November 20, 2025

#39 Processing Bootcamp - Protector Roles & Burdens | Recovery Secrets Series

1 hour 8 minutes

Want to coach with me? Book a free no pressure consultation call here: https://overcomingptsd.com/consultation

Learn the proven system that’s helped 2,000+ trauma survivors reduce symptoms by 77.9% in just 4.5 months without therapy or medication 👉 https://overcomingptsd.com/

Changing Protector Roles: A Powerful PTSD Processing Tool Most Survivors Miss

How To Heal Inner Protectors And Transform Trauma Reactions For Good

From Triggers To Freedom: Advanced Protector Work For PTSD Recovery

Releasing Burdens: A Deep Inner Process To Heal Trauma At The Root

When Parts Protect And Attack: Healing Inner Conflict In PTSD

How To Talk To Your Parts: Simple Protector Conversations For Trauma Healing

Stopping Self-Sabotage: Turning Harsh Inner Critics Into PTSD Allies

Using Triggers As Teachers: A Practical Trauma Processing Framework

From Overwhelm To Inner Peace: Emotional Release Techniques For PTSD

Building A Daily Healing Routine With Protector Work For Trauma Recovery

Host: Brad Schipke • Overcoming PTSD Podcast • Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching

In this session of the Processing Bootcamp, Brad dives into a more advanced level of protector work so you can go deeper with your PTSD and trauma healing. Instead of staying stuck in confusing reactions and triggers, you’ll learn how to see protectors as parts of you with positive intentions that just need new roles, support, and direction.

Brad walks you through how to identify what a protector is thinking, feeling, believing, and doing — and then safely guide it through emotional release. You’ll hear how to work on two “planes”: visualizing a protector expressing its feelings, and then allowing those emotions to move through your body while you stay grounded and in control.

From there, you’ll discover the concept of “burdens” — the heavy emotional loads your protectors carry — and how to creatively release and destroy them in a way that brings real relief. Brad also shows you how to assign protectors new, healthier roles and rehearse them in future scenarios so your reactions actually change in real life.

Throughout the episode, you’re reminded that this is black-diamond-level work built on simple foundations: honesty, self-love, patience, and consistent practice. Whether you’re just starting with basic protector conversations or ready for deeper processing, this session gives you a clear, practical roadmap to keep building your skills and momentum.

💡 What You’ll Learn

How to recognize when a protector is active during PTSD or trauma triggers

Why honesty with yourself and your protectors is essential for real healing

How to identify a protector’s thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and actions

Two levels of emotional release: visualizing your protector and feeling emotions in your body

How to stay detached and in control while allowing big feelings to move through

What “burdens” are and how to creatively destroy them so they can’t come back

How to change a protector’s role after releasing its emotional charge

Why practicing new roles in imagined future situations rewires your responses

How to build protector work into a simple, repeatable daily healing routine

🧠 Key Takeaway

Every trigger is a protector raising a hand and saying, “Please help me” — when you listen, validate, and give it a new role, your PTSD reactions can finally change.

🔗 Next Steps

Subscribe for new weekday episodes from the Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching archive.

To go deeper or work with Brad directly, visit https://overcomingptsd.com/consultation.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introduction to Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching

00:36 Welcome to the Final Session

01:05 Deep Dive into Protector Techniques

02:55 The Importance of Honesty and Self-Love

04:39 Encouragement and Accountability

06:37 Understanding Protector Roles

09:44 Releasing Emotions and Changing Beliefs

22:05 Visualizing and Destroying Burdens

28:16 Assigning New Roles to Protectors

33:20 Practicing New Protector Roles

37:07 Understanding the Basics of Protector Conversations

37:39 Developing Skills and Moving Forward

38:48 Navigating Different Levels of Protector Work

41:08 Using Triggers as Opportunities for Healing

42:56 Mapping and Understanding Protector Interactions

47:41 Creative Approaches to Protector Work

55:30 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Topics Covered:

PTSD recovery • trauma healing • protector parts work • emotional regulation • nervous system regulation • releasing stored trauma • trauma coping tools • processing triggers • inner critic healing • parts work for PTSD • mapping protectors • emotional release techniques • changing trauma patterns • self-compassion in healing • daily healing routine for trauma

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By Overcoming PTSD

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