From Betrayal To Breakthrough

Dr. Debi Silber
  • 4.8 (132)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

The betrayal of a family member, partner, friend, etc. can create physical, mental and emotional challenges. If left unhealed, it impacts us personally and professionally. The From Betrayal to Breakthrough podcast shares insights from the best therapists, coaches, healers, thought leaders and everyday people, combined with the findings of a recent Ph.D. study on betrayal to help you move forward and heal...once and for all.

  1. 5d ago ·  Video

    477: Betrayal, Karma & the 5D Shift: How to Stop Repeating Painful Patterns and Finally Heal

    Guest: Liane Marie Lambert — intuitive guide, energy alchemist, and transformation coach helping people move from karmic cycles into conscious, high-vibration living.  What if everything you've been through wasn't happening to you — but for you? In this episode, Dr. Debi sits down with Liane Marie Lambert to explore some of the most profound (and often misunderstood) truths about betrayal, karma, and human evolution. If you've ever wondered why you keep recreating the same painful experiences, or what it actually means to raise your vibration, this conversation is going to stop you in your tracks.  Liane brings a perspective that's as grounding as it is expansive — weaving together the science of energy, the law of karmic entanglement, and the very real possibility that we are all, right now, in the middle of the greatest evolution humanity has ever witnessed.  In this episode, you'll discover:  What karma actually is — and why the "tit for tat" version you learned is keeping you stuck  The karmic loophole: how you can energetically attract what you don't consciously agree to  Why your body always knows the truth — even when your words don't  How to tell the difference between your ego and your Higher Self  The 3D to 5D shift: what it is, what it feels like, and how to step into it  Why you are already a manifester — just possibly from a low vibration  How to become an alchemist of your own energy and experience  The one thing that will accelerate your evolution faster than anything else  Liane's final message: Trust your intuition. That's where the magic is.  Connect with Liane Marie Lambert: Website & coaching: https://www.lianemarielambert.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lianemarielambert_official  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lianemarielambert  Connect with Dr. Debi  The PBT Institute: https://thepbtinstitute.com

    36 min

  2. Jun 1 ·  Video

    476: From the Olympic Track to Betrayal Recovery

    What do the Olympic Games and betrayal recovery have in common? More than you'd think. In this powerful episode, Dr. Debi sits down with former Olympian and transformational speaker Cherita O'Dell — who represented Barbados in the long jump at the 1996 Atlanta Centennial Games — for a conversation that is equal parts raw, inspiring, and deeply practical.  Cherita's Olympic story isn't the one you'd expect. She qualified with a national record jump made in anger after a frustrating moment with her coach. Then, days before her event, she tore her hamstring in three places on a rain-soaked runway — and watched her own event from the Olympic dorm on TV. It was, as she describes it, "the highest and lowest point of my life at the exact same time."  But what followed — the bounce back, the resilience, the refusal to stay crumpled in the sand — is exactly what makes Cherita's message so timely for anyone healing from betrayal.  In this episode, you'll discover:  The mindset of an elite Olympic athlete and what it teaches us about healing from betrayal  How visualization before action rewires the body's response (and why it works the same way in recovery)  What "Stop asking God to bless your plans — make decisions God can bless" really means, and how to apply it  The danger of letting the "love bug" override your discernment — and what to do instead  Why "You complete me" is the most dangerous thing you can say in a relationship  What true wholeness looks like before entering a relationship  How to use betrayal as a pivot point into your best self  Cherita's framework for post-betrayal growth — mourn it, enhance yourself, stay optimistic, and build filters for future discernment — maps beautifully onto The Five Stages of Betrayal Recovery™. This is one you won't want to miss.  Connect with Cherita O'Dell:  Website: https://cheritaodellspeaks.com/   Book: Good God, Help Me Out — goodgodhelpmeout.com  Connect with Dr. Debi  The PBT Institute: https://thepbtinstitute.com  Watch the episode on Dr. Debi's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DebiSilber

    31 min

  3. May 25 ·  Video

    475: Why You're Not Falling Behind — The Truth About Betrayal Recovery

    If you've been feeling like you're losing hope, hitting setbacks, or struggling to set boundaries — this episode is for you. Dr. Debi Silber is pulling straight from her recent coaching sessions to shine a spotlight on three of the most common themes she's seeing right now. And here's the thing: none of them mean you're failing. In fact, they're all part of the healing process.  In this episode, Dr. Debi breaks down:  1. Losing Hope It's one of the most common experiences after betrayal — and one of the most dangerous if left unchecked. Dr. Debi explains why losing hope happens (especially when you're doing the work and your partner isn't), why "what you feed grows," and how her personal "transformation tunnel" technique can help you find evidence of forward movement, even when you can't feel it yet.  2. Setbacks Setbacks aren't signs that you're going backward. Like muscle fibers that must tear to rebuild stronger, the forward-and-back nature of The Five Stages of Betrayal Recovery™ is by design. Dr. Debi unpacks why triggers losing their charge, waves of unexpected grief, and difficult days are actually signs of growth — and how to acknowledge and celebrate them as such.  3. Boundaries Creating a new version of yourself after betrayal requires new boundaries — and new boundaries are never comfortable. Dr. Debi shares why boundaries are non-negotiable as you move toward Stage 4 and Stage 5, how to introduce them in both big and small ways, and why her favorite mantra — hard now, easy later — applies here more than anywhere.  Whether you're rebuilding with someone, healing on your own, or somewhere in between, this episode will help you see your experience with fresh eyes and give yourself the credit you deserve.  Resources Mentioned:  Learn about The Five Stages of Betrayal Recovery™: https://thepbtinstitute.com   Work with Dr. Debi (Private Sessions): https://thepbtinstitute.com/one-session-with-dr-debi/   PBT Certification for Coaches & Practitioners: https://thepbtinstitute.com/get-certified/   Speaking Inquiries: https://thepbtinstitute.com/speaking/   Connect with Dr. Debi Silber:   🌐 Website: https://thepbtinstitute.com  📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debisilber/   💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debisilber/   ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DebiSilber

    31 min

  4. May 18 ·  Video

    474: It's Never Too Late to Reinvent Yourself

    Guest: Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum, Founder & CEO of the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy (FMCA)  From Betrayal to Breakthrough with Dr. Debi Silber  Episode Overview  What does it take to reinvent yourself — not once, but multiple times? In this warm and inspiring conversation, Dr. Debi Silber welcomes her dear friend Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum, a clinical psychologist, functional medicine expert, and founder of the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy (FMCA). Sandy launched FMCA at 65 and is now thriving in her late 70s — lifting weights, dancing ballet and tap, and training other health coaches to change lives. This episode is a masterclass in courage, identity, self-efficacy, and what becomes possible when you stop letting age (or other people's opinions) define you.  Meet Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum  Dr. Sandy Scheinbaum has worn many professional hats across five decades:  Elementary education teacher — pivoted after struggling with classroom management  Learning disabilities specialist — thrived in one-on-one settings  Independent floor trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange — a short-lived but clarifying experiment  Clinical and health psychologist — a long, fulfilling career specializing in chronic illness, biofeedback, and mind-body medicine  Functional medicine practitioner — added certification to deepen her clinical work  Founder & CEO of FMCA — launched at 65 to train health coaches in functional medicine and positive psychology principles    What You'll Hear in This Episode  Why failure and "career dead ends" are often the best redirects  How Sandy tuned out the naysayers — including her own husband — and launched FMCA anyway  The role courage, creativity, and community play in reinvention at any age  Why identity is not fixed — and how midlife is a profound opportunity for identity development  Sandy's daily movement routine: strength training, ballet, tap dance, yoga, and "exercise snacks"  How self-efficacy — the belief that your actions matter — is the foundation of health transformation  What happens to self-efficacy after betrayal, and how the right support can restore it  How health coaches trained in positive psychology help clients reconnect with their strengths, purpose, and possibility  The importance of The Five Stages of Betrayal Recovery™ in moving from stuck to transformed    Key Takeaways  Reinvention isn't a detour — it's the path.  Every career "failure" in Sandy's life led her somewhere better. What looked like a dead end was actually a redirection toward greater meaning and purpose.  Your identity is not fixed.  Just as adolescence is a critical period for identity formation, so is midlife. You can try on new identities — athlete, entrepreneur, artist — at any stage of life.  Movement is non-negotiable — but it's personal.  Sandy didn't become athletic until her 70s. She now has more muscle than she did in her 40s. The key isn't a one-size-fits-all plan — it's finding what you enjoy and making it a habit.  Self-efficacy is everything.  The belief that your choices matter — in your health, your career, your healing — is the foundation of transformation. Betrayal often shatters that belief. A skilled coach helps rebuild it.  You can't imagine where you'll end up — and that's okay.  Just as no one could have imagined cell phones or AI, you cannot predict the fullness of what's ahead. The invitation is to start anyway.  The "okay" is the most dangerous place.  When things are fine but not fulfilling, many people stay stuck. The "okay" is what keeps people from reaching for more.  Quotable Moments  "Change is possible. You're never too old. It's never too late. And reinventing yourself is good." — Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum  "When you are changing, you are mobilizing those underutilized parts of you that are tied into having greater meaning and purpose." — Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum  "I train for my future self — so I can lift groceries, put things on the shelf, get down on the floor and get back up again." — Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum  "Nothing good comes from embarrassment or shame." — Dr. Albert Ellis (cited by Dr. Scheinbaum)  "The okay is the most soul-sucking thing." — Dr. Debi Silber    About Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum  Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum is a clinical psychologist, functional medicine practitioner, and the founder and CEO of the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy (FMCA). She launched FMCA at age 65 to train health coaches in the principles of functional medicine and positive psychology. FMCA is now a nationally recognized program receiving top accolades and attracting talented practitioners from around the world. Sandy is also a dancer, weightlifter, yogi, and living proof that reinvention has no expiration date.  Connect with Dr. Scheinbaum  Website: functionalmedicinecoaching.org  Instagram: @DrSandi    Connect with Dr. Debi Silber & The PBT Institute  Website: thepbtinstitute.com  Podcast: From Betrayal to Breakthrough  Book: UNSTUCK: The Practitioner's Guide to Moving Betrayal Clients from Survival to Transformation  Learn about Post Betrayal Syndrome® and The Five Stages of Betrayal Recovery™ at thepbtinstitute.com    If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs a reminder that it's never too late to become who they're meant to be.

    35 min

  5. May 11

    473: 3 Things Betrayal Destroys That Show Up Everywhere

    After recovering from pneumonia, Dr. Debi returned to her microphone with a packed day — five podcast interviews across five completely different audiences. What she discovered was striking: no matter the industry, background, or life stage, three core wounds from betrayal kept surfacing in every single conversation.  In this episode, Dr. Debi covers:  Why she did five back-to-back podcast interviews in one day — and what the experience revealed  The five audiences she spoke with: survivors of narcissistic relationships, women entrepreneurs, health coaches, sales teams, and leaders  The three things betrayal shatters that quietly derail health, business, relationships, and performance — no matter how long ago the betrayal happened  The Three Common Threads:  1. Trust Trust breaks differently depending on the arena — but it always breaks. Dr. Debi explores how shattered trust shows up in future romantic relationships after narcissistic betrayal, in the inability to form collaborative business partnerships, in clients who can't commit to a health plan, in salespeople who can't close, and in leaders who micromanage instead of delegate. And beneath all of it: the moment you stop trusting the person you trusted most, you stop trusting yourself — and your internal compass for discerning trustworthiness feels broken.  2. Confidence A shattered sense of confidence quietly sabotages everything. It keeps narcissistic abuse survivors from attracting healthy relationships. It stops women entrepreneurs from speaking boldly about their businesses. It shows up in health clients through emotional eating, exhaustion, and accelerated aging. It tanks sales numbers. And it undermines leaders who need their teams to feel steadiness and certainty — even in uncertainty. Dr. Debi notes that 47% of everyone who has been betrayed experiences weight changes, often rooted in this same confidence wound.  3. Beliefs Beliefs are the deepest layer — and the most overlooked. Dr. Debi shares her definition: a belief is the repetition of an idea from someone you trust. It doesn't have to be true to become yours. After betrayal — especially narcissistic betrayal with gaslighting — people absorb deeply disempowering beliefs: I'm not enough. I can't. I'll never. These beliefs drive every action, every result, and every ceiling. She walks through how limiting beliefs silently cap the success of entrepreneurs, block clients from following through on health plans, sink sales performance, and create a "stuckness" in leaders who can't break through to the next level.  Key Insight: Rebuilding your life after betrayal is possible — and many people do it. But rebuilding your self — your trust, your confidence, your beliefs — is what moves you from Stage 3 to Stage 5 of The Five Stages of Betrayal Recovery™. That's the difference between functioning and truly transforming.  Dr. Debi Invites You To Reflect:  Where is a lack of trust showing up in your relationships, your work, or your health?  Where has shattered confidence gone unaddressed — and how is it limiting you today?  What "I can't" or "I'll never" beliefs are quietly driving your decisions?  Resources Mentioned:  UNSTUCK: The Practitioner's Guide to Moving Betrayal Clients from Survival to Transformation — Dr. Debi's latest book, with guidance on identifying betrayal clients and the language that actually reachesthem  The Post Betrayal Syndrome® Assessment — taken by over 100,000 people in 50+ countries; 84% of those betrayed report an inability to trust  The Five Stages of Betrayal Recovery™  The PBT Institute.com: https://thepbtinstitute.com     Enjoyed this episode? Share it with someone who needs to hear it. And reach out to Dr. Debi — she'd love to know what resonated with you.

    36 min

  6. May 4

    472: Behind the Scenes with Dr. Debi — A Surprise Interview with My Daughter Camryn

    What happens when you hand the microphone to your daughter and tell her to ask whatever she wants — no prep, no filters?  That's exactly what this episode is. My daughter Camryn sat down with me for a conversation I didn't see coming, asking questions designed to draw out the side of Dr. Debi that doesn't always show up in research discussions or keynote stages — the personal, the raw, the real.  From what betrayal physically felt like in my body before I had any language for it, to what Stage Three actually looked like in our home, to what full transformation feels like at 60 with a grandchild on the way — this one goes places I rarely go publicly.  If you've ever wondered what the behind-the-scenes life of someone who built the world's leading organization for betrayal recovery research, education and transformation looks like, this episode is for you.  In This Episode:  Why Dr. Debi prioritizes being the same person everywhere — and what that has to do with a world of shattered trust  What betrayal felt like physically (hint: heartbreak is very real, and yoga almost broke her)  What "functioning but not healed" — Stage Three — actually looked like in daily life  The beliefs about betrayal she had to let go of that she never expected to question  Her biggest fear about what her children would take from watching her go through it  Why rebuilding with someone is harder than walking away — and what she learned from doing it  What "wise trust" looks like now, and how it's different from before  What Stage Five feels like in real life — 40 people in formal wear jumping in the pool, coffee time at 6am, and not caring what anyone thinks  What she would say to herself on D-Day, the day everything came out  Camryn's reflection on watching her mother not just rebuild, but transform — and what that gave the whole family  A Note from Dr. Debi:  I didn't know the questions. I didn't prepare. And that was the whole point. Camryn wanted to pull out the heart — not the researcher, not the speaker — just me. I think she did. I hope something in this conversation reaches you wherever you are in your journey. And if you're in the depths of it right now: hard now, easy later. You're so much stronger than you think.  Resources Mentioned:  Trust Again by Dr. Debi Silber  The Five Stages of Betrayal Recovery™  From Betrayal to Breakthrough Podcast    Connect with Dr. Debi:  Website: thepbtinstitute.com  Instagram: @debisilber  If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs it.

    21 min

  7. Apr 27

    471: How to Be a Friend in an Unfriendly World

    What does it actually take to be a good friend — to others and to yourself? In this rich conversation, Dr. Debi sits down with award-winning filmmaker, Columbia University faculty member, and author Barnet Bain to explore the surprising truth about why so many of us struggle in friendships: we never learned how. Drawing from his course on relationships taught at Columbia and his new book How to Be a Friend in an Unfriendly World, Barnet unpacks the invisible programming we carry from childhood, the neuroscience of emotional imprinting, and the practical steps toward becoming someone who can truly show up — for others and for yourself.  Guest: Barnet Bain  Barnet Bain is an award-winning Hollywood filmmaker, author, and educator who served on the faculty at Columbia University, where he taught a master's-level course called Artistry and Personal Spirituality — a deeply relational and psychological exploration of how we connect with others. His work spans film, writing, and teaching, all rooted in a lifelong inquiry into what it means to be in authentic relationship.  📖 Book: How to Be a Friend in an Unfriendly World — available in bookstores and online, including Amazon   🌐 Website: www.barnetbain.com  What You'll Hear in This Episode  Why no one actually taught us how to be a friend We learned to say please and thank you. We learned to compete and succeed. But nobody ever sat us down and said: here's what to do when feelings are hurt, here'show to stay connected when things are awkward, here's how to not quietly drift apart from people you love. Those foundational relational skills were simply never taught.  The "hand-me-down" beliefs running your relationships From infancy through school and beyond, we absorb beliefs, opinions, and emotional patterns — not through deliberate instruction, but by osmosis. Most of us have never questioned whether these beliefs are actually true or originally ours. Barnet describes the startling realization that one of his first original thoughts was simply: has any thought I've ever had actually been my own?  Molecules of Emotion and in-utero imprinting Inspired by Dr. Candace Pert's groundbreaking work, Barnet explains how emotional patterns can be imprinted before birth. A mother's inner emotional life — her fears, her relationship to the father, her feelings about becoming a parent — all have biochemical correlates that are shared with her unborn child. Add to that the research on generational trauma (the famous cherry blossom/mouse study gets a mention), and it becomes clear: we are carrying far more than our own story.  State-bound experiences: why we react from the past, not the present One of the most compelling concepts in this episode. A state-bound experience is when a present-day stimulus — a song, a smell, a tone of voice — instantly calls up an emotional state from long ago, triggering an old response in a new situation. Most of our reactions to difficult moments in relationships aren't really about now — they're old programs running on autopilot.  The sunburn analogy When you have a sunburn and someone slaps you on the back, your reaction isn't really about them — it's about the unhealed wound. The same is true emotionally. An outsized reaction to something someone says or does is almost always a signal: there's a sunburn here that hasn't healed. The path forward isn't to blame the person who touched it — it's to tend to the wound.  Reactions vs. responses A reaction is automatic, coming from the sunburn. A response is what becomes possible when you slow down enough to recognize: this isn't about now. That pause — that moment of awareness — is where choice enters.  You can't be a better friend to others than you are to yourself This one lands differently when you hear it in the context of betrayal healing. Many of us have been great friends to others while running a brutal inner monologue toward ourselves. That kind of friendship isn't sustainable — and it often has less to do with love and more to do with trying to feel worthy. Real friendship starts inside.  The ingredients of genuine friendship  Safety first — not bubble wrap, but the kind of safety where vulnerability isn't weaponized. Can your friend say something honest and messy about you without you flinching, deflecting, or lashing out? That's a growth edge worth paying attention to.  Consistency over intensity — friendships fade when left to convenience. Like a rose garden, they require regular tending. A simple text: "Thinking of you — no reply needed."  Undivided presence — put down the device. Look someone in the eye. Be with them. Your presence, undistracted, is one of the greatest gifts you can offer another human being.  Making friends as adults It's harder — not because people are less friendly, but because the organic conditions that once created connection (same classroom, same playground) no longer exist. Building friendships in adulthood requires the same intentionality you'd bring to anything else that matters.  A Note from Dr. Debi  This episode carries a special resonance for anyone healing from betrayal. So much of what Barnet describes — the unquestioned beliefs, the state-bound reactions, the sunburn — shows up directly in the aftermath of being hurt by someone you trusted. Healing isn't just about moving on from what happened. It's about becoming conscious of the old programming so you can choose differently. That's exactly the work.  Resources Mentioned  Molecules of Emotion by Dr. Candace Pert  The Biology of Belief by Dr. Bruce Lipton  Barnet Bain's website: www.barnetbain.com  How to Be a Friend in an Unfriendly World by Barnet Bain — available wherever books are sold  The PBT Institute: https://thepbtinstitute.com/  Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to From Betrayal to Breakthrough and leave a review — it helps more people find their way from betrayal to breakthrough.

    38 min

  8. Apr 20

    470: The Wall That Protected You Is Now Your Prison

    TRIGGER WARNING: CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE In this powerful and important episode, Dr. Debi sits down with Chris Yadon, Executive Director of Saprea, a nonprofit dedicated to the prevention of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and healing for survivors. Chris shares his own journey — growing up amid instability, learning to emotionally numb as a child — and how that personal experience became the foundation for his professional mission at Saprea.  Together, Dr. Debi and Chris explore why childhood sexual abuse is such a uniquely devastating betrayal: in 80% of cases, the perpetrator is someone the child knows and trusts. They unpack the psychology of trauma bonding, betrayal blindness, and why survivors often don't recognize the abuse as abnormal until young adulthood. Chris explains the three forces that keep CSA under-reported — shame, trauma bonding, and perpetrator threats — and why these silencers persist well into adulthood.  They also discuss the lasting impacts of unhealed childhood sexual abuse, including sobering statistics: 85% of survivors who don't address their trauma will develop a mental health disorder by age 30, and survivors are three times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population. From substance use to eating disorders, anxiety to depression, the cost of not healing is profound — and it shows up at work, in relationships, and in every corner of life.  Chris shares Saprea's prevention model, the role parents and caregivers play in reducing risk on both sides, and how healing can begin at any age. He closes with a beautiful, hope-filled story of Kaya Noah — a survivor whose emotional walls came down in a snowfall — and three memorable takeaways about connection, community, and courage.  If you or someone you love is a survivor, this episode carries a clear and compassionate message: healing is possible. And the resources are free.  🔗 Learn more: saprea.org   📌 Find Chris on LinkedIn or Substack: search "Yadon"    Dr. Debi sits down with Chris Yadon of Saprea to explore childhood sexual abuse — what makes it so psychologically damaging, why it stays hidden, how it shows up in adult relationships and the workplace, and most importantly, how healing is possible at any age.

    33 min
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About

The betrayal of a family member, partner, friend, etc. can create physical, mental and emotional challenges. If left unhealed, it impacts us personally and professionally. The From Betrayal to Breakthrough podcast shares insights from the best therapists, coaches, healers, thought leaders and everyday people, combined with the findings of a recent Ph.D. study on betrayal to help you move forward and heal...once and for all.

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