I am very happy I finally picked up Dr. Bessel van Der Kolk’s book The Body Keeps Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma.
I have a graduate degree in neuroscience, so the first parts of the book were interesting to me from the perspective of learning how Dr. van der Kolk developed his therapeutic approaches through and understanding of brain function and scientific study.
I am now in “Part Five: Paths to Recovery.” From his work with veterans, and childhood sexual abuse and other trauma survivors, it is obvious he truly understands what it means to be a survivor!
“Nobody can ‘treat’ a war, or abuse, rape, molestation or any other horrendous event, for that matter; what has happened cannot be undone. But what can be dealt with are the imprints of the trauma on body, mind, and soul: the crushing sensations in your chest that you may label as anxiety or rejection; the fear of losing control; always being on alert for danger or rejection; the self-loathing…Trauma robs you of the feeling that you are in charge of yourself, of what I will call self-leadership…The challenge of recovery is to reestablish ownership of your body and your mind–of yourself.“
It is very helpful to read about the limits of what traditional talk therapy or medications have for treating trauma if they don’t include an understanding of the impacts of trauma on the functioning of the brain and memory.
I gained a lot from working with a therapist, but she was someone who specialized in working with survivors of childhood abuse.
At the same time, I was also intensely engaged with a yoga practice that was helping me to re-integrate with my body and releasing many stored memories from the trauma.
And I was doing cathartic writing about my abuse through poetry.
I believe all of these activities together were what enabled me to progress on my healing journey as well and deeply as I did.
I look forward to sharing more about Dr. van der Kolk’s recommendations for recovery in future blogs!
