Losing, and Learning to Regain Control

Dr. Jason Shields came to jiu-jitsu with a lifetime of inner work behind him. His hyperfocus was cultivated over years, in the aftermath of severe childhood trauma tied to his father’s PTSD as a Vietnam veteran — and his mother’s own healing path through transcendental meditation and supportive community. The key lesson he carried forward: how to find a thought-free witnessing space and self-regulate from there.

In this conversation with host Pete Deeley, Shields describes what jiu-jitsu uniquely gave him — resilience through losing, the practice of regaining control, and a “home” community, with the tap as maximal threat paired with maximal safety. He recounts discovering the art on YouTube, starting a club in Norway, and training it like a sport. He makes the case for competition as a mirror and a growth catalyst, shares a memorable tournament in Italy in the wake of his mother’s death, and tells how coaching a student, Marit Gabrielsen, helped her move through a trauma-based freeze response on the mat.