#14 This week I welcome to the show Joshua Mantz.
This is one incredible podcast episode. I was truly moved and honoured to have Josh on the show.
Josh served as a platoon leader and was shot and killed by an enemy sniper. He flatlined for 15 minutes (yes you read that right) before being brought back to life.
We discuss what went on in those 15 minutes and the decade long emotional struggle he would endure as he sought to find meaning in a “second life.”
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About Joshua: Josh was serving as a Platoon Leader with the 1st Cavalry Division in Iraq when he was shot and killed by an enemy sniper. The bullet first severed the aorta of one of his men before ricocheting into Josh’s leg and severing his femoral artery. He went on to flatline for 15 minutes before being revived by the medical team, and retains full recollection of the event.
Physically, Josh made a complete recovery and continued to excel in his career. But internally, he was collapsing. He’d soon come to understand that his near-death experience would pale in comparison to the decade long emotional struggle he would endure as he sought to find meaning in a “second life.”
It took traveling down many dangerous paths, false starts, suicidal spirals, and bouts of depression before Josh uncovered the truth behind trauma. He found that many of the things that plagued him had little to do with the experience of dying itself. Instead, the void he was experiencing was being driven by guilt, shame, and the microscopic details of events that didn’t even seem to be traumatic on the surface.
It’s this experience that has ignited a passion in Josh for helping others grappling with emotional trauma, and now informs his work within Darker Souls. He is a firm believer that all of us have the strength to overcome our experiences and regain control over our lives.
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Links & Resources For Joshua Mantz:
www.darkersouls.com
Joshua Mantz TEDx