When you first meet Barb Varcl Smith, you’re struck not only by her calm authority but by a quiet strength earned through decades of study, self-discovery, and deep compassion. A Therapist, Educator, and Advocate for Mental Wellbeing, Barb has dedicated more than thirty years to understanding how the human mind responds to trauma—and how it can heal. As the Founder of the Trauma Response Recovery program and the educational platform Complex PTSD Blueprint, Barb has become a guiding voice for those navigating the often misunderstood landscapes of Complex PTSD, PTSD, and related coping mechanisms such as eating disorders, addiction, dissociation, and anxiety. Her journey began not in a classroom, but in her own healing. After confronting Complex PTSD, Barb immersed herself in a lifelong pursuit of knowledge—studying diverse modalities from The Silva Method of Mind Control and NLP to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Hypnotherapy, and Rapid Transformation Therapy. Join Mystic Mag to read more.
Your recovery journey began over three decades ago with the Silva Method. What was the most pivotal insight from that initial experience that has influenced your work since?
The pivotal moment was the realization of the deep connection between the body and the mind—understanding that we can actually heal the body through working with the mind.
I attended what was, at the time, called the Ultra Course as part of the Silva Method. It wasn’t just about connecting to our own bodies, but even learning to connect with others—to sense what might be wrong with them and to direct healing through intention. I experienced healing myself, and I saw people around me heal too. That was a real ‘wow’ moment.
This kind of thing isn’t talked about much anymore, but back then, it was quite unbelievable for many people. And yet—it worked. It worked on so many levels for me.
I was dealing with chronic fatigue syndrome and had been told I would never recover, that I wouldn’t be able to function normally. But I did recover. I also healed from allergies, liver and joint issues, and more.
So yes, it was truly a pivotal moment—not just realizing how powerful the mind is, but also learning how we can communicate with the deepest parts of our body and energy to heal.
You created both a Trauma Response Recovery Program and the Complex PTSD Blueprint. What is the key difference between these two methodologies, and how do their intended outcomes differ?
The Trauma Response Reprogramming Program is a therapeutic program designed to support recovery from trauma, particularly childhood trauma. According to current statistics, around 80 to 90 percent of people have experienced childhood trauma, often without being consciously aware of it. This program was developed alongside my original methodology, the Steps of Ascendance, which guides individuals through four structured stages of healing. These stages lead toward full recovery from the lasting impact of early traumatic experiences.
In contrast, the Complex PTSD Blueprint is an educational training course where I teach others—therapists, coaches, social workers, psychologists, and even individuals attending for their own personal growth. The course provides a deep understanding of how trauma develops, why it occurs, and how it manifests in a wide range of symptoms—many of which go far beyond what people typically expect.
Participants learn the Steps of Ascendance in depth—understanding the necessary phases that must occur for full recovery. From there, we explore how different therapeutic modalities or techniques can be selected to support each stage of the process. The key insight here is that it’s not just about choosing the right technique, but about following the correct sequence of healing steps. True recovery depends on the order and integrity of this process.
As part of the course, I also introduce my theory of the Five Pillars of the Self. This framework explains how the human mind functions at a deeper level. It identifies the essential internal structures that must work together to create a sense of emotional balance and psychological stability. Once these foundational parts of the self are understood and restored to healthy function, everything else begins to align. It’s like a puzzle coming together—once the key pieces are in place, the full picture becomes clear, and personal growth can unfold naturally.
What type of services do you offer?
I primarily offer online one-on-one sessions, although I also facilitate group work. For most people, individual sessions tend to be the most effective. This is because everyone’s trauma story is unique, and it’s important that each person has the space to express and explore their experience in depth. In one-on-one work, I can guide them through their personal healing journey more precisely and with the depth it requires.
At its core, trauma is often a result of a lack of education. When we are children and something overwhelming or painful happens, we don’t have the knowledge or tools to respond in a healthier way. So, our mind makes a choice in the moment—a survival strategy that worked then, but often becomes a long-term pattern. These patterns might look like freezing, escaping, overreacting, shutting down, or adapting to please others. And then we get stuck in those responses, often without even realizing it.
Part of healing, therefore, is not only doing the deep emotional and energetic work, but also giving the mind new information—educating it in a way that helps us understand ourselves differently. When the mind receives this new perspective, it can begin to shift very quickly. It’s almost as if we start rewriting our inner history.
I often describe it this way: imagine your life as a huge library of DVDs. You might re-watch a movie from 20 years ago and notice new things simply because you’re seeing it through different eyes. But if you also learn something new—like who the actor really was or the meaning behind the soundtrack—you suddenly see that movie in a completely new light. In the same way, when we add new insight to our memories and trauma experiences, we’re not changing the past—we’re changing our relationship with it. That’s the transformative power of combining therapy, education, and deep healing.
What I offer through Trauma Recovery Reprogramming is exactly that: a combination of therapeutic work at the mental, emotional, spiritual, and somatic levels, along with powerful education that helps the mind update its understanding. When both aspects are integrated, healing becomes not only possible, but sustainable.
You’ve integrated traditional therapeutic models such as CBT and NLP, along with more esoteric approaches like quantum healing. How do you balance science and spirituality in your work with trauma clients?
I believe that science is not separate from spirituality—in fact, it is gradually catching up with it. Many of the techniques we now describe as “new discoveries” in science or psychology are not new at all. They have existed for centuries, even millennia, within spiritual and philosophical traditions.
Take quantum healing, for example. The term was introduced by Dr. Deepak Chopra, who explored why so-called “miracle healings” occur and found explanations within the mechanisms of the mind and consciousness. Yet the core principles of what we now call quantum healing were described long before—in the ancient Egyptian papyri, in the Bible, and in the spiritual exercises of Ignatius of Loyola, whose teachings are still used by the Catholic Church to train priests. These ancient sources already pointed to the mind–body–spirit connection that modern science is only now beginning to understand.
Science does not truly contradict spirituality; rather, it sometimes takes time to verify what spirituality has long intuited. Many scientists may not use the same language, but as research advances, it often confirms what spiritual traditions have taught for centuries. When we look at the vastness of the universe, it becomes difficult to believe that life and consciousness are random accidents. Even many scientists acknowledge that creation, in some form, must exist—though they may not define it in religious terms.
The truth is that science and spirituality are moving toward the same understanding, just from different directions. Scientists are often deeply spiritual people themselves; their curiosity and drive to understand life are, in a sense, spiritual pursuits. Both fields are seeking the same thing: to uncover the truth of how life works and to help humanity heal and evolve.
This is why, in my work, I blend both worlds. I stay informed about scientific developments, especially those that validate what many of us already know from spiritual and energetic practices. For example, electronic acupuncture was developed in France in 1975 and later produced in the Czech Republic—it demonstrated that energy pathways, or meridians, can be measured and influenced electronically. NASA later created diagnostic systems based on the body’s energy levels in the 1980s, and today, astronauts’ physical and mental states are monitored through mind–body integration systems.
Similarly, aura photography has existed for nearly 200 years, and modern imaging techniques like MRI scans now show clear physical changes in the brain when emotional stress is released. We can even photograph the effects of emotions stored in the body and see how trauma alters brain development. These are all examples of science confirming what spiritual healers have known intuitively for centuries: that energy, emotion, and consciousness are real forces shaping our health and lives.
For me, there is no contradiction between science and spirituality. My goal is simple—to help people heal. The method or label doesn’t matter as much as the result. Whether it’s CBT, NLP, quantum healing, or any other approach, what truly matters is that it works and supports transformation.
Every method, no matter its name, aims to restore balance between mind, body, and spirit. When we look beyond terminology and focus on what actually helps people grow and recover, we realize that science and spirituality are not opposing forces—they are two languages describing the same truth.
What is one message or belief about healing from trauma that you would like to see universally understood or embraced?
I think the most important message I want to see universally adopted is that healing from trauma is possible. So many people still believe it’s not—that the best they can do is manage their symptoms, cope with panic attacks, control nightmares, or learn to live with being a people-pleaser. But you cannot truly “manage” trauma. You have to heal it, to switch off the responses that were created in survival and release what no longer serves you. Only then can you live fully in the present moment and experience a purposeful, joyful, and balanced life—one that includes all emotions, like sadness or anger, but without being overwhelmed or controlled by them.
My motto has always been: Break the cycle, change the world. Because when one person heals, everything around them changes. Healing does not mean that life becomes perfect or that we’ll walk through a rose garden every day. Life will always have its ups and downs. But it does mean that peace, stability, and joy become our natural state, no matter what challenges arise.
The belief that trauma recovery is impossible is one of the greatest collective limitations of our time. Yet if we look deeply at the problems in the world—conflict, poverty, inequality, family dysfunction—so much of it traces back to unhealed trauma, to pain and fear passed down through generations. When individuals and families begin to break that cycle, everything shifts. Children grow up emotionally healthy, relationships improve, and communities thrive. The ripple effect is profound. I see it often in my work—sometimes I work with entire families, and the change is incredible. It’s like a quantum leap in their emotional and energetic quality of life. Communication, connection, and success all start to flow naturally when healing happens.
So my message is simple: there is hope. Healing is possible, and it doesn’t have to take years of exhausting work. Change can happen much faster than people think—sometimes within just a few months, and for some, even after the first session. Once a person feels that shift, they begin to believe that transformation is possible, and it keeps expanding from there.
There is no single path to healing. For some, it might be spiritual work; for others, it’s movement, therapy, education, or bodywork. What matters most is staying open to the possibility that change can happen. Even if someone doesn’t yet believe in God or a higher power, I often tell them, “That’s okay—He believes in you.” Because we are all guided, even when we don’t realize it. When people find their way to me, I often say, “You’re here because you’re meant to be here.” I help them heal, and then they continue their journey—whether through nutrition, fitness, or other practices. Healing is a process, and every step counts.
Ultimately, my message to the world is this: hope is real, and full recovery from trauma is absolutely possible. Even if you don’t yet understand that your current struggles come from childhood trauma, you can still change how you feel and how you live. If you are unhappy in any area of your life, that can change. Healing is not a fantasy—it’s a reality, and it begins with believing that you can.
