The Body Keeps the Score

Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

by ,

443 pages

English language

Published Sept. 11, 2014 by Viking.

ISBN:
978-0-670-78593-3
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
861478952
Goodreads:
18693771

View on OpenLibrary

View on Inventaire

(4 reviews)

An expert on traumatic stress outlines an approach to healing, explaining how traumatic stress affects brain processes and how to use innovative treatments to reactivate the mind's abilities to trust, engage others, and experience pleasure. --Publisher's description.

16 editions

reviewed The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

None

It's pretty good if you're familiar with therapy/psychology already. I would not recommend this to someone actively needing help. Perhaps it's giving into temptation and reading the reviews halfway into reading, but the author's grotesque detail into his client's traumas and the way he describes some of his fem clients do come off voyeuristic, to which he pointed out himself in chapter 15.
At best, I got a tour of some helpful methods to cope with life's catastrophes.

reviewed The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

Review of 'The Body Keeps the Score' on 'Goodreads'

Hard and unpleasant, yet highly valuable read, at least for me. Sadly, it made me understanding lots of people and lots of happenings around me notably better. It also helped me to differentiate non-scientific BS from the ways my unresolved fear, anxiety and doubt can make my feel physicaly sick. However, should you ever considered reading this book, be warned that it discusses every single worst thing that a human can experience and yet survive. All the trigger warnings ahead.

reviewed The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

Good overview of a range of modalities

While I want to go back and write some summaries (notably of the different modalities), the book was helpful in guiding some options already.

Given his longer history in this field of work he was able to weave a compelling story of the evolution and options for addressing PTSD. I, of course, kinda wish I could have a not-really-a-debate-but-multiple-view-points style book for these kinds of topics (psych[iatry|ology]). I appreciate the personal perspective (vs a dry textbook or encyclopedic one) for what it is (easier to read the whole them straight through) but acknowledge the biases that may result.

I did this as an audiobook and it actually worked pretty well given how structured the author was in their writing.

Subjects

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Treatment

Get a copy