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helen_is 's review for:
The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma
by Bessel van der Kolk
DID NOT FINISH: 46%
This book has a few good/interesting insights into bodily responses to trauma, but my god they are so comprised by the questionable parts. This then makes me think the interesting bits are based on shonky interpretations of science.
The book starts early with an anecdote of a US soldier, apparently so traumatised by his platoon dying, that he rapes a civilian woman & massacres people in her village. The flippancy of van der Kolk's reporting this incident is breathtaking. You know, I've known quite a few traumatised people and absolutely none of them have felt the need to do that.
I kept reading after this, thinking it might get a bit more scientific, but sadly no.
After the appalling - and dangerous - chapters on traumatised female sexual assault survivors compulsively seeking out abusive men because "it's written in their bodies now" and they somehow can't help themselves, and then the infuriating claims that childhood neglect-based trauma can be due to mothers being either genetically nurturing or abusive, because fathers are somehow "bodily unable" to have any effect...... well, let's just say that after this point, if I'd been reading a physical copy of the book I'd have literally burnt it. And would have happily danced around the flames.
Great big no from me.
The book starts early with an anecdote of a US soldier, apparently so traumatised by his platoon dying, that he rapes a civilian woman & massacres people in her village. The flippancy of van der Kolk's reporting this incident is breathtaking. You know, I've known quite a few traumatised people and absolutely none of them have felt the need to do that.
I kept reading after this, thinking it might get a bit more scientific, but sadly no.
After the appalling - and dangerous - chapters on traumatised female sexual assault survivors compulsively seeking out abusive men because "it's written in their bodies now" and they somehow can't help themselves, and then the infuriating claims that childhood neglect-based trauma can be due to mothers being either genetically nurturing or abusive, because fathers are somehow "bodily unable" to have any effect...... well, let's just say that after this point, if I'd been reading a physical copy of the book I'd have literally burnt it. And would have happily danced around the flames.
Great big no from me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Murder, War
Shouldn't be read by anyone feeling mentally vulnerable