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Unarmored Talk
Unarmored Talk—where emotional armor is left at the door. Host Sgt. Maj. (Ret.) Mario P. Fields and his guests lean into open, heartfelt conversations that reveal personal stories, raw emotions, and authentic connection. Tune in for intimate, unfiltered discussions that invite vulnerability and celebrate honesty.
Unarmored Talk
From Sickness to PTSD: The Surprising Key to Healing
Ever wonder why some people rarely get sick — or how others recover from PTSD after decades of struggle?
The answer may lie in the diaphragm, a muscle Dr. David Rubenstein calls second only to the heart. It drives immunity, eases back pain, and boosts strength — a reason Navy SEALs and athletes rely on it.
Don, a Vietnam veteran with decades of PTSD, found peace after weeks of Rubenstein’s Total Relief Method. His breakthrough? “I feel okay being okay.”
Discover how the diaphragm may unlock health, strength, and healing. Listen now.
Dr. Rubenstein's Link:
https://totalreliefmethod.com/how-it-works/
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Save you and everyone before we get into it again. I always remind you if this is the first time your first time listening or watching. Thank you so much and welcome if you have been talking podcast for almost five years. Thank you so much, Chris. We have raised lots of dollars. You want to check out some of the uh checks that we have donated. You want to support two schools to our company school programs, www.com and wave. You want to support YouTube channel members? Two bucks a month. That's the minimum. We call that the uh KV package. But two bucks a month makes a difference, and uh that's how you can join my efforts while I'm living to make a difference for the next generation of humans around the world. So that diaphragm, a lot of people, including myself, David, I thought it was just the muscle that played a small part in breathing, but that is not my understanding talking to you. What say you, my friend?
Speaker 00:Um, well, I would have to say, other than the heart muscle, it's the most important muscle in your body by far.
Speaker 01:Wow.
Speaker 00:And um the the thing about the diaphragm is is you're right, it it kind of looks like uh okay, it's a strange looking muscle, but it's a muscle, whatever, right? Well, turns out that it's uh so central to so many other functions. Um I'll give you an example just real quick. If we have a minute, do we have a minute to talk about that? Oh, we do. Okay, so uh the diaphragm influences 40 percent of the lymph of the whole body. 40 percent. And if your lymph system, uh if your diaphragm's not working, what that means to the to the lymph system, which is uh part of your uh immune system, and um the material inside a lymph node is very, very toxic material, and your body's just uh has to struggle to uh recapitulate with that that those materials or excrete them. And what happens is the diaphragm pumping action, the movement of the diaphragm muscle itself, uh milks along the fluid that's in this uh also known as the secondary uh circulatory system, and so when uh people get their diaphragm working, an amazing thing happens, and this is very consistent, Mario. They stop getting flus and colds all the time.
Speaker 01:David, every time, and I I don't mean apology, but every time we have an I can do an episode with you every month annually, man. I mean, like for the rest of my life. Every time I have you on a show, you say something to me that is mouthwatering. I'm gonna put some of my my humor in here. I would have never thought of that.
Speaker 00:Yeah, and so so just just that one little thing. Uh, you know, people that get sick frequently, um they almost always have a inhibited diaphragm. And so so there's an there's something that people never think of. Um, if you have a low back pain, it's probably because your diaphragm is not working properly. Um, and then a person might say, Well, I injured my low back. Same answer, which is counterintuitive. I understand that, but still, when the diaphragm is working, it makes the low back strong instantaneously. Two, it causes a reflex of other muscles to relax, the ones that are causing pain. Yeah, those same muscles they relax because the diaphragm is now doing the job it's supposed to be, and so uh it it just keeps on going. Um, for example, I have a weekend course, it's a 16-hour course, all on just a diaphragm.
Speaker 01:You know, David, it makes sense now why I've seen videos and I have friends, you know, that are in special forces and navy SEALs. It makes sense why they focus a lot on box breathing and to improve and strengthen the core. And when they would say core, I'm thinking the core muscle, not the core diaphragm. And now it's all connecting, listening to you, and then also watching some, you know, the Navy SEALs or some of your uh special forces folks, or even top athletes.
Speaker 00:Yeah, you know, and if you there's there's this aspect of the diaphragm, so there's another weird one. Um, when the diaphragm's working, you could say that it is the core muscle, um, which if you go to a Pilates class, um, they're working, they're trying to work that muscle, but it's different in the sense that it's more of an automatic kind of muscle. You do have some control. So people think they're working the diaphragm, and in most cases, they're not doing anything with the diaphragm at all. And so you you you have to what what I'm bringing forward for people is the idea that you have to kind of trigger it on, like turning it on like a car engine, um, it doesn't just kind of come alive slowly because you think how to make it breathe. Um, that's another quirky thing about it. But so if you take two twins, one has a diaphragm that is working, one that does not have a diaphragm that's working, and you measure their punching power, the the punching power of the person who has a diaphragm of this working is going to be something like 40% more delivered force. Why for the same reason a crane has to be really balanced and has to have all this counterweight? You have to make sure that the core, the center, is uh has uh neuromuscular integrity, and when that's there, the amount of force that the human body can deliver is greatly enhanced. And uh, I was working with the Navy SEAL, and um, so we were doing some punching power tests, and I swear to god, this is how this happened. Um, he does the punch test after we animate his core. He does this, he he he looked at his fist. That's an experienced you know, Navy SEAL, and he was uh he shocked himself about how much force he delivered that was over and above what he's used to in that uh in that punch test, anyway. Um like that.
Speaker 01:Well, well, which is a great lead-in. You know, the next episode, maybe we can get in some techniques and tips, but right now, that is not this episode. Give me some success stories, man. Let's talk about some things that you have witnessed recently.
Speaker 00:Okay, I'm gonna give you uh, I guess they're my my personal top three favorites. Okay, first, um, and I have permission to uh talk about them candidly, uh, from each and every one of them. So, first one's name is Don. He Don was in uh Vietnam, he did three tours there, and um his his platoon was uh the ones that made the newspapers where they essentially uh executed an entire uh village of uh civilians, and uh they were uh it it this is my understanding of the story. I'm not a historian, and I and I can't vouch for every little tiny detail, so I'm just gonna tell you as I understand it. Yeah, they were either ordered or encouraged to shoot the women and children in the head, and um uh such such a thing is uh not something I I believe that any human being can actually process. So, of course, these guys came back um with some issues with PTSD. In this case, Dawn. When he came back, he had a family of I think it was three kids. Um, it was only a couple of months, and um he that he lost his family, like completely lost them, they would never talk to him again. Um, some years later, he got into a relationship with somebody who already had some children. Same thing happened in a very short period of time. So another 20-25 years goes by, he meets me. We uh never talked about his uh experiences in Vietnam, just so you know, until the very end when he wanted to share things. He was here's here's the situation he was in at night. He would uh it looks like he woke up at night, his eyes were open, but he was completely asleep, and he'd wander the house, and if you got in his way, he would physically just uh punch you, he would hurt you. You you had to stay away from him. Um his uh wife would talk about how she would get punched and woken up by being punched or elbowed or kicked. And of course, this is a this is an unlivable situation. Now, Don never remembered any of these, and so to his horror, he would get these stories about how he was so destructive, but he he had no memory of them, which just was more traumatic. So he goes to the program, and it was only five or six weeks into it that he um found traumatic uh not trauma dramatic changes in his sleep, especially. Um, he stopped having the nightmares he talked about that happened every night of his life since the late 1960s. He slept through the night. He might wake up one time, he was not uh physically active in his sleep anymore. His wife was not getting bruises anymore. And uh there's this funny scene I want to share with everybody. Um his his wife is about five feet inches, you know, inches tall, and and she's but she's one of those old powerhouse kinds of personalities, and he was doing really, really well, and he was like six or seven weeks into it, and he's like, uh, I think I've had enough. Uh-uh. His wife put her finger up in his face like this, because he was a foot taller than her, and he and she said, If you don't do everything this doctor tells you to do, I will leave you. And she meant it, and he he kind of chuckled. He didn't know if she was serious or not, but she was very serious, as she mentioned a minute later. But now uh Don is uh he walks around with a smile a lot on his face, uh, because he this is a guy who didn't know what it meant to have a joyful day, uh even a little part of the day. So he has uh he has this large network of friends uh through his church. Um they they're living um they're living a great and happy life now. Um so that's number one.
Speaker 01:And Dave, if you don't mind, what a what a powerful story. And it was the first of all, how long did did did Don Don right? How long did he stay with you and go through this process, if you don't mind me asking?
Speaker 00:About three and a half months.
Speaker 01:Um I'm thinking a year, I was thinking a year or two. Oh my, oh my, and then how so before he met you, how long was he well he's talking Vietnam? So how long would uh was he living with this trauma?
Speaker 00:Since like I said, the late 1960s, um, it was in full bloom in 19 by 1971, according to him, and um it was so he you know you know in every case, uh I mean I'm gonna give everybody watching a little clue about something, and this is very, very powerful. And if you're a human being, this should touch you. There comes a point in every case of PTSD wherein the person is essentially looking at a choice in their life. Do I want to feel good or not? And you would think that that's such a simple question. Well, of course you want to feel good, but that's not how deep psychological things uh work in in human beings who've been through trauma. We're we we get used to feeling uncomfortable all the time, and that becomes our new default normal, and all of a sudden you feel actually normal and you feel good, it it makes the person retract momentarily and wonder if uh I feel uncomfortable feeling good. And then the next step is I'm okay with being okay. Powerful. In my mind, in my heart, just as a human being, that's the moment the person has won the game of PTSD.
Speaker 01:And and that was one of the next questions I was gonna ask you is as before I even ask you this, for all the Vietnam vets out there that either watch um or listen to this episode again, welcome home. I thank you. Uh my uncle is a Vietnam vet vet, he did uh 30 years in the Marines from 59 to 89 and 27 months in combat. So special heart, special thank you and prayer out to those folks and families. And and and and again, I salute Dom for you know, Don for uh allowing you to to share his his story, become unarmored. And that was the next question. During this 90 days or so, uh, you know, could you know helping you, helping him, and he started to notice changes. Did he start to go, is there some secret? Is to what the hell's happening? I I'm uncomfortable feeling good. Did that happen?
Speaker 00:This is actually something that physically shows up in the sessions, and it's it's fairly predictable when it's gonna happen. And that sign the science of that idea is is very profound in my way of thinking. Here we are, diverse kinds of people, men and women. Uh, and yet they still have this breakthrough in a 20-session program. They they they seem to all have it right around number 12 or 13. And it's not like I ask them some questions that to provoke the information. That's not what's happening. Without me guiding it in any way, shape, or form, they come out with this, hey, you know, I gotta tell you something that's really cool. That's like I I gotta tell you because it's it's cool, it's weird, and I don't I don't know what to think about it, and here it is. I feel okay being okay. Is that weird? Is that weird to say that? And and so this is the kind of dialogue that happens, and so something's happening. Um, I'll say that that is far beyond my understanding, because I can't tell you why people sort of come out of this entire experience of of PTSD at around the same point in time in this process. And and I want to also make one point, if I could just take another minute. I'm sorry. Uh we start with the diaphragm and it moves into breathing exercises, but uh after the first session, we're working other regions of the body, the feet and hands, and the and the legs, and and the muscles on the the chest and the back, and all these other muscles. So it's a it's a whole body process um that we use that's tweaked for the individuals, but essentially the same for everybody.
Speaker 01:And I love that approach, total method, you know, the total. Uh we may start in one spot, like you mentioned, David, the diaphragm. But we're you know, we're gonna try to heal you um in a holistic way. And you know, and and if you guys didn't watch episode two, uh David's got a wonderful sense of humor, but he's passionate. And and when I was listening to you, David, I was like, well, maybe the maybe the the magic is you offer to uh pay for everyone's x-rays to believe in you in your 20s. If you guys, it's of inside humor, watch uh watch episode two. How David was so passionate, uh Dr. Rubenstein was so passionate, he he offered uh that to a gentleman to give him a shot and look where we are today. And and so you know, now you you know you have this just amazing uh veteran who goes, Man, I'm feeling better. Any anxiety where they're going, am I gonna revert back to how things used to be? Because I was in that state of mind for so long, and I know I've experienced that.
Speaker 00:So uh the anticipation of things falling apart and blowing up, right? So uh I would say every single person in the program brings this up because let's face it, that's a reasonable question. And to answer it, I have to go back to the original design of this whole process called total relief method. I set out um irrationally so to try to invent something that would give sustained relief. Something very profound bothered me about you know, go and get and fix and it lasts for a couple of days, and then you gotta go back. I was very uncomfortable with that. So my goal was to design into the whatever process it was that it had to have this sustained relief thing to it. So it it forced me to look in with eyes that were different and with filters that were different, and I think that was very uh helpful and instructive to me in the design process some 25 years ago.
Speaker 01:So yeah, and total relief, you know, total relief healing, everyone, and and and his method, David's method, his team's method, key word sustain. Not uh not I see David today, and I'm feeling good for 90 days, and then all of a sudden, four months, you know, the fourth month comes and I'm back, or even worse, and I just love your approach. Everyone I want to do it, and you're not gonna like it. David has two more amazing stories, but we're not gonna talk about today. You uh you're gonna get it on the next episode. You guys heard it sustained healing, Vietnam vet, lost marriages, families himself had no idea he wasn't sleeping or he was with his eyes open. The anxiety, you name it. And he met with you know Dr. Rubinstein in 20 sessions, 90 days or so. He is with his church, his family, his his wife who's about my size, gave him an ultimatum. Thank goodness he listened. David, you're amazing.
Speaker 00:Thank you, Mario. Great forget tonight.
Speaker 01:Everyone, I know you guys don't like me for this, but that's okay. You've been, this is our fourth episode. We have two more left. But until next time, you guys have a wonderful day. Uh you can hear me, or we could uh you'll see me on my YouTube channel in the next week or so. But I will continue to intentionally pray for you and your family members and friends in any living being.
