The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.

Paperback, 2015

Call number

616.8521 VAN

Collection

Publication

Penguin Books (2015), Edition: Reprint, 464 pages

Description

Medical. Psychiatry. Psychology. Nonfiction. HTML:#1 New York Times bestseller â??Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding and treating traumatic stress and the scope of its impact on society.â?ť â??Alexander McFarlane, Director of the Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies A pioneering researcher transforms our understanding of trauma and offers a bold new paradigm for healing in this New York Times bestseller   Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the worldâ??s foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferersâ?? capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatmentsâ??from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yogaâ??that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brainâ??s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolkâ??s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to healâ??and offers… (more)

Media reviews

Packed with science and human stories, the book is an intense read that can get technical. Stay with it, though: van der Kolk has a lot to say, and the struggle and resilience of his patients is very moving.

User reviews

LibraryThing member LisCarey
This was in many ways a tough listen for me, but a good one. Van der Kolk is a psychiatrist who has worked extensively with trauma survivors. This book is about the ways traumatic experiences permanently affect us.

Trauma isn't just something that happens to our bodies, and Post-Traumatic Stress
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Disorder isn't just something that happens in our brains.

It doesn't take combat, terrifying accidents, or obvious child abuse to cause PTSD. Obviously they all can, and do, and are the most easily recognized causes. But other events, that may not even be recognized as trauma, can also be traumatic, and have lasting effects.

Among these less obvious traumatic experiences are separating a baby or young child from a primary caregiver. Infants and children need security, trust, confidence that they can rely on the adults responsible for their care. Going from one family or set of caretakers to another is scary and deeply unsettling. That doesn't mean it's never justified. Indeed, sometimes it's absolutely essential.

I just deleted an account of events in my own childhood that I've decided it's not appropriate to post.

A lot of my own issues come from these events in my early childhood, that I'd long been told didn't happen, and which no one involved intended in a bad way. From the viewpoint of the adults, it had been the sensible thing to do at the time. They were keeping me safe. But I grew up with what seemed like objectively true knowledge, that I had better not annoy the adults in charge of me, because they might decide to send me someplace else.

This book let me recognize these fears as not abnormal, not just intellectually (I'd heard the same from therapists prior to the one who said "get this book") but also at least a little bit emotionally, and also feel that maybe I can get past them.

I'm not doing justice to this book. It's clear, accessible, revealing. I learned a lot, and not just about my own issues. But it can be upsetting, precisely because it can be useful.

Highly recommended.

I borrowed this audiobook from my local library.
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LibraryThing member jellyfishjones
Essential reading for anyone who works with children, who has experienced trauma themselves, or who works with adults with trauma history. This book surveys the topic at both introductory and deep levels. The first four parts all deal with what science currently knows about how trauma physically
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rewires the brain and body. The final part surveys the most promising treatment methods currently available for treating trauma. I appreciate that everything is well-cited using unobtrusive footnotes and that there is a wonderful resource appendix. As might be expected, the book is heavy reading at times, but ultimately provides a hopeful message of the possibility of healing even the deepest trauma. As an educator, I consider this essential professional development reading. It has greatly impacted my understanding of my students.
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LibraryThing member Milehighlibrarian
Outstanding resource for understanding the effects of trauma on the brain and body and therapies that can aid in recovery.
LibraryThing member DavidFerrers
This is an amazing book for anyone who has ever suffered trauma. It is giving me so much understanding about the effect that events in my early life had upon my feelings and behaviour. I am so grateful to the author for showing me the source of so many of my behaviours that I have never liked in
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myself. It has been a real eye-opener for me.
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LibraryThing member bness2
Another book that everyone needs to read. Trauma is so much a part of so many people's lives, and children experience trauma way more often then they should. van der Kolk provides an excellent overview of the topic and provides lots of hope for ways the effects of trauma can be treated. Read it,
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you will not regret it!
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LibraryThing member Kronomlo
If you are interested in the science and treatment of trauma, and I mean if you have any little interest in it at all, then read this book. It's fascinating to see how negative experiences can affect someone in either a big or little way, and to help how to approach your own mental states if they
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ever start going south.
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LibraryThing member ajlewis2
This book goes into more detail than I wanted. I quit reading at 12%.
LibraryThing member b.masonjudy
Van Der Kolk writes of trauma and therapy in a way that's accessible and deeply grounded in scientific and clinical observations. His grasp of the field in practice and study seems almost unparalleled and I found many moments where the stories of survival drove me to tears.
LibraryThing member KarenOdden
In 1980, the author, a psychiatrist at the Boston VA clinic, submitted a grant to examine the effect of PTSD on veterans, and the first line of the grant rejection read: "It has never been shown that PTSD is relevant to the mission of the Veterans Administration." (!!!) When it comes to
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understanding trauma, we've come a long way. This (nonfiction) book reflects on the history of trauma studies and describes contemporary neuroscience and treatments. It has a lot to offer both writers (with respect to developing backstory for characters) and the general reader--not least of which is understanding some of what's going on in our brains (Broca's area, which controls language, and the amygdala and PFC) with current levels of stress. This book also took me back to my dissertation days, when I would often get the academic version of eye-roll from people when I tried to explain (probably poorly) that I was writing about trauma as an explanatory narrative that began with Victorian railway crashes. To my quiet delight, this author opines that trauma studies began with the work of medical men such as John Erichsen writing about railway disaster victims in the 1870s in England. Well-written and accessible.
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LibraryThing member spinsterrevival
This book is packed with information on trauma and important ways to deal with it. There’s a lot that’s hard to listen to as the author worked with veterans as well as survivors of childhood and sexual abuse. I think though that even someone not having experienced such hardcore abuse has likely
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still had more moderate traumatic experiences, and this book explains many different methods for help.
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LibraryThing member clifforddham
Understood ti be very important work on the psychological origins of physical damage.
LibraryThing member aevaughn
"The greatest hope for traumatized, abused, and neglected children is to receive a good education in schools were they are seen and known, where they learn to regulate themselves, and where they can develop a sense of agency. At their best, schools can function as islands of safety in a chaotic
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world. They can teach children how their body and brains works and how we can understand and deal with their emotions. Schools can play a significant role in instilling the traumas of neighborhoods or families."

As an educator, I completely agree and I'd encourage everyone who interacts with persons who have experienced trauma to give this book a read.
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LibraryThing member deusvitae
The author's journey in researching trauma and how trauma has been treated in America.

The author is one of the foremost authorities on trauma and helped to get trauma studies recognized for their importance. He explores the history of how trauma was understood; the misdirections of the end of the
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19th and early 20th centuries and how WW1, WW2, and Vietnam compelled a reconsideration of trauma and PTSD; what trauma looks like in the brain; how trauma is expressed; childhood vs. adult trauma; and various methods used to attempt to help people recover from trauma.

The author makes a compelling case regarding what trauma is and how it effects growth and development. It would be good to see more done with biofeedback. That so much about trauma has only been ascertained over the past few years should give us all pause about how much more there is to learn, discover, and understand about such things. We do best to live so as to not traumatize others!

The author gets a little triumphalist in the account. Nevertheless, it is understandable why so many highly recommend the work. One does well to grapple with it and learn from it.
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LibraryThing member SandyAMcPherson
This was a really enlightening book in terms of what I learned. So my star rating is more reflective of trying to cope with too much detail via an e-book and a writer who wanted to tell us all about his training.

To be fair, the point Kolk makes is really excellent in explaining that 'trauma' is any
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situation that impacts our memories. This imprint registers in our brains to either be processed or to elicit and re-elicit the actuality of the event. The book's factual content is certainly in a five-star range, I simply believe it could have been delivered more pointedly.
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LibraryThing member elahrairah
This is a really important book. Trauma-informed therapies are the best therapies and van der Kolk explains why. Understanding the brain is a key to understanding life and what is going on, and why people are like they are and what we can do to fix it all. Trauma is an important part of that. Read
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this book!
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LibraryThing member Castlelass
Non-fiction about the history and latest research on trauma, and how to help those suffering from it, especially Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or childhood trauma. The author is obviously passionate about his field, and in this book, he advocates going beyond traditional talk therapy or
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prescribing drugs to treat trauma victims. He outlines a variety of alternative treatments and cites research backing them up. The book is, at times, rather technical in nature, and probably will be more easily digested by those with an existing working knowledge of the scientific terminology in this field. Recommended to individuals interested in brain-related science, mind-body connections, or to practitioners dealing with trauma victims. Unfortunately, due to the inclusion of van der Kolk’s patients’ stories, this book would likely be triggering to those it is intended to help.
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LibraryThing member itheodore
A passionate investigation of the effects and treatment of trauma as a physical and psychological condition, using music, theater, and group connection.
LibraryThing member Kiaya40
While this can be hard to read and triggering for some, I would highly recommend checking it out. If it’s hard to read then just take it slow and do whatever works for you while reading the book. It took me a little bit of time because I had to take breaks for days or weeks to think and process
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some of what I read but I learned a lot from reading it and I think reading it through a second time will be easier now. I’m glad I bought my own copy because this is a book chock full of knowledge that will and can be useful to reread, or refer back to for personal or other various reasons and it can also be helpful in figuring out your characters in stories when writing as well.
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LibraryThing member mumoftheanimals
Excellent book showing how untreated trauma can metamorphosis into physical disability along with practitioner’s experiences of successful treatments. And often scientific data on outcomes.
LibraryThing member hobbitprincess
Even when our minds won't let us think about past trauma, the body remembers in many physical ways. A very interesting book with much to consider. My used copy was obviously used as a textbook, and I can see why.
LibraryThing member RickGeissal
This is an extraordinary book about our bodies & minds working together. I learned a lot. Why do people sometimes get very depressed? What causes PTSD? What does PTSD really mean - the symptoms, long-term impacts, potential "cures"?
LibraryThing member akblanchard
The Body Keeps the Score is a book for psychology professionals on how to help patients deal with severe trauma. Despite its academic origins, this book has been very popular; it has spent years on the New York Times Nonfiction Bestseller list. It has also made author Bessel van der Kolk a
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well-recognized authority on PTSD. However, I can't agree with those who love it. While the book does contain some valuable information, it left me cold. It's incredibly detailed, with case studies that are unnecessarily graphic (at one point van der Kolk calls himself a "voyeur"; I believe him) and go on way too long. Dr. van der Kolk is invariably the hero of every patient's narrative.

This book made me tired. I skimmed to the end.
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LibraryThing member gottfried_leibniz
The Meat of this Book is in Part Five.

Here is the Outline of Part Five of the Book:

1) Owning your own self -- Taking responsibility for our own self

2) Language -- Speaking it Out

3) Letting Go -- Exploring the Process

4) Learning about our Body -- (Yoga)

5) Self-Leadership -- Knowing Our Internal
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Landscape

6) Creating Structures -- New Narratives

7) Rewiring your Brain --Neuro-Feedback

8) Finding your Voice -- Theater

I am not sure, if this would work for non-Western cultures or even everyone among Westerners.

I am not sure, if I can recommend this work.

Why? Each Person's Worldview might be different.

Eg: Secular, Islamic, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian.

There are fundamental differences in values in each of the above.

Deus Vult,
Gottfried
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LibraryThing member clifforddham
Heard on radio. Understood to be leading study of mind - body relationship concerning effects of and healing from psychological trauma.
LibraryThing member mrsgrits
So much to unpack. Would recommend this to anyone dealing with trauma or knows/loves someone dealing with healing from trauma.

ISBN

0143127748 / 9780143127741
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