Derek lived for many years feeling “deficient in love” – and in 2017, after years of feeling unhappy and angry, his health sharply declined. Derek’s sudden hypothyroidism, gastrointestinal distress, and insomnia wouldn’t respond to conventional treatments – and soon, he began getting into physical fights.
But Derek became inspired to take responsibility for his emotions and stress when he became the owner of two puppies – and he realized he could learn to emotionally regulate; he learned he could change. After discovering Dr Joe’s work, participating in Coherence Healings™, and attending a live retreat, the energy of the community supported his journey even more. As he continued transforming, he realized he was able to sleep and his stomach distress has disappeared.
Recorded at the Cancun 10-Day Advanced Retreat in November 2025.
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Video Summary
AI Generated
The speaker shares a personal journey of overcoming severe physical illness, complex trauma (CPTSD), and emotional dysfunction. After failing to find relief through traditional functional medicine, they discovered a path to healing through meditation, emotional regulation, and a shift from a transactional view of love to one of genuine giving and compassion.
I was unhappy and angry and would take that out on other people.
My understanding of love was it has to come from outside
and grab, grab, grab.
It's kind of embarrassing to say
that I didn't have the capacity to send love.
In 2017, I got multiple whammies from the universe.
One was I got diagnosed with hypothyroidism on set.
And I got severe GI distress, enough that I had to get a CAT scan
and they put like radioactive dye inside.
And it was really upsetting to have
this remarkable degradation in health.
To add more fun to the drama, I
also started noticing that I was beginning to get into physical fights.
So I had to go to see a therapist and they diagnosed me with CPTSD,
which is complex trauma.
I completely became dysfunctional in all aspects of my life.
It was almost like my health was here and I slowly started declining
to the point where there was no joy left in my life.
I was unhappy and angry and, you know,
would take that out on other people.
But I didn't realize that I had this all this stuff inside
and severely deficient in love.
My understanding of love was,
it has to come from outside and grab, grab, grab.
And almost, you know, it's kind of embarrassing
to say that I didn't have the capacity to send love.
It was all about these things which I can get from other people, right?
So it was very transactional.
And I didn't even understand what true love was.
That's when my journey started.
I, you know, followed the usual protocols.
did functional medicine for one year got another
the first was a cat scan then I
think I got an MRI I got
also got the colonoscopy where they put the thing
inside for an entire year we did IVs
and glutathione and a bunch of stuff and no
change it is divine intervention
that so many people from dr. Joe's community
they literally steered me.
I had an established meditation practice. I did not want to learn
meditation, but there was something about the way they spoke,
the transmission, the joy in their
faces and the vibrancy and the joy in them.
Just so blown away by it. I don't know who Dr. Joe was,
just signed up for the retreat.
I changed my entire life and started doing this work,
started coming to this retreat and one thing
which I noticed was that I would feel super healthy here
and then I'd go back
and slowly start degrading all the stomach distress would come back
one of the aspects of this work is that we have to change
and I kind of built I really did not
understand that or I have this misconception
in my head that I can get all these things like money
and, you know, restore my health, but I don't have to change.
I can still be angry and impatient and judgmental,
and I'm going to get all these results, and it did not work for me.
I always wanted a dog, but the way I was as a person,
I knew it was not a good idea.
I was impatient, lacked empathy,
and I ended up getting these two puppies.
And what I started seeing was that when I was in a bad mood,
I was yelling at them sometimes.
I saw the effects on my first dog like oh she seems
to be shutting down a little bit she's not
like you know her usual jumpy jumpy self I remember I made
this really really firm decision that I am
going to stop all these stressors
from affecting them like I'm going to be a guardian anything
happened in my environment it's not going
to touch them like I'll stop whatever the stressors are
whatever the anger is it has not to do and I
and I from that day onwards I stuck to my word
anytime I realized that I was going
into a bad mood I would walk away do some journaling
I really really worked hard
and you know I'm kind of proud to say that uh it has worked for me like
I'm able to you know manage my uh regulate my emotions
so much better in addition this is
Something which I should have done years ago,
I joined an authorized coherence group.
But my favorite part of the week is my Tuesday
where we send love to these children.
And I just, I remember all their faces and all their smiles.
And I feel it's a gift to be able to, you know, do those healings.
One part of me does not believe that,
you know, my, you know, healing like this.
Like, I love the meditation, but there was this block in my head
that oh it's not working for the you know like
the healing the physical aspects of feeling
until one year ago I realized oh my god I sleep
the whole night no insomnia I've had insomnia
for decades completely gone so it's like oh that's
that's good you know still not understanding that
it's a physical healing and then a few months ago I realized
that I do not have stomach distress
anymore I'm eating all the food it's you know
my GI system is working really well not taking any
supplements no magnesium
but I can pretty much eat anything without having GI distress
this has been life-changing I think a life
of love is worth fighting for and all this work
to get access to profound love
and the capability to love receive love as well as give love is a
gift and it's given me a new life
Thank you.