The Body Keeps The Score Book Summary And Review

Van der Kolk, a psychiatrist and trauma expert, wrote an unusual book titled The Body Keeps the Score. We are all aware of the impact psychological trauma may have on people. Trauma can alter how people view themselves and their surroundings.

Psychological trauma can also have a long-term effect on the person’s family. Van der Kolk examines the intricate details of how trauma causes these effects in this book by taking the neurobiology into account. Van der Kolk also outlines the ways that neuroscience enables us to develop fresh, efficient treatments for victims of psychological trauma. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, yoga, and limbic system treatment are a few examples of these methods.

By reflecting on his career and the patients he has encountered, Van der Kolk leads us through these contemporary therapies. As a result, this book also serves as a history of the last 30 years in the field of mental health.

You will have a better understanding of how our brains respond to and deal with psychological trauma after learning these Lessons. Van der Kolk suggests assisting those who have had psychological trauma in their recovery.

Table of Contents

Antidepressants destroyed mental health care services

Van der Kolk talks about how thrilled he and other researchers and therapists were when antidepressants were initially developed. He now holds the opinion that the over use of these drugs has caused us to view mental illness as a sickness. Sadly, this strategy has led to the removal of the following components from mental health support:

Something that is essential for giving us the ability to change situations is the conviction that we can both heal and kill one another.
using skills like breathing, moving, and touching to control our physiology instead of turning to medicine
a propensity to alter social circumstances so that people experience safety and can then prosper

The Advancement of Trauma Understanding

Early study by Van der Kolk was crucial in rekindling the conversation around trauma.

According to legend, Pierre Janet made the initial discovery of trauma and its connection to mental health in the late 1800s. One of the pioneers of psychology is Janet. He was also among the first to recognize how past experiences can contribute to trauma in the present. He provided definitions for the phrases dissociation and subconscious, which are still used in discussions on trauma today.

Van van Kolk explains his preliminary study on veterans. According to Rorschach testing, trauma can affect how the brain perceives reality. These examinations played a crucial role in how Van der Kolk later conducted his treatment sessions with incest survivors. At that point, he started treating patients using a “trauma lens.” He was able to appreciate the extraordinary bravery that trauma victims must possess through working with veterans.

Van der Kolk also used this trauma lens on a larger group of people, showing that trauma was far more pervasive. Any event of great stress or anguish that leaves a person feeling helpless might lead to trauma.

Trauma Has an Impact on Relationships

Van der Kolk noted that those close to the survivor are significantly affected by trauma. Those who have experienced trauma frequently develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which can cause despair and drug dependence. Traumatized people may find it difficult to trust others. They assume that no one can comprehend what occurred to them and why they continue to experience it.

In his article, Van der Kolk provided a case study of this phenomena by describing a group therapy session he conducted for combat veterans. The club also assisted veterans in making new acquaintances with whom to discuss their experiences.

But, individuals who had experienced trauma viewed those who hadn’t as outsiders. Because to this discrimination, the traumatized group saw Van der Kolk as an outsider as well. Van der Kolk had to spend weeks talking, empathizing, and establishing trust in order to get past this obstacle. This anecdote demonstrates that before we can anticipate any trust from the traumatized, we must establish a connection with them. Trauma is frequently initially brought on by reliable sources. It is crucial to comprehend that trust might be difficult to recover for traumatized individuals.

Counseling May Help With Trauma

According to Van der Kolk, the ability of the brain to adjust to stimuli and maintain its health are important for driving behavior. Consider the “flight or fight” reactions. To relieve the stress, both call for movement. When stress becomes too much to handle, like after experiencing a traumatic experience that can stop the body’s adaptive reaction and prevent the necessary action, problems occur. This demonstrates the necessity of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). The traumatized person can process information more effectively thanks to this therapy.

Brain Imaging Indicates You Should Act

It’s crucial to treat despondency or inertia. Hopelessness has been considered as the most damaging quality of trauma. The fight-or-flight survival system is turned down by action, which signals safety and is essential for healing. Trauma can prevent this survival reaction, so our brain continues to release stress hormones. Van der Kolk compares it to a smoke detector that never stops sounding. Your body is therefore responding as though you are experiencing this stressor even though you are not. Because they reduce activity in the prefrontal cortex, which is a region of the brain, stress hormones have a particularly negative effect.

The prefrontal cortex, which is involved in all decision-making, is undoubtedly the most important portion of the brain. The limbic system and amygdala function at full capacity while reliving the traumatic event. This overdrive refers to a constant overactivation of the brain region and nervous system connected to emotions.

One way to explain this reaction is “bottom-up” processing. According to Van der Kolk, we should create therapies that support the recalibration of both “bottom-up” and “top-down” processing. The prefrontal cortex, the brain’s watchtower, should then be better able to keep track of how our bodies are responding.

Ways to strengthen top-down mental regulation are:

Mindfulness meditation
Yoga

Ways to recalibrate bottom-up mental regulation are:

Breathing
Movement
Touch

The Body Keeps The Score Book Review

“The Body Keeps the Score” is a groundbreaking book that explores the effects of trauma on the human body and mind. Written by Bessel Van der Kolk, a renowned psychiatrist, this book is based on decades of research and clinical experience.

Van der Kolk argues that trauma is not just a psychological issue but also a physical one, and that it affects the body and brain in profound ways. Trauma can cause a range of symptoms, including anxiety, depression, dissociation, and physical pain. It can also affect memory, emotion regulation, and the ability to form relationships.

The book provides a comprehensive understanding of trauma and its effects on the body and mind, as well as practical strategies for healing. Van der Kolk emphasizes the importance of integrating the body into the healing process, through methods such as yoga, meditation, and other forms of somatic therapy.

One of the most compelling aspects of this book is Van der Kolk’s focus on the role of neuroplasticity in healing from trauma. He explains how the brain can be rewired through new experiences and relationships, and how this can lead to lasting change.

Overall, “The Body Keeps the Score” is a must-read for anyone interested in trauma and its effects on the body and mind. It offers a compassionate and insightful perspective on the challenges of healing from trauma, and provides hope and guidance for those on the path to recovery.

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