Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee - BITESIZE | Auschwitz Survivor Dr Edith Eger on How to Discover Your Inner Power #319

Episode Date: December 9, 2022

This is a powerful story that my guest delivers with extraordinary wisdom. It will stop you in your tracks. Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart.  Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today’s clip is from episode 144 of the podcast with the wonderful Edith Eger, a holocaust survivor, a psychologist, and an author. This was a powerful conversation that fundamentally changed my perspective on life. In this clip, Edith shares her extraordinary story. Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/feelbetterlivemore. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com. Thanks to our sponsor http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/144 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk   DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's Bite Size episode is brought to you by AG1, a science-driven daily health drink with over 70 essential nutrients to support your overall health. It includes vitamin C and zinc, which helps support a healthy immune system, something that is really important at this time of year. It also contains prebiotics and digestive enzymes that help support your gut health. It's really tasty and has been in my own life for over five years. Until the end of January, AG1 are giving a limited time offer. Usually they offer my listeners a one-year supply of vitamin D and K2 and five free travel packs with their first order. But until the end of January, they are doubling the five free travel packs to

10. And these packs are perfect for keeping in your backpack, office, or car. If you want to take advantage of this limited time offer, all you have to do is go to drinkag1.com forward slash live more. Welcome to Feel Better Live More Bite Size, your weekly dose of positivity and optimism to get you ready for the weekend. Today's clip is from episode 144 of the podcast with the wonderful Edith Eaker. Now Edith is a Holocaust survivor, she's a psychologist and she's the author of two brilliant books. The conversation I had with her was one of the most powerful ones I have ever had and was one that fundamentally changed my perspective on life. In this clip, Edith shares her extraordinary story.

Auschwitz was an opportunity and today we have an opportunity to really decide whether we are holding on to hatred or recognizing that that hatred is eating us up and how to be a survivor and not a victim of anything or anyone or any circumstance. I think Auschwitz was an opportunity for an opportunity to discover my power within me that no Nazi could take away. Change is synonymous with growth. So I'm hoping that people can find some positive way to make a decision that life is not from outside in. But I have discovered my inner resources in Auschwitz, that I was able to decide that they were the prisoners, not me. And they could never murder my spirit. So it's not what happens, it's what you do with it. You say Auschwitz was an opportunity. Yes.

You're saying that now as a 93-year-old lady, is that right? Yes. Which is incredible. Yes. 93 years young, I love that. Chronological age doesn't count at all. Could you take us through that day when you were, I mean, what was that day like? Was it just a normal day for you in your life?

One of the things I always say in schools is what my mother told me in the car. We don't know where we're going. We don't know what's going to happen. Just remember, no one can take away from you what you put here in your own mind. When I arrived, it was chaotic. I didn't know where I was. I never heard of Auschwitz, but then we were separated. My father said, actually, you know, we're just gonna work and then we're gonna go home. And that's not what happened.

Because an hour later he was in a gas chamber. So was my mother. So, and then I stood in line with my sister Magda and there was a guy who was referred to as the angel of death. He was pointing to the left or to the right and pointed my mother to go to the left. And when I followed my mother, he grabbed me.

And I never forget those eyes. And so he drew me on the other side and said, you're going to see your mother very soon. She's just going to take a shower. And as she drew me on the other side, I ended up a few miles away called Birkenau.

And one of the inmates pulled my earrings out and yelled at me that while I was going to the theater, she said I was rotting here. And so she took her anger out on me.

Today we call it displaced aggression, but I didn't know that. I just said to her, you know, I would have given you my earrings. And besides, when will I see my mother? And she pointed at the chimney. And fire was coming out of the chimney and said, your mother is burning there. You better talk about her in past tense. And my sister hugged me and she said, makes me cry. And she said, the spirit never dies. The spirit never dies.

They could put me in a gas chamber any minute I had no power over it. and I was able to turn the hatred into pity and decided that they were the prisoners. So I became a very talented schizophrenic. I did what I was told every day, but deep inside, I had my spirit. We had to learn very quickly the rules not to fight or flee but to stay in a situation and just kind of when they say one day at a time I would say to myself, if I survive today, then tomorrow I'm going to see my boyfriend because he told me I have beautiful eyes and beautiful hands. So it's the way you think you create, you create what you think. That's important.

create what you think. That's important. Every morning when you get up in the morning and you look in the mirror and you say, I love me because self-love is self-care. It's not narcissistic.

It's okay to love you and look forward to the day that you create your thinking you create your feeling and you create the behavior so before you say anything ask yourself is it kind is it really very important and necessary and if it's not, don't say it. You talk about cooperation. And one of the many striking things about your life story that I've read about is how even in Auschwitz, kindness and cooperation was absolutely key. It was key for you to survive.

And actually, not only was it key for you to survive, it potentially saved your life at a point later on, I believe, when you were starving and very, very hungry. That's right. When Dr. Mengele gave me a piece of of bread i could have gobbled it all up and i chose to climb up and share it with the girls and later on when i was in that death march going from malthouse and to Gunskirchen and if I would have stopped I would have been shot right away I revisited that place, every place I was

and I looked at those places that I could have been shot and the girls that I shared the bread with saw me stopping and they came and they carried me, they formed

a chair with their arms and they carried me so I wouldn't die. And that's what happened in Auschwitz. We had to commit to each other. It was cooperation, not competition or

domination because all we had was each other then. And all we have is each other now. How can we empower each other with our differences? compassionate listener, even to the white supremacy member who came to see me and told me how he's going to kill all the Jewish people, all the black people, all the Mexicans, all the Chinese, and not to react. If I would have reacted, I would have taken that boy and dragged him to the corner. I would step on him and tell him, who do you think you're talking to? I saw my mother going to the gas chamber. But I think that the most obnoxious person is my best teacher.

Yeah. So, I think it's very good to look at the bigot in you. Yeah. It's there. There is a Hitler there. There is a Mother Teresa there. There is kindness. There is goodness.

And I think it's very, very important to really change our thinking that can change our lives yeah by letting go of the concentration camp that you created in your own mind that's what forgiveness is.

You give yourself a gift that you do not carry the people that you hate, that you release them, you let them go. That's why forgiveness isn't about me forgiving you for what you did to me.

It's for me to liberate myself not to be a prisoner or the hostage of the past. I don't live in Auschwitz. I go through the valley of the shadow of death. I don't camp there or set up house there. But I don't forget it or overcome it. I came to term freedom. I call it my cherished wound. Yeah.

The prison is in our own minds and the key is in our pocket. Just so powerful. Really. It's in our pocket. Just so powerful. Really, there's such wisdom in what you say, Edith, but there's also, there's love. Some people may listen to this and listen to your story and go, wow, she's an incredible lady, which I completely agree with, but they may go one step further and they may say, well, she's special. She's got a superpower. I'm not like her. She was able to overcome what she went through and come out the other side. She's stronger than me. What would you say to someone who's feeling like that? Get rid of the word overcome.

I don't forget. I do not overcome. I come to terms with it. Part of me was left in Auschwitz. I want to be a realist, not an idealist. Life is difficult. The more I suffer, the stronger I become. Yeah.

I mean, one of the things I've heard you say before is, I don't want you to hear my story and say, my own suffering is insignificant. I want you to hear it and say, if she can do it, so can I. It was such a wonderful thing to read. And the way you put it in the book, there's no hierarchy in trauma, was just so beautiful. and trauma was just so beautiful. Don't minimize or trivialize anything. Suffering is a feeling. It's part of life.

It's good to invite it in when you get triggered. Feel that feeling, but then you decide how long you're going to hold on to that feeling. I don't forget the past. I don't overcome it. I came to terms with it. There is a big difference. I don't live in Auschwitz. I live in a present.

And I think young. But not young and foolish. So I'm not smart. I'm wise, hopefully. For someone who's struggling in their life, who feels they can't see a way out, have you got any closing words that people can use as inspiration to take them on in their lives? Just a little mantra. Yes, I am. Yes, I can. Yes, I will. Yes, I am. Yes, I can. Because it is temporary what you're going through. So you have a choice. You have a choice embrace that feeling invite that feeling in and there

are no crises there are only transitions there are no problems there are only challenges edith it has been my absolute honor thank you you so much. And I really, really look forward to next time we get to talk. Namaste. Namaste. Hope you enjoyed that bite-sized clip. Do spread the love by sharing this episode with your friends and family. These bite-sized episodes will be back in the new year, but I'll be back as usual next week for a brand new

long form conversation on Wednesday. Thanks for listening. I'll see you then.