The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, MD | Key Takeaways, Analysis & Review

by Instaread Summaries

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, MD | Key Takeaways, Analysis & Review 

Preview:

In The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, Bessel van der Kolk, MD, explores the ways in which trauma rewires the brain and changes the way people experience the world.

Trauma affects the mind and body immensely and prevents those affected from living in the present. Van der Kolk, who has researched trauma since the 1970s, first became interested in trauma after meeting with Vietnam veterans who had a very hard time living their lives after returning from the war…

 

PLEASE NOTE: This is key takeaways and analysis of the book and NOT the original book.  

 

Inside this Instaread of The Body Keeps the Score: Overview of the book Important People Key Takeaways Analysis of Key Takeaways   About the Author

With Instaread, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Genres: Psychology, Self Help, Mental Health

21 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 23, 2015

About the author

With Instaread, you can get the summary and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, summarize and analyze it for your convenience.

Reviews

[Ordinary Alien]

Quotes:

Trauma activates the vagus nerve, a huge nerve that relays sensory information about the body’s organs to the central nervous system. The activation of the vagus nerve causes the physical manifestations of trauma: the feeling of being punched in the gut, or having a broken heart. Trauma victims have trouble with sensory perception and other physical conditions, such as autoimmune diseases.

Cumulative childhood stress can affect autoimmune diseases in adults. A 2009 study tracked people in San Diego who had had stressful experiences in childhood, including physical and mental abuse, domestic violence, and substance abuse. The study found that childhood traumatic stress increased the likelihood of hospitalization with an autoimmune disease as an adult. Studies like this open a wide field of research in the physical manifestations of trauma. From migraine headaches to seized muscles, stress is present in the body. It is even passed down from mother to child: mothers who have stress or physical discomfort during pregnancy can pass it on to the child. Trauma does not just affect the brain, but the body as well.

The relationship between a child and a primary caregiver is what allows a child to feel safe and supported, ensure survival, and provide the framework for the child to navigate the world on their own as they grow. Exposure to violence or trauma at home destroys the system of secure attachment and the idea of caregiver as the base of security. Children who have experienced trauma often exhibit the results of disorganized attachment.

Manly’s presentation includes a quote by Elie Wiesel, holocaust survivor, political activist, and author. “Just as despair can come to one only from other human beings, hope, too can be given to one only by other human beings.” This quote illustrates the importance of attachment and the importance of love in the understanding of preventing and treating trauma. Although many think of trauma as something that happens in war zones, most trauma, and the ability to cope with it, begins in the home.

[Carlee Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book itself is a classic and anyone with trauma, a loved one with trauma, or anyone who wants to prevent trauma or wants to know how to deal with potential future trauma…. should read the book. I read this instaread as a bit of a refresher. It’s not at all good enough as a TLDR… definitely read the actual book if you’re interested.

[Keli Moffat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long, but well worth it.

[Michele Collier · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I needed to read and understand to remove blockage to release my growth in moving forward.

[AJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brain fuel
I loved this and took so many notes! I am excited to read the full version! Highly recommend for better understanding!