What If Trauma Isn’t Just Mental—But Physical? Expert Presents A Controversial Treatment That Could Change The Way We Heal From PTSD, Severe Anxiety and Depression, Sexual Abuse, and More with Dr. Eugene Lipov

Dhru Purohit Show

Dhru Purohit

Alternative Health, Medicine, Health & Fitness

4.7 • 3.6K Ratings

🗓️ 22 April 2026

⏱️ 136 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This episode is brought to you by Cozy Earth, Our Place, and AquaTru. What if trauma isn’t just something you feel but something physically happening inside your body? This episode challenges everything we’ve been told about PTSD and reveals a new way of thinking about healing. Today on The Dhru Purohit Show, Dhru sits down with Dr. Eugene Lipov to unpack a bold new perspective on trauma and why it may not be a mental health disorder, but a physical injury to the nervous system. Dr. Lipov explains what’s really happening in the body during PTSD, the hidden role of the sympathetic nervous system, and how trauma can quietly impact everything from aging and chronic disease to relationships and daily energy. He shares the unexpected discovery behind the Stellate Ganglion Block, often called the “God Shot,” and walks through how this procedure may rapidly reset the body’s stress response. Along the way, he dives into his personal story, the growing interest and skepticism around this approach, and what the latest research is beginning to reveal. Dr. Eugene Lipov is one of the world’s leading experts in treating symptoms related to post-traumatic stress and a pioneer in the use of Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) for PTSD. Shaped by a deeply personal history, growing up with a father suffering from PTSD and a mother who battled severe depression and ultimately took her own life, Dr. Lipov has dedicated his career to helping others heal from trauma and restore hope. In 2006, he introduced the use of SGB as a treatment for PTSD. The technique involves an injection of medication into a bundle of nerves in the neck and has been widely used for pain relief, hot flashes, and shingles, and is now emerging as a promising approach to alleviating symptoms of trauma. In this episode, Dhru and Dr. Lipov dive into: (0:00) Introduction (2:08) The Idea That Could Change Trauma Treatment Forever (4:05) What’s Really Happening Inside The Body During PTSD (8:35) The Hidden Nerve System Driving Your Stress (11:02) The Unexpected Discovery That Started It All (22:21) Could This Work For You (35:22) Why It’s An Injury And Not A Disorder (39:05) Why The Current System Might Be Getting This Wrong (45:57) What Actually Happens When This “Switch” Gets Flipped (58:29) Why Trauma Might Be Aging You Faster Than You Think (1:18:52) What The Latest Research Is Starting To Reveal (1:25:23) Why People Call This The “God Shot” (1:35:26) What More Doctors Are Starting To Notice (1:42:02) The Risks You Need To Know Before Considering This (2:00:06) What Dr. Lipov Changed His Mind About (2:09:22) The One Thing He Wants Everyone To Understand Also mentioned in this episode: Brain on Fire: Doomscrolling, the Hidden Biology of Digital Life, and the Fight for Attention; The Science of Reclaiming Mental Health It’s PTSI site Publications mentioned by Dr. Lipov TEDx: PTSD to PTSI, An alternative perspective Dr. Eugene Lipov Stellate Ganglion Block for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial Department of Veterans Affairs Position on Effectiveness of Stelate Ganglion Block What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about Life and Beyond with Dr. Bruce Greyson Anita Moorjani on Her Top Lessons Learned from Her Near-Death Experience For more on Dr. Lipov, follow him on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Spotify, or visit his Website. This episode is brought to you by Cozy Earth, Our Place, and AquaTru. Right now, get 20% off your Cozy Earth sheets and sleepwear. Just head over to cozyearth.com/dhru and use code DHRUP. Reduce your toxic load by upgrading your cookware! Go to fromourplace.com today and use promo code DHRU at checkout to receive 10% off any order. Aqua Tru is a countertop reverse osmosis purifier with a four-stage filtration system that removes 15x more contaminants than the bestselling water filters out there. Go to dhrupurohit.com/filter and get $100 off when you try AquaTru for yourself. Sign up for Dhru’s Try This Newsletter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, everyone. Drew Prode here a couple of months ago. I got a text message from one of my
0:04.8	podcast listeners who's become a little bit of a friend, Glenn Muir, and Glenn said, there's a guy
0:09.3	that I met recently, a doctor doing some groundbreaking stuff, and his work has made such an
0:14.4	impact in my little circle that I'm connected to. You got to have them on your podcast. And I'm
0:19.9	excited to tell you a little bit about who this guest is.
0:22.8	But first, when we think about mental trauma, we typically think that it lives inside the mind and it's there forever.
0:30.4	Something that we relive through through our thoughts over and over again.
0:34.9	But what if that's not the full story? Today's guest presents a different
0:39.9	theory. What if mental trauma is actually a physical injury to the body? One we could potentially
0:46.3	treat with a specific tool and technique. Dr. Eugene Leipov is an anesthesiologist, physician,
0:53.3	and a TEDx speaker who's one of the leading voices
0:56.0	challenging how we think about trauma. He is a pioneer behind a controversial treatment called the
1:00.4	stellate ganglion block, which involves a targeted injection to a bundle of nerves in the neck to help
1:07.3	reset the body's stress response. That's what we're going to be talking about today and how
1:11.4	this shot works and how he came up with it. While many see this approach as a breakthrough,
1:15.5	it's also sparked some significant debate. We talk about that debate in the podcast today with Dr. Eugene,
1:21.5	and we talk about the ongoing research, the growing interest from many parts of the medical community,
1:27.0	and especially many members of
1:29.9	the military and veteran community as well who have found this shot to be a game changer. What I know
1:35.6	is this. So many people I know are living with anxiety and trauma that's debilitating. The idea
1:40.9	that there are tools that are out there that can build on the existing tools to help them live with a little bit more freedom is really exciting, which is why we wanted to do today's episode.
1:50.6	If you or anyone you know has been impacted by trauma, you're going to want to tune in.
	...

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