The Body Keeps the Score
Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
by Bessel van der Kolk · first published 2014
63% recommend27% neutral10% critical
Why HN recommends it
Accessible overview of trauma and PTSD that blends current research with clinical examples of treatments like EMDR, yoga, and neurofeedback; recommended for trauma survivors and anyone wanting to understand trauma.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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
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…amount of time thinking about and trying to understand (in part to ensure I never suffer the same fate). For anyone who has struggled with depression or severe anxiety, if you haven’t read the book The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, I encourage you to read it as soon as possible — it’s one of the best, most approachable, resources out there to understand not only many of the roots of depression, but many strategies…
on “Anthony Bourdain has died” ↗…evidence points to the fact that, for whatever reason, this technique allows people to more safely access their trauma, process it, and take control of their thoughts. I first read about in this book The Body Keeps The Score (by Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD), which by the way is absolutely fascinating. In a nutshell it's about trauma. But talks about different types of trauma, the effects it has on your brain, childhood vs adult…
on “Sleep helps process emotions” ↗I can’t recommend The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk enough, I wish this book had been out 10 years ago before my mom took her life. Nonetheless, it’s been instrumental in helping me alleviate my anxiety and depression. I read it…
on “Ketamine might help prevent suicide” ↗…help of a therapist, before I could truly start to listen to the supressed emotions without being overwhelmed. This was the beginning of the end for my PEM. The book I would recommend would be: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D, which helped me a lot on the journey to recovery. I've found forums to be generally very unhelpful. Something I wrote down a while back which I hope explains why I don't think…
on “How you 'attach' to people may explain a lot about your inner life” ↗…sometimes even when when people are experts they can still be terrible people. For example, Bessel Van der Kolk, who founded The Trauma Center in Brooklyn, which is my back yard. He wrote wrote the book, The Body Keeps the Score, which is required reading in any grunt school and required reading for anyone who ever wants to go into trauma work. Period, full stop. I was initially applying for a job at The Trauma Center, and then…
on “The Body Keeps the Score: Book Summary” ↗For anyone interested in this, I highly recommend the book The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, a psychiatrist who studies PTSD. He writes about this clearly and elegantly—must read for those dealing with anxiety, and certainly with any traumatic stress.
on “Anxiety is in your body, not your mind” ↗Not for everyone, but those who it is for very much should read this - but not without understanding that it can be quite triggering at times. : The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma -Bessel van der Kolk It's not an easy read for said people, but very worthwhile. Was introduced at a friends place and got a little ways in, waiting…
on “Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?” ↗Relevant related book: The Body Keeps the Score https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma/dp/01...
on “Book Review: Unlearn Your Pain (2016)” ↗…you to countless studies where parental child abuse leads to physically harmed bodies, harm here consisting of chronic unmitigated pain, autoimmune disorders, even brain tumors. For a start, try "The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel van der Kolk
on “The dangers of illiberal liberalism” ↗Book rec: The Body Keeps the Score. Bessel van der Kolk has been one of the most important PTSD researchers of the last 40 years, and his work on the embodied aspects of trauma and stress is fantastic.
on “How Dad's Stresses Get Passed Along to Offspring” ↗Check out The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk, I cant recommend it enough!
on “Dealing with past trauma may be the key to breaking addiction” ↗…https://www.amazon.com/How-Emotions-Made-Lisa-Barrett/dp/132.... - The Polyvagal Theory stuff mentioned in the article is also great, and some classic accessible books on the overall topic include The Body Keeps the Score and Waking the Tiger. I'm personally a fan of a technique called Emotional Resolution (EmRes), which is notably simple and effective, and that you can learn to apply to yourself after a 90 minute course,…
on “Anxiety is in your body, not your mind” ↗Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect, helped me identify some negative patterns around depending on others too much for happiness and working to put myself first. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, overview of how PTSD forms and how to use break the patterns
on “Ask HN: What books, courses, practices helped your mental health last year?” ↗> If it really is 5% (1 in 20 girls) then this would outrank something like COVID in terms of importance. If you want more information on this, Besser van der Kolk's The Body Keeps the Score, considered to be one of the definitive books on the study of psychological trauma, discusses this in Chapter 10, "Developmental Trauma: The Hidden Epidemic". While I don't have the book in front of…
on “The impact of sexual abuse on female development: a longitudinal study” ↗Don't give up. The best thing you can do is to get a handle on your past: read about trauma (The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel Van Der Kolk), and try to connect with a trauma therapist. Trauma often manifests itself in physical symptoms. There are paths that lead to healing... There is hope, there are people who…
on “Abuse and the developing human brain (2000)” ↗