In this lively episode, Brent Garcia and I talk about toxic comparison, reintroducing presence, how society is not set up for men being vulnerable, reclaiming vulnerability as a man, the experience of admitting pain and asking for help, the courage to see your own shame, how he changed his entire life in his forties, the dance of the healer and inner healer in clients/patients, and Western Medicine and Traditional Eastern Medicine working in Tandem!
Brent is an elite body mechanic. He came to Traditional East Asian Medicine and bodywork because he needed relief from an old Achilles tendon injury. After receiving acupuncture and massage treatments, Brent was able to function at a much higher level than he had for the previous 10 years. This motivated him to study traditional East Asian healing arts including acupuncture, herbal medicine, Asian bodywork and Tai Chi, as well as Reiki.
In 2015, Brent graduated from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in Chicago with a Master of Science in Traditional Oriental Medicine (MSTOM). He received his massage training from Pacific College as well. Now, as licensed practitioner, he continues to study anything that will help him be a better, more effective healer for his clients.
Combining traditional and modern systems of East Asian Medicine with bodywork and trigger point therapy, Brent provides custom treatments to eliminate pain and cultivate well-being in his patients. He maintains a private practice in Chicago, Illinois.
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Show Notes & Timestamps
00:00 Introduction of Brent Garcia
02:16 Patreon – Your Support Means So Much!
03:20 Opening
04:09 Brent - the Elite Body Mechanic
06:13 Reintroducing Presence
06:57 Being Present 100% With Clients
07:46 quitting smoking and getting into Acupuncture
09:50 Brent’s Decision to Study Eastern Medicine
11:37 The Japanese Version of Acupuncture
11:48 What Makes the difference?
12:22 Instant Feedback for patient and practitioner
13:37 It's a Dance
14:07 The limits of Acupuncture
14:33 Holding the light and dark / space between western and eastern mind
14:59 What Patients Seem to Need
15:15 Working in Tandem with Western Medicine: an example story
17:02 Dance between Western and Eastern for safety of the patient
18:10 Working with Men
18:19 Society is not setup for men to be vulnerable in pain ...
18:53 Personal Suffering. Admitting Pain. Not asking for help.
19:44 The Courage to Ask, Being A resource for Men
20:39 Finding a man as a Mentor?
21:16 Experience in a Men’s Group
21:53 What has been the challenge in being vulnerable?
22:48 Puffery & Machismo
23:26 The Middle Ground of Being in your emotions
23:51 What makes you alive? What restores you?
24:10 The effects of being a good sleeper
25:37 Jumping into Strength Training
26:56 Story about Strength Training & Presence
28:49 What's been on your heart / mind lately?
29:41 Struggles with Toxic Comparison
30:32 Discovering your path
31:07 Going Inward and Sticking with Yourself
32:29 Outside Support Instead of Doing it All By Yourself
33:54 Sharing with Friends vs Sharing with Colleges
35:22 Debunking the Bad and Scary
35:52 How did Brent get HERE?
36:04 Process Group and Massive Transformation
38:27 Difference between feedback & advice
39:33 The Primary Aspect of Relating
39:46 Going back to: How am I feeling when someone...?
40:17 What stuck with Brent from the Responses? {un}hiding shame.
41:08 Shame over Shame double whammy
41:32 Courage to speak to it
42:02 Somatic Experience of Shame & Family Constellations
43:06 Dis-ease Pattern of Shame
43:31 Brent’s Gift of Intuition around Staying with Shame
45:28 Wild Fire Round
46:11 What is the strangest dream you ever had?
46:40 What question would you ask this dream?
47:35 What do you bring with you everywhere you go?
48:07 If you would not need to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?
48:15 What would you read?
48:42 Mention the War of Art & Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield
48:52 Mention of Eckart Tolle & A New Earth
49:06 Timely every single time again - A New Earth
49:59 Mention of Fantasy Novels and Pulp Fiction Novels
50:24 What is a controversial opinion you have?
50:36 “There are Stupid Questions”
50:51 Story time: Teaching High School Chemistry
52:43 Bill Hicks Quote "I don't always choose wisely, but I am committed"
52:56 Last Thoughts?
53:29 How You Can Find Brent?
54:10 Closing
54:43 Sendoff