messages pointing to something deeper.
  2. The heart wall is Dr. Nelson's term for the protective wall many of us build after a painful experience, and he says it can make it harder to connect with your wife and kids.
  3. If you ever hear your father's words come out of your own mouth after promising you never would, take it as a sign there may be old baggage you haven't dealt with yet.
  4. Dr. Nelson shares that he loved his kids conditionally for a time, giving or withholding love to shape their behavior, and that unconditional love is what he now works toward.
  5. Slow down and tell your wife and kids what they mean to you now, because time goes faster than you think and being willing to hear criticism and change is part of being a man.

Links & Resources

Closing

What stayed with me most was the moment at the end when I shared, for the first time on this show, how hard it has been watching my 18 year old leave for college, and how my therapist helped me see that it touches the old wound of the men who left me as a kid. Dr. Nelson's story about his own conditional love as a father reminded me that none of us does this perfectly, and that being willing to look at it honestly is what changes the next generation. Take a few minutes this week to slow down, tell someone you love what they mean to you, and ask yourself what you might be carrying that you haven't named yet. Go out and live legendary.