Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

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

86 reviews

kellieturnerjones's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

5.0

Enlightened insight to the effects of trauma. Nice exploration of techniques to deal with trauma.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Self harm, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Abandonment, Medical trauma, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, War, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Eating disorder, Car accident, Rape, Sexual violence, Addiction, Sexual assault, Bullying, Alcoholism, Suicide, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Infidelity, and Pedophilia

ahuggingsam's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Chronic illness, Addiction, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Medical trauma, Violence, Sexual assault, War, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Emotional abuse, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Medical content, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Incest

theskyboi's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Addiction, Alcoholism, Self harm, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Violence, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Murder, War, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Physical abuse, Incest, Drug abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Suicide, Child abuse, and Child death

scgonano's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I’ve recently new diagnosed with PTSD and have found this book to be extremely informative. Whilst I’m not a psychologist, my bachelor’s degree did include a couple of introductory psychology courses. Whilst this prior study may have supported my understanding and following of some particular chapters, I still think that’s this book is widely accessible to people without prior knowledge of psychology. 
Following my diagnosis, I’ve had to wait a few months to engage with therapy services. My n the meantime, reading this book has supported my understanding of PTSD, how it affects me (both physically and mentally), and educated me about approaches to therapy. Knowing how the different therapy approaches work and what is happening in the body/brain has prompted me to seek some other (somewhat more accessible) approaches e.g., yoga, music, meditation; while I’ve waited for access to ongoing psychology therapy. 
There’s a bunch of resources and recommended reading, neatly summarised in the appendix. These are separate from the reference list and are accessible to the public (whether you’re learning about your diagnosis, supporting someone with this diagnosis, or just interested). 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Violence, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Medical trauma, Grief, Abandonment, Addiction, Drug abuse, Murder, Child abuse, Death, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, War, Sexual violence, and Incest

The aforementioned content warnings are only included as precautions. They are not explicitly investigated or detailed. However they are included to educate about the causes and repercussions of PTSD.

studeronomy's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

3.25

As Charles Darwin wrote in his notebook, "The mind is a function of body." And, as this book convincingly shows, the body keeps a vicious tally of the wounds inflicted on the mind. These physical tallies are most easy to detect in people who suffer from PTSD and its adjacent disorders, but the implications of this book is that all our bodies carry the suffering our spirits have endured in ways that are tangible and quantifiable.

I know "The Body Keeps the Score" has its detractors and, because Bessel van der Kolk wrote it for a popular audience, he necessarily simplified some otherwise complex studies and truncated some otherwise complex research conclusions. But van der Kolk's observations over a fifty-year career demonstrate a couple things to me:

First, the field of psychiatry is (or was, until recently) hopelessly siloed. Psychopharmacologists aren't talking to neuroscientists aren't talking cognitive scientists aren't talking to social workers and therapists. Communication between disciplines and subdisciplines is very poor. And this doesn't begin to address the different methods of treating trauma that van der Kolk describes, most of which developed in disparate subdisciplines without much coordination with other subdisciplines. The whole organization of psychiatry (like the organization of most fields of study) is very messy.

Second, psychiatry still lacks its "germ theory," an explanation for the prevalence and cause of most mental illnesses and mood disorders. And such a theory might be impossible, given the nature of the mind itself. As Darwin also wrote in his notebook, "Experience shows the problem of the mind cannot be solved by attacking the citadel itself." An attack on the "citadel" of the mind cannot be a direct attack. There may be no unifying theory of the varied experiences we associate with "mind," "brain," "cognition," "the soul," whatever. And certainly no single field or discipline or method will unlock the mysteries of those experiences. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Incest, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, War, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Addiction, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

ppeynetti's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, Violence, Suicide, Physical abuse, Self harm, Child abuse, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, War, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, and Sexual violence

angelfireeast24's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Incest, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Violence, War, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Drug use, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Self harm, and Sexual assault

This book is a must read for anyone dealing with trauma who dealing with people who have truama.

cursiveknight's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Child abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Incest

Incredible book about understanding trauma - how it impacts the brain and how to treat it.

martasshelf's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

Really deep dive into PTSD and brain/body function in relation to trauma and inter-relationships.
Important read on the holistic take on health - the book show's there's no way to separate menthal health from physical health.
It only slightly touches the topic of politics in the health sector here and there, which is part of the problem - since trauma and PTSD are a public health problem - but maybe that could be a whole other book.
Be aware of the content warnings, the book is explicit.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Chronic illness, Incest, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Sexual assault

valleysoshady's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

I think everyone should read this book. It can inform how techers deal with students, how parents raise their children, how adults reconcile their habits and behviours with past experience. Using the examplesnof vetrans experiencing PTSD and adults with Complex PTSD resulting from childhood or adult trauma, the author uses case studies in symptoms and healing from  trauma and how specific types of  therapies can help.

The book uses extreme experiences to show how people are shaped by their environments and gives hope in the resilience of the brain for overcoming instinctual reactions. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Bullying, Self harm, Abandonment, Addiction, Medical content, Pregnancy, Eating disorder, Incest, Violence, Child abuse, and Drug use

The contents are carefully handled in the context of medical experience to inform understandingbof impact, but can be triggering.