Take a photo of a barcode or cover
8.79k reviews for:
Kroppen håller räkningen : Hjärna, sinne och kropp vid läkning efter psykiskt trauma
Bessel van der Kolk
4.27 AVERAGE
8.79k reviews for:
Kroppen håller räkningen : Hjärna, sinne och kropp vid läkning efter psykiskt trauma
Bessel van der Kolk
4.27 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Incredible, amazing and so well done.
This was such an incredible read that dealt with how trauma affects the mind and body. This authore is incredibly well written with great insight and such a great voice for mental health.
This is a very intense read so please be aware of almost all the triggers but spoken about in a way to try and heal.
This was such an incredible read that dealt with how trauma affects the mind and body. This authore is incredibly well written with great insight and such a great voice for mental health.
This is a very intense read so please be aware of almost all the triggers but spoken about in a way to try and heal.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I recommend this book to everyone. It deals with very dark themes and tragic stories, but it’s absolutely fascinating to see how psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk worked with patients. The book explores a wide variety of therapies in detail — from traditional approaches to more innovative techniques — and shows how each can help people process trauma. The case studies are both moving and eye-opening, and the results described are often outstanding.
It’s not always an easy read, but it’s an important and powerful one.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
It's famous for a reason. This is a paradigm-shifting book on trauma and the potential for post-traumatic growth, but it's not a self-help book; don't read it as one!
There's a lot of coverage of triggering topics, and some have said it's insensitive, but I think it's nice to hear someone willing to talk about trauma without flinching away from the causes.
Though I'm skeptical of the efficacy of some of the methods he endorses, I can see that having more treatment options is a good thing. The current model of insensitive "evidence-based therapies" that totally ignore a person's material conditions just doesn't work.
There's a lot of coverage of triggering topics, and some have said it's insensitive, but I think it's nice to hear someone willing to talk about trauma without flinching away from the causes.
Though I'm skeptical of the efficacy of some of the methods he endorses, I can see that having more treatment options is a good thing. The current model of insensitive "evidence-based therapies" that totally ignore a person's material conditions just doesn't work.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Murder
This is a book that tries to explain how trauma changes the world of its victims. Its author, Bessel van der Kolk is a trained psychologist with over 30 years of experience. Through neurobiology, case studies, his own professional experiences and personal anecdotes, van der Kolk attempts to make a case for trauma as fundamentally misunderstood subject and a "hidden epidemic". One of the main throughlines of the book is how trauma changes our physiology; how it is stored in our nerves, changes our bodily responses, dysregulates our immune systems, etc. He argues that trauma at a fundamental level distorts lived reality; our connection to our bodies and our ability to bond with people around us. He tries to broaden our understanding of what trauma is and how it shows up in traumatized peoples.
Personally, this book was deeply resonant. There were many sections of this book that struck so many chords which I think I intrinsically understood but could never articulate in the way van der Kolk did. The parts discussing the mind - body disruption especially helped me understand so many of my own behaviours and made me reflect on so much of my own past experiences, and how my body responds to certain things. The sections on the benefits of yoga and meditation also provided useful language to understand why these practices have been so useful in my own life. Moreover, the dissection of the impacts of trauma on language processing was very useful to understand my own experiences.
More objectively, there are a few criticisms I have. 1) The book is very self-referential. While I understand van der Kolk is a very decorated and experienced professional in this field, I do think that the book at times, lacked sufficient references to academic work not performed by the author himself. I felt that many points were driven by the author's own biases rather than evidence driven peer reviewed facts. 2) "Anti-establishment saltiness". van der Kolk at many times throughout the book criticizes the "establishment" for their approach to the diagnosing and treatment of trauma. And while I do think it is healthy to critique our held beliefs and norms to test their continued validity, I also sensed that the author had his own gripes with the organizations he is surveying which cannot be clearly distinguished from his more scientifically driven objections. Again, whenever he presents a point he disagrees with he refers to work he has done - whether in his own capacity or as part of a larger group (however many of the people he mentions were repeated collaborators, and appear at multiple points). We never see the opposite view or argument be given a fair chance. 3) Anti-pharmacology views. It is made clear whether directly or indirectly that the author is not a big fan of drugs for the treatment of trauma induced symptoms. I do think he makes good points on why this method of treatment is not suitable as a method for trauma recovery, why it should not be pursued as the only method of treatment, and most definitely not as a "cure". However, I also think that he is a little careless with his razing of pharmacological interventions. I wish he had spent more time on this and explored the nuances of this course of treatment. As this book is meant for mass consumption, I do think there are people who may see this as a call against the use of such agents. In addition, while this intervention may not "cure", it may allow someone to be stable enough to start engage in more treatments which will help in long term recovery.
Lastly, this book is also extremely graphic in its depictions of sexual trauma. I do understand that these are the lived experiences of his patients and that he is trying to bring home to his readers the extent of his patients traumas, but I do wish some of these stories were handled with more sensitivity. Again, this book is meant for mass consumption, and therefore it is to be assumed that it will be read by people at different stages of recovery and with different access to certain resources. Someone who may have had a recent traumatic event such as SA, could be severely triggered by the depictions in this book. I would think the author would understand this and would be sensitive enough to disclaim this at certain points to help prepare or dissuade those who may not be able to "handle" it (for lack of a better word). I would not recommend this book to anyone who does not have the support to fall back on in case of a trigger, whether that be in the form of a therapist or trusted friend or partner.
Overall, I think this book is a very helpful tool and can bring so much understanding to those who have experienced trauma in their past. It can provide a useful paradigm for understanding certain behaviours and allow for more self-empathy. However, it should be viewed as one way to understand trauma and not as an absolute claim to knowledge on the topic. A healthy dose of skepticism to the claims laid here is highly encouraged.
Personally, this book was deeply resonant. There were many sections of this book that struck so many chords which I think I intrinsically understood but could never articulate in the way van der Kolk did. The parts discussing the mind - body disruption especially helped me understand so many of my own behaviours and made me reflect on so much of my own past experiences, and how my body responds to certain things. The sections on the benefits of yoga and meditation also provided useful language to understand why these practices have been so useful in my own life. Moreover, the dissection of the impacts of trauma on language processing was very useful to understand my own experiences.
More objectively, there are a few criticisms I have. 1) The book is very self-referential. While I understand van der Kolk is a very decorated and experienced professional in this field, I do think that the book at times, lacked sufficient references to academic work not performed by the author himself. I felt that many points were driven by the author's own biases rather than evidence driven peer reviewed facts. 2) "Anti-establishment saltiness". van der Kolk at many times throughout the book criticizes the "establishment" for their approach to the diagnosing and treatment of trauma. And while I do think it is healthy to critique our held beliefs and norms to test their continued validity, I also sensed that the author had his own gripes with the organizations he is surveying which cannot be clearly distinguished from his more scientifically driven objections. Again, whenever he presents a point he disagrees with he refers to work he has done - whether in his own capacity or as part of a larger group (however many of the people he mentions were repeated collaborators, and appear at multiple points). We never see the opposite view or argument be given a fair chance. 3) Anti-pharmacology views. It is made clear whether directly or indirectly that the author is not a big fan of drugs for the treatment of trauma induced symptoms. I do think he makes good points on why this method of treatment is not suitable as a method for trauma recovery, why it should not be pursued as the only method of treatment, and most definitely not as a "cure". However, I also think that he is a little careless with his razing of pharmacological interventions. I wish he had spent more time on this and explored the nuances of this course of treatment. As this book is meant for mass consumption, I do think there are people who may see this as a call against the use of such agents. In addition, while this intervention may not "cure", it may allow someone to be stable enough to start engage in more treatments which will help in long term recovery.
Lastly, this book is also extremely graphic in its depictions of sexual trauma. I do understand that these are the lived experiences of his patients and that he is trying to bring home to his readers the extent of his patients traumas, but I do wish some of these stories were handled with more sensitivity. Again, this book is meant for mass consumption, and therefore it is to be assumed that it will be read by people at different stages of recovery and with different access to certain resources. Someone who may have had a recent traumatic event such as SA, could be severely triggered by the depictions in this book. I would think the author would understand this and would be sensitive enough to disclaim this at certain points to help prepare or dissuade those who may not be able to "handle" it (for lack of a better word). I would not recommend this book to anyone who does not have the support to fall back on in case of a trigger, whether that be in the form of a therapist or trusted friend or partner.
Overall, I think this book is a very helpful tool and can bring so much understanding to those who have experienced trauma in their past. It can provide a useful paradigm for understanding certain behaviours and allow for more self-empathy. However, it should be viewed as one way to understand trauma and not as an absolute claim to knowledge on the topic. A healthy dose of skepticism to the claims laid here is highly encouraged.
While at times insensitive, inappropriate, and potentially triggering/re-traumatizing for many, the book does summarize—and expand upon—key findings about the experience of trauma and C/PTSD and how Western treatment(s) have evolved in the past century and a half. Wouldn't recommend to people who are in the thick of recovery and/or processing.
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
slow-paced
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Too triggering.. I don't need to be feeling bad for a murderer and rapist not matter how much PTSD he has.