230 - Healing From Childhood Abuse with Former NFL Player Reggie Walker

The Verywell Mind Podcast

Dotdash Media Inc.

Health & Fitness, Self-improvement, Mental Health, Education

5 • 703 Ratings

🗓️ 16 January 2023

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Reggie Walker spent seven years in the NFL playing for the Cardinals, the Chargers, and the Broncos before deciding to walk away from the game. Reggie was sexually, emotionally, and physically abused during childhood — something he tried to hide for much of his life. And for a while, football became a socially appropriate way for him to mask his anger because he could be aggressive on the field. He decided to get help to heal from the trauma he endured by talking to a therapist. But weekly therapy wasn’t enough, so he checked himself into a 30-day inpatient treatment program. He’s since pursued a degree in counseling so he can help other people heal from their pain. He started a program for athletes to help them manage their mental health, and he wrote a book called The Game Within the Game. Some of the things Reggie talks about are how he found the courage to get help, how he recognized that therapy wasn't going to be helpful enough, and the steps he is now taking to manage his mental health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Very Well Mind podcast. We've interviewed over 100 authors, experts, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, and others to help you learn strategies to care for your mental health.
0:22.9	This episode is hosted by psychotherapist and bestselling author Amy Morin. Now let's get into the episode.
0:47.2	Okay. Today we're talking about childhood abuse and how to heal from it.
0:55.8	While traumatic events at any point in our lives will have an impact on us, being the victim of childhood abuse can affect almost every aspect of your life, even decades later. According to the Children's Advocacy Center,
1:01.9	one out of three girls and one out of five boys will be sexually abused before they reach age 18.
1:08.0	90% of those children who are abused actually know the perpetrator. Abused and neglected
1:13.4	kids are 11 times more likely to engage in criminal behavior as an adult. And 80% of 21-year-olds
1:20.3	who were abused as children meet the criteria for at least one psychological disorder.
1:26.3	Despite those startling statistics,
1:28.3	it's a topic that most people don't want to discuss.
1:31.0	As a therapist, I see lots of people who struggle
1:33.3	to talk about the fact that they were abused as kids.
1:36.5	Some people are still protective of family members who abuse them.
1:40.4	Others are concerned that nobody's going to believe them.
1:43.5	And many people just don't want to stir up the things that they've worked really hard to avoid for so many years.
1:48.7	While all of those things can be valid concerns, our guest today shares how talking about his history of abuse actually set him free.
1:57.7	Today I'm talking to a NFL player Reggie Walker.
2:01.7	Reggie was sexually, physically, and emotionally abused as a child, and he kept that a secret for most of his life.
2:08.1	In fact, he says in some ways football saved him because it gave him a socially acceptable way to act out his anger.
2:14.7	But he also engaged in some self-destructive behaviors, like smoking and drinking.
2:19.7	He eventually went to therapy. But he said that a one hour a week appointment with a therapist
2:24.6	wasn't enough. So he checked himself into a residential treatment center so he could get more
	...

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