Plot Summary
Bessel van der Kolk’s non-fiction book, The Body Keeps the Score, is a psychological and neurological examination into the implications of trauma. The author explains what trauma is, and how it can have negative impacts on our lives and behaviors. This book teaches its audiences how to move through the challenges of your traumatic past by unraveling the psychology behind them. He also demonstrates techniques psychology professionals use to help people recover from their traumas.
Van der Kolk explains the complexities of trauma, emphasizing how common it is in society. Many who suffer from trauma subsequently experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can lead them to comorbidities such as depression and addiction to substances. Van de Kolk explores the various ways individuals can seek recovery from their traumas. His techniques, and evidence-based suggestions illustrate the author’s holistic approach to trauma recovery. While he and his colleagues initially rejoiced in the development of antidepressant medication, he has since seen how medication has been used to treat mental illness as a disease. It has removed the need to seek solutions to the initial problem, instead only treating the symptoms. Van de Kolk believes an examination into social conditions that cause traumatic events is a vital aspect in prevention of mental illness. He further illustrates the various aspects of his holistic approach to mental health care, including controlling our body through breathing and moving, therapy, mindfulness, and mental regulation.
From a neurological standpoint, the author explains how early trauma impacts the anatomy of our brains, neurons and pathways. Subsequently, our memory of traumatic events can be jumbled. He believes brain scans are a powerful tool for practitioners to pinpoint differences in individuals who have experienced trauma.
The Body Keeps Score is a powerful piece of literature that will help readers steer themselves towards a healthier mind, an invaluable resource for anyone experiencing the woes of such a fast-paced, work-driven society.
“This was an excellent read. It changed my way of thinking as far as overall health and care. This book uses life experiences that is crucial to learning and explaining what is being tauht.”
—
Kenneth (5 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
#1 New York Times bestseller
“Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding and treating traumatic stress and the scope of its impact on society.” —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 world’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 sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’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 heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.
Cover image: © 2020 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Courtesty of the Archives Henri Matisse, All rights reserved.
Download and start listening now!
