Lorwen C Nagle, PhD Profile picture
Jan 12, 2025 13 tweets 4 min read Read on X
The most taboo, weirdly romanticized, yet misunderstood topic of 2025:

Childhood trauma.

Dr. Jordan Peterson says it's why your Dad left, why your Mom cried alone, and why you're always anxious...

Here's how to reverse its damage naturally: 🧵 Image
Dr. Peterson says memories older than 18 months still stirring up emotions are a red flag of trauma that needs unpacking.

1st understand trauma happens in 2 stages:

1. Embodied terror
2. Conceptual processing
Terrible memories stay terrible until intentionally deconstructed.

When broken into manageable parts and challenged they dissolve.

Feel the feelings, but don't let them rule you.

As a Harvard-trained psychologist, here are 5 strategies I use with clients...
1/ Reframe distorted thoughts to loosen trauma's grip.

-Identify cognitive distortions
-Practice self-compassion over self-blame

You can't change what happened, but you can change the meaning you ascribe to it.
2/ Avoid trauma talk during an active crisis.

Dr. Peterson stresses not rushing to analyze trauma in the midst of a crisis.

When the house is on fire, just get out!

Well-intentioned "help" can backfire if mistimed.
3/ Old baggage loves to resurface in relationships.

-Focus on the current issues, not the past.
-Set clear conditions to resolve conflicts.
-Fight over what's happening NOW, not over everything.

One dispute pulls the thread, and suddenly every fight is about everything.
4/ You're not alone.

Shame from trauma is a universal human experience.

And, healing shame takes courageous vulnerability.

But you need to know: that vulnerable child isn't YOU anymore!
5/ Exposure therapy gradually desensitizes you to trauma triggers:

-Retrain your brain to lower reactivity.
-Always work with a trauma-informed therapist.
-Confront memories, situations, sensations in controlled doses.

It may feel slow-- even difficult --but you're reclaiming your life...
As a child, I experienced abandonment trauma.

By age 5, I'd crafted an alter ego that was tough and a tomboy. It
shielded the vulnerable side of me. And, I became self-alienated.

By 20, despite honors in school and blinding success, I fell into deep depression.

Years of therapy, spiritual work and working with others brought me to my true self. This could be your story too.
I have clients who've healed from horrible trauma.

Take the case of Rick, a 42 year-old founder I treated, he was riddled with chronic insomnia.

He would lie awake for hours, around 3 AM.
During therapy, he described growing up in a home where his father would come home drunk at 3 AM...
His father threw furniture and shouted waking the whole family every night.

As a little boy, Rick felt he must stay alert to keep safe and help his mother.
1 month into therapy, Rick was able to sleep through the night.
I've dedicated my life to helping people transform with mindfulness.

-Release anxiety naturally.
-End the cycle of overthinking.
-Transform fear through presence.

If you're facing these issues, schedule an Enlightenment Call to see if
I can help: calendly.com/lorwen_consult…
And, if this resonated with you, follow @LORWEN108 for similar threads on anxiety, stress, and mindfulness.

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More from @LORWEN108

Feb 8
CO₂ sensitivity is one of the most powerful (and ignored) nervous-system interventions.

But, most people don’t know this system exists.

Here are 7 ways to calm your CO₂ alarm + lower your anxiety (in seconds).🧵
1. Stop “silent overbreathing.” Image
Image
Most anxious people aren’t breathing too little.

They’re breathing TOO MUCH (fast, shallow, chest-only breathing).

That keeps your chemoreflex on a hair trigger.

Instead:

breathe quieter
breathe lower (belly/ribs)
slow your pace
2. Lengthen your exhale.

This instantly downshifts your nervous system's thread detector.

Slow breathing with longer exhales reduces nervous system anxiety and shift body stress within minutes.

Try:

Inhale 4 seconds → Exhale 6–8 seconds

Do 6 cycles at first.
Read 10 tweets
Feb 4
Ernie Hudson is 80 years old.

And he looks stronger than most men half his age.

His secret?

No “get shredded in 30 days"...

Just repeatable systems he’s followed for years: Image
Image
He basically treats physical fitness like mental fitness:

Small reps.
Daily repetition.
No drama.

And that’s why it lasts decades.

The lesson?
Consistency beats intensity.

A system you can run for 20 years beats a “transformation” you quit in 20 days.

Your body and mind are your responsibility.

Hudson says, "Build habits that compound."

At 30 you call it “fitness.”

At 80 you call it freedom.
Read 9 tweets
Feb 3
Anxiety isn’t overthinking.

It’s your brain reacting to uncertainty...
and your soul reaching for freedom.

I condensed Kierkegaard into 4 moves. Use this when anxiety spikes.🧵
At 21, Kierkegaard watched his 5th sibling die.

By 30, he was engaged, famous, and set for a conventional life—

Then he detonated it.
He broke off the engagement.

Rejected the “safe path.”

And wrote the line that explains modern anxiety better than most therapists:

“Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.”
Read 13 tweets
Feb 1
David Sinclair is a longevity expert.

But his most underrated “longevity protocol” isn’t supplements.

It’s how he keeps anxiety low in a high-pressure life.

Here's Sinclair's 6-rule system. (you don't want to miss this) 🧵 Image
Image
1. Choose stressors that make you stronger.

Stop lumping all “stress” together.

There are 2 kinds:

1. Biological stress (hormesis) that builds resilience.

2. Psychological stress that grinds you down.

They shouldn’t even share the same word.
2. Schedule “quiet time” like it’s medicine.

Not “vibe” time.
A calendar rule.

Book quiet time daily—so problems don’t hijack your nervous system.
Read 14 tweets
Jan 31
Most people aren’t “burned out.”

They’re stuck in always-on stress.

Here are 7 ways to switch it off (without meds) 🧵

1. Stop putting your brain in scatterbrain mode. Image
When your attention is constantly yanked around, your body stays keyed up.
Even “rest” doesn’t feel restful.

Try this:
Check social 2x/day + 30 minutes phone-free quiet or device-free walking.
2. Get morning light—especially in winter.

Morning light sets your body clock, which stabilizes mood and sleep.

Try this:
10–20 minutes outside early (no sunglasses if you can).
Read 11 tweets
Jan 28
5 personality traits that predict how you handle stress.

Find yours in 30 seconds (and how to work with it) 🧵 Image
Image
First: the Big 5 are not “labels.”

They’re your nervous system’s default strategy.

When you're aware of your default strategy, you can build on it and let it empower you. Image
Let's dive in...

1. High Neuroticism = The Threat Sensor

When you're high on neuroticism, you feel everything early, before others. You're very sensitive.

The signs of Neuroticism are:

→ overthinking
→ health worries
→ tension & rumination
→ The inner feeling: “I can’t turn this off.”

Quick fixes:

Regulate first, analyze second.
One sure-fire way to regulate is to walk outdoors without devices.
You want to downshift your alarm system. Walking is primo.
Read 10 tweets

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