Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

171 reviews

sdabeer's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring slow-paced

3.75

As someone in school to be a therapist… there was a lot to think about and dissect 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Medical trauma

delery's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

3.25

this book was... a lot. i don't think i was necessarily in the right headspace to read it at this time. but it covered so many interesting issues, and i liked how it discussed different treatment methods. but also this book made me nauseous so... idk. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

tseth's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Abandonment

paitongruenthal's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Medical trauma

amandareads246's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

eknuts17's review against another edition

informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Rape, Medical trauma, and War

toephia's review against another edition

dark informative medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Medical trauma, and War

katiethepenguin's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative slow-paced

2.0

I would recommend others to read it. Buuut it was really slow and I did skim most of it. I knew going in that there would be a lot of discussion of psychological experiments and quantitative results. It gives a great (if long) overview of the history of how trauma has been recognized and treated in the field of psychology. I added a bunch of content warnings because these things are mentioned in detail at times, but always with the framing of understanding those who went through the trauma. This book analyzes how the body physically stores trauma as well as mentally. All that said, I really enjoyed the chapters that discussed how yoga and theater can help some trauma survivors.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Eating disorder, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Grief, Medical trauma, and War

kelly_e's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

Title: The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
Author: Bessel van der Kolk
Genre: Non Fiction
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: June 12, 2014

T H R E E • W O R D S

Dense • Informative • Impactful

📖 S Y N O P S I S

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.

💭 T H O U G H T S

The Body Keeps the Score was recommended to me by a mental health professional while I was searching for books in my own healing journey. My life has held trauma and grief, and I now know both have manifested in a variety of ways in my body. I was seeking to understand it all better so this book felt like the right place to start.

Based on his own research and that of other leading trauma specialists, this informative book details fascinating research on the topic. It examines the effects of trauma on the brain, the mind and the body. It explains how different parts of the body can hold trauma. It proposes several options for treatment. It challenges the status quo. In fact, it shines a light on the failures of the health care system and the lack of access to treatment options. I appreciated this critique of the system, because I have been there. Our society's reliance on medication doesn't solve the underlying issue, it simply offers a temporary band aid.

The information and research gets extremely dense and wordy at times, and in those moments I would find my attention withdrawing. In my opinion, without an expertise on the topic, it isn't an easily digestible read. The value for the average reader lies in the notion of having the ability to reclaim our lives in the wake of trauma.

In my opinion, this isn't necessarily a book to sit down and read through in its entirety. Rather it is best consumed in small portions, where you can sit with what you've read for awhile before coming back for more. Because there is so much information to digest, it can get overwhelming or even lost if read straight through.

The Body Keeps the Score is a transformative and necessary addition to the topic of trauma. The exploration of the mind/body connection was interesting and lead to many ah-ha moments for me. I came away understanding my own mind and body better, which is a gift in itself. I can see myself coming back to this at different times for reassurance.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• anyone who has gone through trauma
• mental and physical health care professionals
• loved ones of people who have experienced trauma

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"The drug revolution that started out with so much promise may in the end have done as much harm as good. The theory that mental illness is caused primarily by chemical imbalances in the brain that can be corrected by specific drugs has become broadly accepted, by the media and the public as well as by the medical profession. In many places drugs have displaced therapy and enabled patients to suppress their problems without addressing the underlying issues."

"Traumatized people chronically feel unsafe inside their bodies: The past is alive in the form of gnawing interior discomfort. Their bodies are constantly bombarded by visceral warning signs, and, in an attempt to control these processes, they often become expert at ignoring their gut feelings and in numbing awareness of what is played out inside. They learn to hide from their selves."

"The greatest sources of our suffering are the lies we tell ourselves." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and War

Moderate: Death, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Car accident, and Abandonment

gabriella_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

I tried reading this book twice but had to stop because of how emotional it made me. But now that I’ve finally finished it, I wish I read it sooner. It was incredibly informative and absolutely heartbreaking. Some individual patient stories were gutwrenching, so it’s best to take breaks as needed. Listen to your body with this one. Reflect, and be kind to yourself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail