Credits: deepakchopra, realdonaldtrump/Instagram, Canva
On a recent episode of CONAN, Indian-American author and spiritual guru Deepak Chopra dropped a health truth bomb. Speaking to Conan O’Brien, Chopra suggested that US President Donald Trump might benefit from a spiritual detox. “He needs love. That is all he needs,” Chopra said.
The suggestion drew laughter, but it was not just a joke. Chopra was serious about the consequences of a wounded psyche. “He is constantly looking for validation,” Chopra said, reflecting on Trump’s persona. “He was never good enough, probably, when he was a child... So he always wants to be the best. ‘I am the best. And if you do not agree with me, then you are fake news.’”
Emotional wounds and unresolved trauma can lead to physical illness...
What Chopra touched on, perhaps unintentionally threading the needle between psychology and physiology, was something modern medicine has started to acknowledge more seriously: emotional wounds and unresolved trauma can lead to physical illness. Chopra was not just psychoanalysing Trump for fun—he was issuing a public service announcement.
“Right now he is inflamed,” Chopra said. “Chronic inflammation is a risk factor for everything from Alzheimer’s disease to cardiovascular disease to autoimmune disease.”
In the world of integrative health, the idea of “healing your inner child” is not just New Age fluff. It is increasingly recognised that chronic stress, emotional neglect, and perpetual feelings of inadequacy can keep the body locked in a state of low-grade inflammation. This state, over time, contributes to a lot of diseases.
Chopra's solution? Meditation. Compassion. Empathy.
“If he spent a week in meditation,” Chopra said, “he could heal his inner child that is very wounded.” And therein lies the real health tip that adult diseases often begin in childhood wounds, and no amount of executive power or social media bravado can mask the need for genuine connection.
Whether or not you believe that Trump should attend a weeklong meditation retreat, maybe it is time we all did a little inner child check-in.
