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Keeping an Open Heart With PTSD: How Releasing Pain Sets You Free

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

In this episode, Brad shares the simple but life-changing concept that helped him stop building his entire life around pain and fear. Instead of avoiding emotions at all costs, he explains how learning to keep an open heart allowed him to finally release the backlog of trauma energy that had controlled everything from his relationships to whether he could even step outside his front door.

You’ll hear how pain piles up over years when it’s never fully felt or released, and why that creates a life that keeps getting smaller and more restricted. Brad walks through the idea of pain as “just energy” that can move out of your body when you learn to relax, soften your heart, and allow emotions to flow instead of stuffing them down and closing off.

Brad and Kayleen also explore how this open-heart practice transforms relationships, authenticity, and everyday choices. They talk about vulnerability without losing boundaries, how to notice whether your heart is open or closed in the moment, and what it practically looks like to use triggers as opportunities to heal instead of proof that you’re broken.

By the end of this episode, you’ll have a new way to understand your triggers, your pain, and your patterns of avoidance—and a simple inner compass: “Is my heart open or closed right now?” This one shift can change the way you move through PTSD recovery, your relationships, and your future.

💡 What You’ll Learn

Why trauma pain piles up over time when you avoid feeling it

How to tell if your heart is open or closed in everyday situations

A simple way to step back into your observer or “true self” instead of being consumed by pain

How to use PTSD triggers as opportunities to release old stored emotion

Practical ways to start opening your heart in relationships without losing your boundaries

How vulnerability can make you stronger instead of more fragile after trauma

Why building your life around avoiding pain keeps you stuck and afraid

How to gently practice emotional release so it feels safe and manageable

The long-term vision of living from love and authenticity instead of fear and trauma patterns

🧠 Key Takeaway

Healing from PTSD becomes possible when you stop running from pain, open your heart, and allow stored emotions to move through you instead of building your entire life around avoiding them.

🔗 Next Steps

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

CHAPTERS:

Topics Covered:

PTSD recovery • trauma healing • keeping an open heart • releasing stored trauma • emotional release for PTSD • emotional regulation • nervous system regulation • triggers as opportunities to heal • vulnerability and boundaries after trauma • trauma and relationships • C-PTSD coping skills • processing trauma emotions • avoiding emotional numbness • letting go of lifelong pain • mindfulness for PTSD • living authentically after trauma • inner child and past pain • trauma coping tools • Brad Schipke • Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching