171. When Trust Shatters: Healing from Betrayal Trauma

Dr. Debi Silber had been in the health, mindset, and personal development field for over 30 years when she experienced a painful betrayal by her family and then a few years later, a betrayal by her husband. These betrayals left her shocked, devastated, and completely blindsided but these betrayals also helped her to realize that she never took her own needs seriously and she didn’t have strong boundaries. 

Shortly after experiencing these betrayals, Dr. Silber enrolled in a PHD program where she chose to study betrayal. Now, the founder of the PBT (Post Betrayal Transformation) Institute, she has dedicated her life to helping individuals heal from their betrayals.

In her study on how we experience betrayal, Dr. Silber made 3 groundbreaking discoveries about betrayal which she explains in detail in our conversation. 

1. Betrayal is a different type of trauma 
2. There are 5 stages we’ll go through if we fully heal from betrayal
3. There’s a collection of symptoms (physical/mental/emotional) so common to betrayal, it’s known as Post Betrayal Syndrome 

She also explains the most common types of betrayals and how the trauma of betrayal affects our health, work, and relationships, as well as impacts us mentally, physically, and emotionally. The trauma of betrayal can still be impacting us decades after the initial betrayal. Dr. Silber states that unless you intentionally and deliberately heal the betrayal wound, it will follow you around in every relationship you have going forward, as we tend to get stuck in particular stages. The trauma of betrayal is insidious but it can be healed.  

This conversation is a must listen for anyone that has been betrayed by a loved one or their significant other. The betrayal may be affecting you in ways you never imagined and holding you back from fulfilling connections. 

Listen to this conversation to learn about the varying symptoms of betrayal and how to heal.