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Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk
164 reviews
sugarwookiee's review against another edition
4.0
It is quite slow paced and the author is a bit pretentious at times. There is a significant amount of detail involving some of his patients' trauma (more than I feel is necessary in my opinion) but this is coming from someone who suffers from CPTSD; those reading from a clinical perspective without that may feel differently.
I found the first half of the book to be the most interesting because it showed me the ways in which I was holding onto trauma that I hadn't realized. The way that trauma can and does seep into every part of your existence and things that you may not realize were related were in fact a direct result. If that seems interesting to you and you're able to deal with some intense descriptions, it's a worthwhile read. If you're looking for self-help and a less medical, more talk-therapy type of book, this isn't it.
Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Incest, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Medical trauma, and Body shaming
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Self harm, Rape, and Addiction
Minor: Confinement, Death, and Death of parent
egcam's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Infidelity, Child abuse, Medical content, Incest, War, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Alcoholism, and Addiction
lj_sophia's review against another edition
Graphic: Self harm, Rape, Mental illness, War, Pedophilia, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical content, Kidnapping, Incest, Addiction, and Alcoholism
emilybeingbookish's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, and Violence
emsemaroo's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Rape, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and War
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Body shaming, Car accident, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Stalking, Trafficking, Vomit, Gore, Terminal illness, Drug abuse, Genocide, Ableism, Blood, Body horror, and Kidnapping
charley0796's review against another edition
4.5
As others have said, this is much more of an accessibly written textbook about ptsd, aimed towards clinicians NOT patients.
The first half covers evidence about ptsd and brain scans, which was hard to grasp at times but helpful.
The second half introduced traditional ptsd treatments and recently researched non-traditional treatments (like neurofeedback and drama therapy). This was really interesting and gave me some ideas for how best to support clients to reclaim their life when working on this in the second half of trauma treatment (I.e. encouraging engagement in hobbies that connect them to their emotions and body, like martial arts or yoga).
Unfortunately, this book is now 9 years old and it has aged a little. The author describes standard CBT and assumes that this is unhelpful for treating PTSD, before he goes on to explain the amazing successes he has had with EMDR. However, when he then went on to describe the reliving aspect of EMDR, what he was describing was what Trauma Focused CBT involved partly (I.e. reliving and being asked what you notice, if there’s any new knowledge you’ve become aware of etc) which is then followed up with updating the memory and reliving work.
The author completely dismisses CBT for ptsd, when the research suggests that TF CBT is actually equally effective, if not more effective than EMDR according to meta-analyses conducted in 2020 and 2023.
Overall, this is a good intro to working with ptsd and thinking of how to support patients. But you will of course need further training and readings to understand how to complete therapies for ptsd. It goes deep into traumas so do not read this if you are experiencing difficulty relating to this
Graphic: War, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Violence, and Rape
Moderate: Self harm
amessina3399's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Drug use, Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Drug abuse, Violence, Medical trauma, Addiction, Sexual violence, War, Alcohol, Abandonment, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Grief, Alcoholism, Blood, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
kitty_golden's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Medical trauma, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, and Sexual assault
l1brarygirl's review against another edition
4.5
My actual rating: 4.5 stars - I'm rounding up because I think this book is going to stay with me for a long time. I would recommend it to anyone that wants a deeper understanding of trauma and how it effects your physical body as well as the mind.
I also recently read [book:Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art|48890486], which may be a very good companion read.
Impactful quotes:
“Many of our patients are barely aware of their breath, so learning to focus on the in and out breath, to notice whether the breath was fast or slow, and to count breaths in some poses can be a significant accomplishment.”
“We have learned that trauma is not just an event that took place sometime in the past; it is also the imprint left by that experience on mind, brain, and body. This imprint has ongoing consequences for how the human organism manages to survive in the present. Trauma results in a fundamental reorganization of the way mind and brain manage perceptions. It changes not only how we think and what we think about, but also our very capacity to think.”
“The greatest sources of our suffering are the lies we tell ourselves.”
“Over the years our research team has repeatedly found that chronic emotional abuse and neglect can be just as devastating as physical abuse and sexual molestation.”
“Talking about painful events doesn’t necessarily establish community – often quite the contrary. Families and organizations may reject members who air the dirty laundry; friends and family can lost patience with people who get stuck in their grief or hurt. This is one reason why trauma victims often withdraw and why their stories become rote narratives, edited into a form least likely to provoke rejection.”
“I wish I could separate trauma from politics, but as long as we continue to live in denial and treat only trauma while ignoring its origins, we are bound to fail. In today’s world your ZIP code, even more than your genetic code, determines whether you will lead a safe and healthy life. People’s income, family structure, housing, employment, and educational opportunities affect not only their risk of developing traumatic stress but also their access to effective help to address it. Poverty, unemployment, inferior schools, social isolation, widespread availability of guns, and substandard housing all are breeding grounds for trauma. Trauma breeds further trauma; hurt people hurt other people.”
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Child abuse, Incest, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, and Abandonment
Moderate: Self harm, Eating disorder, Sexual harassment, Genocide, Ableism, Infidelity, War, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical trauma
wreathedinviolets's review against another edition
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, War, Addiction, Car accident, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse