Hope and Healing: The Body Keeps The Score

Hope and Healing: The Body Keeps The Score

 

The Body Keeps The Score Summary

"The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the complex and long-lasting effects of trauma on individuals and society. Van der Kolk's groundbreaking research on the neurobiology of trauma has transformed our understanding of how traumatic experiences shape the brain and body.

 

In this book, he presents a comprehensive overview of the latest research on trauma and its treatment, as well as practical strategies for helping individuals who have experienced trauma to heal. He argues that traditional talk therapies are often insufficient for addressing the physical and emotional symptoms of trauma, and instead advocates for a multimodal approach that includes somatic therapies, EMDR, and other innovative interventions.

 

Van der Kolk also explores how trauma affects different populations, including children, veterans, and survivors of abuse. His insights into the impact of trauma on relationship dynamics and social engagement shed light on the broader societal implications of trauma.

 

Overall, "The Body Keeps the Score" is a seminal work that offers hope and guidance to those struggling with the aftermath of trauma, and provides valuable insights for clinicians, researchers, and policymakers alike.

 

Quotes in The Body Keeps The Score

1. “The attempt to run away from anxiety and depression is ultimately self-defeating, because the self is disowned in the process.”

 

2. “It’s not what’s wrong with you, it’s what happened to you.”

 

3. “You don’t have to be a soldier or a victim to appreciate the opportunities that danger provides for developing new skills and new ways of seeing things.”

 

4. “The brain-disease model overlooks four fundamental truths: (1) our capacity to destroy one another is matched by our capacity to heal one another. Restoring relationships and community is central to restoring well-being; (2) language gives us the power to change ourselves and others by communicating our experiences, helping us to define what we know, and finding a common sense of meaning; (3) we have the ability to regulate our own physiology, including some of the so-called involuntary functions of the body and brain, through simple activities such as breathing, moving, and touching; and (4) we can change social conditions to create environments in which children and adults can feel safe and where they can thrive.”

 

5. “Trauma victims cannot recover until they become familiar with and befriend the sensations in their bodies. Being frightened means that you live in a body that is always on guard. Angry people live in angry bodies. The bodies of child-abuse victims are tense and defensive until they find a way to relax and feel safe. In order to change, people need to become aware of their sensations and the way that their bodies interact with the world around them. Physical self-awareness is the first step in releasing the tyranny of the past.”

 

The Body Keeps The Score Author

 

The author of "The Body Keeps the Score" is Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, a renowned psychiatrist and researcher in the field of trauma and its effects on the brain and body.

 

In his book, Dr. van der Kolk explores how traumatic experiences can fundamentally alter the way our brains and bodies function, leading to a range of physical and emotional symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. He also delves into various treatment approaches, including neurofeedback, yoga, and EMDR, that can help individuals heal from trauma and regain control over their lives.

 

Published in 2014, "The Body Keeps the Score" has become a seminal work in the field of trauma research and has helped to shift the conversation around trauma from a focus on individual pathology to an understanding of how broader social, cultural, and political factors can contribute to trauma and its impact.