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The Body Remembers: The Psychophysiology of Trauma and Trauma Treatment
For both clinicians and their clients there is tremendous value in understanding the psychophysiology of trauma and knowing what to do about its manifestations. This book illuminates that physiology, shining a bright light on the impact of trauma on the body and the phenomenon of somatic memory.
It is now thought that people who have been traumatized hold an implicit memory of traumatic events in their brains and bodies. That memory is often expressed in the symptomatology of posttraumatic stress disorder-nightmares, flashbacks, startle responses, and dissociative behaviors. In essence, the body of the traumatized individual refuses to be ignored.
While reducing the chasm between scientific theory and clinical practice and bridging the gap between talk therapy and body therapy, Rothschild presents principles and non-touch techniques for giving the body its due. With an eye to its relevance for clinicians, she consolidates current knowledge about the psychobiology of the stress response both in normally challenging situations and during extreme and prolonged trauma. This gives clinicians from all disciplines a foundation for speculating about the origins of their clients' symptoms and incorporating regard for the body into their practice. The somatic techniques are chosen with an eye to making trauma therapy safer while increasing mind-body integration.
Packed with engaging case studies, The Body Remembers integrates body and mind in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. It will appeal to clinicians, researchers, students, and general readers.
It is now thought that people who have been traumatized hold an implicit memory of traumatic events in their brains and bodies. That memory is often expressed in the symptomatology of posttraumatic stress disorder-nightmares, flashbacks, startle responses, and dissociative behaviors. In essence, the body of the traumatized individual refuses to be ignored.
While reducing the chasm between scientific theory and clinical practice and bridging the gap between talk therapy and body therapy, Rothschild presents principles and non-touch techniques for giving the body its due. With an eye to its relevance for clinicians, she consolidates current knowledge about the psychobiology of the stress response both in normally challenging situations and during extreme and prolonged trauma. This gives clinicians from all disciplines a foundation for speculating about the origins of their clients' symptoms and incorporating regard for the body into their practice. The somatic techniques are chosen with an eye to making trauma therapy safer while increasing mind-body integration.
Packed with engaging case studies, The Body Remembers integrates body and mind in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. It will appeal to clinicians, researchers, students, and general readers.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published October 17, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
November 25, 2013
I think if I'd read this as a textbook, I'd feel better about it, although I'm pretty sure I'd have still reacted to the line about how rape survivors need to understand how they "put themselves into that situation" as part of trauma recovery. Rothschild immediately follows up by saying that of course this doesn't imply that rape survivors are responsible for their rapes, but they also state that therapists put too much (?) guilt on the perpetrator and not on the survivor.
No, sorry, there's always some person asking the survivor to think about what they did wrong. It's not something that the client will have never thought of, what a revelation! that they shouldn't have done (xyz) or worn (xyz) or gone to (xyz)! Because that never kept them up nights! No. Fuck that. It's a decent and dry textbook about treating trauma with a sidecar of victim blaming, and it's tired.
No, sorry, there's always some person asking the survivor to think about what they did wrong. It's not something that the client will have never thought of, what a revelation! that they shouldn't have done (xyz) or worn (xyz) or gone to (xyz)! Because that never kept them up nights! No. Fuck that. It's a decent and dry textbook about treating trauma with a sidecar of victim blaming, and it's tired.
December 14, 2016
There are a multitude of books on trauma, post-traumatic stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder. There are overviews (and underviews), workbooks, guides, pairings with meditation, mindfulness, yoga and an irksome panoply of theories. There are trauma memoirs and trauma fictions and navigations through specific trauma treatments. To put it in the vernacular of our cyber landscape, it could be said that trauma is trending. However, as with most fields of study, there are but a few works that constitute the backbone of solid scholarship on the subject. Judith Lewis Herman's seminal analysis, Trauma and Recovery, is one. Rothschild's The Body Remembers is another. Both books drive to the heart of the matter, Herman's from an external view with a primary focus on the most dramatic arenas in which traumatization manifests: combat, rape, torture, abuse, imprisonment (she touches on survival of the Holocaust). Rothschild's work takes a more internal approach and attempts (successfully) to integrate the terrain of the psyche's terror with the physical body's instinctive response to that distress.
Now you might imagine someone in the psychiatric field would have accomplished this long ago. Common sense would dictate we treat both mind and body in relation to trauma. Both are in trouble, after all, and are reacting in ways that derail a person's ability to function in everyday life. Rothschild herself points out, rather brilliantly, that much of what the body resorts to (headaches, numbness, nausea, hyperventilation, constriction, trembling) are tactile communications of jeopardy that have lingered on well past the catastrophic event. By helping a victim to understand what is stimulating these physical reactions (it could be, say, the color red, or the scent of smoke, the buzz of a machine; any sensory input that has been charged with alarm through the experience of that specific traumatic injury), we can help make sense of the nonsensical and bring much-needed meaning to fears that have elevated beyond comprehension and control.
Sounds smart, yes? But not so easily implemented in the treatment field. Psychologists and psychiatrists have grave reservations about addressing the physical front of emotional distress. And to be fair, it is a minefield. Much can be misconstrued as having a sexual overtone. Those with body issues, or issues with control (intimidation, intrusion), are prone to feeling threatened and/or overstimulated when the physical is introduced. An entire course of analysis, years of careful care, can jump the track in a heartbeat; a therapeutic bond abruptly broken; inadvertent damage done. And this is what makes Rothschild's book revolutionary. She's calling for a closer examination of that resistance on the professional's part; insisting he take another look. Work with the body's sense of danger, through discussion of the body's reactions, may in fact hold the key to healing trauma. It certainly holds the key to symptom relief.
This book is accessible, short and fascinating. Well worth the read.
Now you might imagine someone in the psychiatric field would have accomplished this long ago. Common sense would dictate we treat both mind and body in relation to trauma. Both are in trouble, after all, and are reacting in ways that derail a person's ability to function in everyday life. Rothschild herself points out, rather brilliantly, that much of what the body resorts to (headaches, numbness, nausea, hyperventilation, constriction, trembling) are tactile communications of jeopardy that have lingered on well past the catastrophic event. By helping a victim to understand what is stimulating these physical reactions (it could be, say, the color red, or the scent of smoke, the buzz of a machine; any sensory input that has been charged with alarm through the experience of that specific traumatic injury), we can help make sense of the nonsensical and bring much-needed meaning to fears that have elevated beyond comprehension and control.
Sounds smart, yes? But not so easily implemented in the treatment field. Psychologists and psychiatrists have grave reservations about addressing the physical front of emotional distress. And to be fair, it is a minefield. Much can be misconstrued as having a sexual overtone. Those with body issues, or issues with control (intimidation, intrusion), are prone to feeling threatened and/or overstimulated when the physical is introduced. An entire course of analysis, years of careful care, can jump the track in a heartbeat; a therapeutic bond abruptly broken; inadvertent damage done. And this is what makes Rothschild's book revolutionary. She's calling for a closer examination of that resistance on the professional's part; insisting he take another look. Work with the body's sense of danger, through discussion of the body's reactions, may in fact hold the key to healing trauma. It certainly holds the key to symptom relief.
This book is accessible, short and fascinating. Well worth the read.
April 7, 2023
Superb.
Too busy to write a worthy review of GREAT book.
Will get to it ASAP.
Stay tuned 📺
Too busy to write a worthy review of GREAT book.
Will get to it ASAP.
Stay tuned 📺
March 29, 2013
Essentially a textbook, divided into two parts--theory and practice--this is one of the most valuable resources I've ever bought. I'm a layperson writing fiction who, naturally, has traumatized a character (or two), and I wanted to get this stuff right. I doubt I could have found a better resource for my purposes. I "knew" PTSD is a complicated condition, but before reading this book, I truly had no idea what I was talking about. (Alongside a trauma therapist, I still don't, of course.)
The author writes in a clear, readable style. Obviously, it's not light reading, but it's never dry. She first covers trauma's effects on the brain, the difference between PTS and PTSD, and the various ways PTSD affects an individual's reactions and interactions with the world. Then, in the "Practice" section, she details different therapist techniques to facilitate a traumatized client's healing. Every chapter is brought to life with real-life case studies.
I am so glad to have discovered this book. I am equipped to write a more realistic story. Not to mention I was fascinated by every page of this well-written, informative text.
The author writes in a clear, readable style. Obviously, it's not light reading, but it's never dry. She first covers trauma's effects on the brain, the difference between PTS and PTSD, and the various ways PTSD affects an individual's reactions and interactions with the world. Then, in the "Practice" section, she details different therapist techniques to facilitate a traumatized client's healing. Every chapter is brought to life with real-life case studies.
I am so glad to have discovered this book. I am equipped to write a more realistic story. Not to mention I was fascinated by every page of this well-written, informative text.
October 17, 2014
This is a good introduction to the psychophysiology of trauma. It is, however, a bit dry, and there's a little bit of victim-blaming at some points that I REALLY could have done without.
January 26, 2025
A truly enlightening book for those who have or know someone with PTSD.
May 13, 2008
i really enjoyed this book. rothschild explores the physical impact of experiencing a traumatic event--the way memories are stored throughout your body, not just in your frontal cortex. i love her stories about paying attention to little movements that people make while they're speaking, exploring the meaning of those movements, and exploring the texture of body sensations that accompany memories.
and she gives really concrete steps for paying attention to people's bodies in therapy and giving clients new tools to explore and understand their own bodies. i would give this book to anyone who wants to think more about healing their body from emotional stress.
my concerns with the book, which i think are present throughout trauma literature, is that sometimes it feels isolated from a kind of self-awareness about its own position in culture, possible mis-uses of the theory, & self-consciousness about being formulaic. i feel like i often hear, "go to your safe place" as a kind of joke in response to any minor life stress. the language of triggers, safe place, etc. is so overdetermined right now, especially when people try to create 'safety' through policing and exclusion, or using it as an excuse for banning anything that could be a trigger for anyone (which is everything).
i don't think this is what rothschild intends, and if you read her book it's clear that her aim is actually helping people to stop making those irrational associations that are a result of traumatic stress & thus be less fearful of the new and the different. and to create acceptance and understanding around bodies that have been pathologized for their survival responses. but reading this, i couldn't help but be aware of the massive mis-reading of trauma lit that has been used as an excuse to perpetrate trans misogyny in some feminist circles. it would be nice to hear a feminist trauma scholar confront this directly.
and she gives really concrete steps for paying attention to people's bodies in therapy and giving clients new tools to explore and understand their own bodies. i would give this book to anyone who wants to think more about healing their body from emotional stress.
my concerns with the book, which i think are present throughout trauma literature, is that sometimes it feels isolated from a kind of self-awareness about its own position in culture, possible mis-uses of the theory, & self-consciousness about being formulaic. i feel like i often hear, "go to your safe place" as a kind of joke in response to any minor life stress. the language of triggers, safe place, etc. is so overdetermined right now, especially when people try to create 'safety' through policing and exclusion, or using it as an excuse for banning anything that could be a trigger for anyone (which is everything).
i don't think this is what rothschild intends, and if you read her book it's clear that her aim is actually helping people to stop making those irrational associations that are a result of traumatic stress & thus be less fearful of the new and the different. and to create acceptance and understanding around bodies that have been pathologized for their survival responses. but reading this, i couldn't help but be aware of the massive mis-reading of trauma lit that has been used as an excuse to perpetrate trans misogyny in some feminist circles. it would be nice to hear a feminist trauma scholar confront this directly.
May 25, 2022
Great easy introductory read ! So well written and presented.
February 10, 2024
I loved the first part of the book on Theory. I learned a lot about the limbic system. The second half was so-so and it sometimes felt like she was claiming to be the best therapist EVER - look at how many people I HEALED with these techniques. Super annoying. And the way she talked was a bit victim blamey... you can tell it was written in 2000.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2024
This is an excellent, to the point, book on how trauma can be a disconnect between the mind and body. We must slowly and carefully be aware of our physical symptoms and connect to the emotional in order to start the healing process.
This book can be a little academic/clinical and geared more toward therapist. It is written well enough and easy enough to read for anyone though.
This book can be a little academic/clinical and geared more toward therapist. It is written well enough and easy enough to read for anyone though.
November 14, 2023
Can be a bit dry and read like a textbook at times but extremely interesting book and great information
August 1, 2025
The most sensible book on trauma treatment I've read to date.
Part one contains condensed theory of trauma and its various implications. Part two explains the basics of somatic trauma treatment with some case studies.
The book is intended for therapists but does e great job of educating clients as well. Reading it can shed some light on what your therapist does and why.
Part one contains condensed theory of trauma and its various implications. Part two explains the basics of somatic trauma treatment with some case studies.
The book is intended for therapists but does e great job of educating clients as well. Reading it can shed some light on what your therapist does and why.
June 14, 2010
Really excellent description of ways to include somatic work in trauma therapy. Case examples are an integral part of the text, thank goodness, and are very clear and illustrative. A lot of concrete suggestions and techniques. The discussion of memory (and the science of memory) early in the book was really interesting.
I found some of the descriptions of physiology in the early part of the book difficult to follow, and the diagrams didn't help much. I went into this reading with a fair amount of knowledge about trauma physiology, so I didn't expect this to be challenging. A more visual layout of some of this material would have been useful to me.
Another small criticism: she mentions a few times that there are people whose physiology is so affected by trauma that even discussing body sensation will plunge them into a stress response, but doesn't go into detail about how you will recognize these clients and what to do instead. I thought this was a really important point.
I found some of the descriptions of physiology in the early part of the book difficult to follow, and the diagrams didn't help much. I went into this reading with a fair amount of knowledge about trauma physiology, so I didn't expect this to be challenging. A more visual layout of some of this material would have been useful to me.
Another small criticism: she mentions a few times that there are people whose physiology is so affected by trauma that even discussing body sensation will plunge them into a stress response, but doesn't go into detail about how you will recognize these clients and what to do instead. I thought this was a really important point.
April 3, 2014
I read this book for one of my graduate courses on trauma and biology. As someone who is really interested in incorporating somatic work into therapy, I loved this book. Trauma survivors often need more than traditional talk therapy since traumatic memory is stored within the body. Trauma changes the brain and I could geek out forever about all that but I will refrain. Although this book is just 200 pages, it reads somewhat like a text book, so I only recommend it if this is an area of interest for you. I do however HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who is considering/ in the process of adoption or looking to support those who are adopting children (even if the child is an infant). It will provide great insight and understanding about some of the neurobiological differences in brains that have experienced trauma, which in informs later behavior. The knowledge will be a great resource for how to better meet the need of your child.
May 13, 2012
I've lost track of the number of times I've gone through these pages over the years. Whilst there's a host of other trauma therapy books out there these days (since it's 2000 publication), I return for the brief case studies which walk through how to work with the various manifestations of trauma response in an individual, and the very clear explanation of one way to understand trauma. The title alone for me is a much needed fact to remember. A classic text in a field now saturated with theories, books and approaches.
March 3, 2014
This book begins very technically, detailing physiology of what occurs during trauma. For example the way sensory memory is encoded. It is well worth giving this part of the book a second read, as it is quite technical, but could be a useful way of seeing what’s going on.
The rest of the book looks at way of working with various cases of trauma. There is a good detailed look at boundary issues and how to overcome fears associated with this that are interfering in a person’s life and sense of well-being.
Definitely worth reading.
The rest of the book looks at way of working with various cases of trauma. There is a good detailed look at boundary issues and how to overcome fears associated with this that are interfering in a person’s life and sense of well-being.
Definitely worth reading.
September 3, 2013
This book was recommended to me by a colleague when I started working with patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It was a great eye opener to what the physical effects are of trauma and treatment options. I wouldn't recommend this book to trauma survivors as a self-help manual however.
January 12, 2021
I enjoyed this book much more than the popular The Body Keeps the Score even though it was sometimes too scientific for me. It explained much more clearly and directly what happens to someone who suffered trauma.
March 16, 2023
I think everyone should read a book on trauma. It makes you a better leader, friend and coworker. Working with people comes with people from different backgrounds and trauma feels so common, we must be equipped to hear people out through their experiences.
This book has lots of stories of Rothchild’s clients that really put into perspective the experiences people have. I never realized how much therapists get cancelled due to trying to help people heal from trauma but clients sometimes associating their therapist as their attacker when they revisit trauma with them. You really never know what people have been through, but hearing stories is insightful.
Specifically, Rothchild’s focus in the book on helping her clients get grounded in their body when they begin to open up about trauma and start to disassociate was interesting. Her tactics to ask questions to help clients feel their surroundings so they don’t float away in disassociation helped her clients feel grounded and present in the moment and not in the past. Pretty interesting!
This book has lots of stories of Rothchild’s clients that really put into perspective the experiences people have. I never realized how much therapists get cancelled due to trying to help people heal from trauma but clients sometimes associating their therapist as their attacker when they revisit trauma with them. You really never know what people have been through, but hearing stories is insightful.
Specifically, Rothchild’s focus in the book on helping her clients get grounded in their body when they begin to open up about trauma and start to disassociate was interesting. Her tactics to ask questions to help clients feel their surroundings so they don’t float away in disassociation helped her clients feel grounded and present in the moment and not in the past. Pretty interesting!
February 19, 2019
Appreciated the reminder of how trauma effects people physiologically and emotionally. Provided prep work (anchors, safe places, etc) and body work that will be helpful to my practice. Have volume 2 of this series, which I look forward to reading as well.
March 5, 2022
The first part of the book is great for people who have no knowledge about PTSD and trauma, and the second one if you are a mental health professional, with pretty interesting tips and indications for treating these kind of disorders.
February 24, 2025
This book was just okay in my opinion. Maybe it was just the subject matter and the intended audience that meant it did not capture my interest?
There were some good and useful insights that I gained from it.
There were some good and useful insights that I gained from it.
January 5, 2025
This book was amazing! It will be a staple for me, in which I'll keep returning back to for info. I really enjoyed the case studies included as well
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September 19, 2023Need to buy this book so it’s easier to read - can’t really listen to it
August 7, 2024
I am a layman who wanted to know more about how trauma affects persons, both mind and body. The first part of this book addresses such things on the biological level. The second part seems definitely geared toward therapists and training them in how to deal with trauma. I stopped reading when I realized that about the second part so my review is just about the first part. In that section, the various aspects of memory and how trauma can be reflected or even relived through body positions, smells, sounds, encounters with animals etc., are clearly deliniated. Recommended reading, but more for the therapist than the lay person. There are possibly better books out there that address the same topic for someone who is merely interested in how trauma and PTSD works within the body.
October 21, 2023
Książka ta została napisana w sposób prostu do zrozumienia, co czyni ją odpowiednią dla osób które nie mają istniejącej wiedzy na tematy związanie z PTSD, ale również tych, którzy pragną swą wiedzę uzupełnić.
Jako studentka psychologii, uważam że ta książka jest bardzo wartościowa, gdyż tłumaczy i opisuje naszą obecną wiedzę naukową dotyczącą układu nerwowego, w sposób poukładany, lecz dosyć głęboki.
Również uważam że ta książka jest świetnym przedmiotem który potrafi pomóc ludzią którzy sami przeżyli trauma, i którzy pragną się więcej dowiedzieć na jej temat.
Uważam że związek pomiędzy traumą a funkcjonowaniem naszego układu nerwowego jest ogromny. Marzę o przyszłości w której moglibyśmy rozmawiać na takie tematy, bez pogardy i wstydu. Nie stety na obecną chwilę, mało psychologów / terapeutów ma adekwatną wiedzę a propo autonomicznego układu nerwowego, I jak może on się zmienić pod wpływem traumy.
Świetna książka. Polecam!
Jako studentka psychologii, uważam że ta książka jest bardzo wartościowa, gdyż tłumaczy i opisuje naszą obecną wiedzę naukową dotyczącą układu nerwowego, w sposób poukładany, lecz dosyć głęboki.
Również uważam że ta książka jest świetnym przedmiotem który potrafi pomóc ludzią którzy sami przeżyli trauma, i którzy pragną się więcej dowiedzieć na jej temat.
Uważam że związek pomiędzy traumą a funkcjonowaniem naszego układu nerwowego jest ogromny. Marzę o przyszłości w której moglibyśmy rozmawiać na takie tematy, bez pogardy i wstydu. Nie stety na obecną chwilę, mało psychologów / terapeutów ma adekwatną wiedzę a propo autonomicznego układu nerwowego, I jak może on się zmienić pod wpływem traumy.
Świetna książka. Polecam!
June 5, 2015
Well written, useful and illustrative case histories. As a social worker and trained psycho-therapist about to embark on opening her own clinic, I found this to be extremely instructive.
I very much appreciate approaches that don't rule out differing points of view. Every method helps someone, sometimes doing nothing at all helps someone. Very often practitioners get "married" to a method and dismiss what other techniques and theories have to offer. This book helped me to understand something that I have seen in practice, that the body is an an important and vital indicator of what is going inside the soul. In other words, to treat one is also to treat the other. This book definitely belongs on my professional book shelf ( a real one not a virtual goodreads one)
I very much appreciate approaches that don't rule out differing points of view. Every method helps someone, sometimes doing nothing at all helps someone. Very often practitioners get "married" to a method and dismiss what other techniques and theories have to offer. This book helped me to understand something that I have seen in practice, that the body is an an important and vital indicator of what is going inside the soul. In other words, to treat one is also to treat the other. This book definitely belongs on my professional book shelf ( a real one not a virtual goodreads one)
June 27, 2012
Very insightful and clear description of trauma theory and biochemical responses. It also includes well-written, practical advice and strategies for counseling. In addition to the great knowledge side, Rothschild uses a very evocative narrative in describing the relationships between body, memory, and coping with trauma. The personal stories as case studies are haunting, but illustrate the biochemical relationships that are reviewed in the earlier part of the book. Outstanding book and a must-read for anyone working in the mental health field!
March 2, 2024
Great for it's time. It's now outdated as so much progress has been made in merging neurobiological information with somatic therapies. Bessel Van der Kolk, who she quotes, now has his own book out on the subject, Somatic Experiencing is now widely available in the Western world, and Pat Ogden has written texts for practitioners which can merge these practices into existing therapies. It is a good primer for those who want an introduction to all, this however.
March 23, 2011
Interesting book on the differences between cognitive vs. somatic memories, how they're created and their affects on us. Lots of useful insights for people who work with people who've suffered trauma, have PTSD, etc. Readable not just for professionals but anyone who's willing to pick up a dictionary or has some science background.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews