Trauma really does confront you with the best and the worst. You see the horrendous things that people do to each other, but you also see resiliency, the power of love, the power of caring, the power of commitment, the power of commitment to oneself, the knowledge that there are things that are larger than our individual survival. And in some ways, I don’t think you can appreciate the glory of life unless you also know the dark side of life. – Bessel van der Kolk
That was from the below interview from On Being:
Human memory is a sensory experience says psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk. Through his longtime research and innovation in trauma treatment, he shares what he’s learning how bodywork like yoga or eye movement therapy can restore a sense of goodness and safety. What he’s learning speaks to a resilience we can all cultivate in the face of the overwhelming events that after all make up the drama of culture, of news, of life.
Listen here:
More posts that feature Bessel van der Kolk
More on Trauma and PTSD and
See also: Professional denial is a form of retraumatization
● The Body Keeps the Score (part 1)
● The Body Keeps the Score (Part Two) — how trauma changes us
Link to the book on Amazon: The Body Keeps the Score
— By Bessel van der Kolk
More on Beyond Meds about Trauma and the Body:
● Trauma, Fixation and Reactivity – (Somatic Experience)
● The body releases trauma and restores goodness
● The healing journey revealed (trauma and transformation)
● Trauma is often held in the body and experienced as chronic pain
● Trauma release exercises (or tension release too) — the body speaks
● ”When you put the psyche in motion it heals itself.” (embodiment)
● Trauma, Brain and Relationship: Helping Children Heal
● Trauma and the body: an audio with Will Hall and links to more info
