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A review by whatjaimereads
The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
I picked up The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel van der Kolk, in order to better understand what is currently known about trauma and PTSD, as a way of better understanding my own dealings with it.
Kolk has written a comprehensive text, which explains the current scientific research regarding traumatic memory and PTSD, in a way that is approachable to a layperson. The book offers a hopeful idea of how to treat PTSD with the potential for full recovery, which is something that isn’t often discussed in similar literature - oftentimes it is anticipated that a victim/survivor will live with the shockwaves for the rest of their life. This was a refreshing stance, and it acted as a beacon of hope for my own journey. The author has an underlying tone of true compassionate care for his patients, and it has armed me with a lot of empowering knowledge.
Importantly, this book will offer you a lot of insight into other books, particularly within contemporary literary fiction. Reading this alongside a range of fiction has oftentimes given me the tools to more accurately understand the depictions of traumatised characters, and the accuracy of their portrayal.
However, this is not to say that The Body Keeps The Score is perfect. There is a lot of unnecessarily graphic depictions of traumatic experiences, to the point where it verges on trauma voyeurism. If you choose to pick this up, anticipate that it will be a slow read which you will have to take numerous breaks away from.
The Body Keeps The Score was a welcome break from typical self-help texts, it provided me with the language to be able to articulate my experiences, and an ability to work my PTSD into the fabric of my being.
-
Worthy of note is that 4 years after publication, the van der Kolk was fired from his post at The Trauma Centre for accusations of bullying and misconduct, further info is available online with a quick google search.
Kolk has written a comprehensive text, which explains the current scientific research regarding traumatic memory and PTSD, in a way that is approachable to a layperson. The book offers a hopeful idea of how to treat PTSD with the potential for full recovery, which is something that isn’t often discussed in similar literature - oftentimes it is anticipated that a victim/survivor will live with the shockwaves for the rest of their life. This was a refreshing stance, and it acted as a beacon of hope for my own journey. The author has an underlying tone of true compassionate care for his patients, and it has armed me with a lot of empowering knowledge.
Importantly, this book will offer you a lot of insight into other books, particularly within contemporary literary fiction. Reading this alongside a range of fiction has oftentimes given me the tools to more accurately understand the depictions of traumatised characters, and the accuracy of their portrayal.
However, this is not to say that The Body Keeps The Score is perfect. There is a lot of unnecessarily graphic depictions of traumatic experiences, to the point where it verges on trauma voyeurism. If you choose to pick this up, anticipate that it will be a slow read which you will have to take numerous breaks away from.
The Body Keeps The Score was a welcome break from typical self-help texts, it provided me with the language to be able to articulate my experiences, and an ability to work my PTSD into the fabric of my being.
-
Worthy of note is that 4 years after publication, the van der Kolk was fired from his post at The Trauma Centre for accusations of bullying and misconduct, further info is available online with a quick google search.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Incest, Self harm, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Grief, Eating disorder, Suicide, Medical trauma, Violence, and Gun violence