Thomas P. Seager is an associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering & the Built Environment at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ. Seager leads research teams working at the boundaries of engineering and social science to understand innovation for resilient infrastructure systems and the life-cycle environmental consequences of emerging energy technologies. He also serves as co-founder and CEO of two startup companies:  Morozko Forge, a leading manufacturer of ice baths for biohacking, and Upgrade Engineering, a technology company for the Circular Economy.00:02:10 Introducing Thomas Seager00:05:50 You get to choose what things mean for you00:09:10 This Is Water: Thoughts on living a compassionate life00:11:38 Complacency and living in the "Happy Middle"00:13:17 Scientists are hopeless at communicating 00:15:55 The only advice worth listening to00:19:28 Parenting as a survivor of childhood trauma00:23:37 What is epigenetically transferred trauma?00:27:21 The meaning is more important than the experience00:32:38 How ice baths help build psychological resilience00:41:25 How trauma is held in the body00:44:28 It's time you started working on your trauma00:49:24 Understanding thyroid function and cold intolerance00:55:09 The Morozko method and deliberate cold exposure00:59:04 How cold exposure improves heart rate variability01:01:57 Most searched questions on cold plunging01:04:32 Cold plunging - How long is too long?01:11:47 How to rewarm yourself after a cold plunge01:17:05 Cold plunges for inflammation01:19:58 Is cold exposure good for pregnant and breastfeeding women?01:25:54 Testosterone in women01:30:40 Collecting testosterone data in women01:33:30 Parting thoughts Releasing Trauma Through Ice BathsTrauma is a shock to the body's normal operating system. So when you're faced with a traumatic event, and that shock is stored instead of released, it can cause mental and physical health issues down the road. Interestingly, when trauma occurs, the brain temporarily shuts down your memory processing system. This act is an effort to protect itself, and so the experience is instead stored as fragments in the body.So how do we get rid of trauma that's stored in the body? According to Dr. Steager, cold exposure is one of the easiest to release trauma from the body. Whether done in a modern cold plunge tub or the middle of a freezing river, dipping your body in icy waters has some serious physical and mental benefits. Inflammation is a big one because most of us live with chronic inflammation without even realizing it. When you immerse yourself in cold water, it instantly numbs the nerves surrounding your joints and muscles. This causes the release of hormones and endorphins that acts as an analgesic, which is responsible for relieving inflammation and alleviating muscle strain and joint pain.Links and Resources:Dr. Seager's LinkedInDr. Seager on SubstackDr. Seager's InstagramMeta-DescriptionDr. Thomas P. Seager shares exactly how we can use cold plunging to release trauma, fight chronic inflammation, and live a natural life in an unnatural world. He also answers whether cold exposure is good for pregnant and breastfeeding women and how both men and women can use ice baths to increase their testosterone. Support the show