Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

142 reviews

studeronomy's review

informative medium-paced

3.25

As Charles Darwin wrote in his notebook, "The mind is a function of body." And, as this book convincingly shows, the body keeps a vicious tally of the wounds inflicted on the mind. These physical tallies are most easy to detect in people who suffer from PTSD and its adjacent disorders, but the implications of this book is that all our bodies carry the suffering our spirits have endured in ways that are tangible and quantifiable.

I know "The Body Keeps the Score" has its detractors and, because Bessel van der Kolk wrote it for a popular audience, he necessarily simplified some otherwise complex studies and truncated some otherwise complex research conclusions. But van der Kolk's observations over a fifty-year career demonstrate a couple things to me:

First, the field of psychiatry is (or was, until recently) hopelessly siloed. Psychopharmacologists aren't talking to neuroscientists aren't talking cognitive scientists aren't talking to social workers and therapists. Communication between disciplines and subdisciplines is very poor. And this doesn't begin to address the different methods of treating trauma that van der Kolk describes, most of which developed in disparate subdisciplines without much coordination with other subdisciplines. The whole organization of psychiatry (like the organization of most fields of study) is very messy.

Second, psychiatry still lacks its "germ theory," an explanation for the prevalence and cause of most mental illnesses and mood disorders. And such a theory might be impossible, given the nature of the mind itself. As Darwin also wrote in his notebook, "Experience shows the problem of the mind cannot be solved by attacking the citadel itself." An attack on the "citadel" of the mind cannot be a direct attack. There may be no unifying theory of the varied experiences we associate with "mind," "brain," "cognition," "the soul," whatever. And certainly no single field or discipline or method will unlock the mysteries of those experiences. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Incest, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, War, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Addiction, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

ppeynetti's review

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, Violence, Suicide, Physical abuse, Self harm, Child abuse, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, War, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, and Sexual violence

deerm's review

dark informative sad medium-paced

4.25

Incredibly informative book that has changed the way I think about trauma, and how trauma lives in the body and how the mind processes/doesn’t process it. However, I’d say approach the book with an awareness that the case studies in the book can be quite explicit in the details about abuse the patients suffered, so if that is something that would trigger you I’d not recommend it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Incest, Rape, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Pedophilia

angelfireeast24's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Incest, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Violence, War, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Drug use, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Self harm, and Sexual assault

This book is a must read for anyone dealing with trauma who dealing with people who have truama.

cursiveknight's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Child abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Incest

Incredible book about understanding trauma - how it impacts the brain and how to treat it.

eijae's review

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Such a great book! It really does help you to reflect on your life and point out areas of improvement that could be aided by various therapy methods 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Car accident, Child abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Rape, War, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual harassment, Violence, Mental illness, and Sexual assault

laurynsbookshelf's review

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Vomit, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Suicide, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Incest, and Violence

valleysoshady's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

I think everyone should read this book. It can inform how techers deal with students, how parents raise their children, how adults reconcile their habits and behviours with past experience. Using the examplesnof vetrans experiencing PTSD and adults with Complex PTSD resulting from childhood or adult trauma, the author uses case studies in symptoms and healing from  trauma and how specific types of  therapies can help.

The book uses extreme experiences to show how people are shaped by their environments and gives hope in the resilience of the brain for overcoming instinctual reactions. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Bullying, Self harm, Abandonment, Addiction, Medical content, Pregnancy, Eating disorder, Incest, Violence, Child abuse, and Drug use

The contents are carefully handled in the context of medical experience to inform understandingbof impact, but can be triggering.

tmaguire23's review

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Self harm, War, Violence, Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Suicide attempt

drought_season's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Dysphoria, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Addiction, Bullying, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Abandonment, Chronic illness, Incest, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt