#106 The Power Of Honesty: Why You Keep Lying to Yourself (And How It's Blocking Your Healing)

Struggling with trauma/PTSD and need help? Join my private recovery community here and get my 9 best relief tools 100% FREE: https://www.skool.com/brokentounbreakable

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

This episode dives into one of the most overlooked yet essential skills for trauma recovery: radical honesty with yourself. Brad shares how being willing to honestly face his darkest thoughts — including suicidal ideation — was the turning point that allowed him to actually heal those parts of himself. Not by pushing them away, but by accepting they existed so he could work with them.

The key insight is that honesty doesn't mean what you feel is objectively true. You might honestly feel like someone hates you even when you logically know they don't. But until you admit that belief exists inside you, you can't fix it. You'll keep acting it out unconsciously. As Carl Jung said, "Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate."

Brad breaks down the three things you need to be honest about — your thoughts and beliefs, your emotions, and what you truly want — and explains how to bring this forward in processing work. This isn't about facing your deepest fears unprepared. It's about building the skill of honesty little by little, starting with small things, so you can eventually shine light on even the darkest corners of your mind.

💡 What You'll Learn

• Why honesty is essential for healing, not just "nice to do"
• The three things you need to be honest with yourself about
• Why we lie to ourselves (fear, judgment, and shame)
• How to use honesty within the Protectors processing tool
• Why what you honestly feel doesn't have to be objectively true
• How denying emotions keeps them trapped inside you forever
• The Carl Jung quote that explains why trauma controls your life
• How to start being honest in small ways before facing deeper pain

🧠 Key Takeaway

The emotions, beliefs, and thoughts inside you are there whether you admit them or not. Denying them doesn't make them go away — it just keeps them in the darkness where they continue to control your life. Honesty is the light that allows you to finally see and heal what's been hidden.

🔗 Next Steps

Subscribe for new weekday episodes from the Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching archive. To go deeper or work with Brad directly, visit: https://www.skool.com/brokentounbreakable

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introduction and Overview 01:17 The Importance of Honesty 02:53 Personal Struggles with Honesty 03:52 Gradual Steps Towards Honesty 04:52 The Power of Honesty in Healing 06:03 Facing Inner Darkness 08:21 Practical Tips for Honesty 10:46 Understanding and Accepting Emotions 18:45 The Role of Protectors in Healing 26:06 Making the Unconscious Conscious 27:06 Expressing Emotions Honestly 28:16 The Importance of Honesty in Healing 28:51 Q&A Session Begins 29:27 Dealing with Resentment and Shame 30:31 Facing Dark Emotions 32:12 Setting Boundaries and Being Honest 37:46 Processing Emotions and Healing 51:16 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Topics Covered: PTSD recovery • trauma healing • honesty in healing • self-awareness • subconscious beliefs • emotional release • protectors processing • parts work • facing dark thoughts • suicidal ideation recovery • Carl Jung unconscious • trauma processing • releasing emotions • self-honesty • inner work • healing mindset • confronting fear • shame and guilt recovery