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alibu's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
ambbb's review against another edition
4.0
this is a book that will stick with me for the rest of my life. not only as a psych student but also the personal revelations i experienced whilst reading this. ive reread it so many times and everytime i find myself in a place of comfort and safety as well as a place of learning. the methods described are so beneficial to learn about.
eriin_reed's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Rape, Mental illness, Incest, War, and Domestic abuse
teresa_beatrice's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
lauren9teen87's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.5
traderjoelles's review against another edition
There is helpful information regarding the treatment of trauma in this book. Unfortunately, the author’s writing comes across as dismissive of the trauma experienced by Vietnamese civilians during the Vietnam war. The author was also fired from his workplace due to allegations that he “created a hostile work environment” and behaved in a way that “could be characterized as bullying.” I believe the helpful information found in this book can be found elsewhere. Thus, I am still searching for more morally satisfying alternatives. Some of the information in this book can be found in “The Deepest Well” by Nadine Burke Harris, but “The Deepest Well” does not describe approaches to treatment of trauma in as much depth as “The Body Keeps the Score.” I’ve been told that “What My Bones Know” by Stephanie Foo is a good alternative, but I have not yet read it.
aenkmaen's review against another edition
2.0
All these pages with terrible stories about war veterans and molested kids to then have the final part of the book recommending things like "do yoga!", "have a mindfulness practice", "therapy!", "talk to peers!" and "get an EEG done!"...
I mean, no shit, Sherlock. What else should I do - go outside and touch some grass?
As a survivor and therapy patient I already was interested in psychology a lot before I started this book and thought I would get some further enlightenment on the topic. Yes, some parts were quite interesting, especially the studies involving neglected kids, but the rest was rather a very chewy read for me, including a rough start, with all those depictions of people coming from war.
Maybe it's because I read the book in English, which is not my first language, however I always felt that there were parts in the book that really pulled me in, interest-wise, only then to push me back completely again, with e.g. a bunch of acronyms being thrown at me, where I completely forgot their meaning again along the way, as if the book wants to call me stupid or call me out on my retention span. I did a 6-month-reading-break. Come on.
I think this book can be nice if you're a practicing or future therapist and want to know more about the dimensions of trauma and psychosomatics, but if you're a patient or just curious, with little previous access to psychology content and/or maybe even looking for answers, this book is not it. Super-unfortunate, I really wanted to like this book, after having heard about it positively so often.
I mean, no shit, Sherlock. What else should I do - go outside and touch some grass?
As a survivor and therapy patient I already was interested in psychology a lot before I started this book and thought I would get some further enlightenment on the topic. Yes, some parts were quite interesting, especially the studies involving neglected kids, but the rest was rather a very chewy read for me, including a rough start, with all those depictions of people coming from war.
Maybe it's because I read the book in English, which is not my first language, however I always felt that there were parts in the book that really pulled me in, interest-wise, only then to push me back completely again, with e.g. a bunch of acronyms being thrown at me, where I completely forgot their meaning again along the way, as if the book wants to call me stupid or call me out on my retention span. I did a 6-month-reading-break. Come on.
I think this book can be nice if you're a practicing or future therapist and want to know more about the dimensions of trauma and psychosomatics, but if you're a patient or just curious, with little previous access to psychology content and/or maybe even looking for answers, this book is not it. Super-unfortunate, I really wanted to like this book, after having heard about it positively so often.