A review by stevia333k
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
PS: i've learned since reading this book that the author got fired for harassing his employees. because of the contradictions i noted in this book, with this review, it made sense. i've cut it down to 3 stars instead of 5 because i think maybe he was trying to trigger people instead of relate to traumatized people. it's 3 instead of 1 because it makes me question the family as organizing praxis when incest has historically if not also currently so normalized.
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the book is helpful. it contains several graphic examples of trauma, so be careful & take your time. like this book has advanced my therapy & such a ton, so that's why it's 5 stars because it explains how my body works, how trauma works, suggestions for healing from it, etc. also the discussion of the history of psychiatry & getting recognition for diagnoses was helpful too, including how anti-psychotics got rid of the mental institution as a place of imprisonment.
he also works a shitload with veterans, which personally sucked for me since i associate soldiers (especially usamerican ones) with genociders & war rapists. that being said, i know the military is surprisingly a major component of pop culture.
so yeah. anyways, I think this centering of USA's military makes him reformist & it shows when he tries to argue things from a budget or cost-savings perspective in ending child abuse while not getting how businesses & employers rely on vertical ethics & abuse.
i'm looking back on my notes & it seems chapter 12 or 13 triggered the hell out of me that i didn't make reading progress for a month. i also stopped taking notes around the 56% mark, like i just wanted to get it done. he cites transphobe germaine greer around that point in the book to talk about how war makes troops sick not sick troops went to war (which like dude couldn't you have cited anybody else!).
so basically get some physical exercise involved that make you conscious of where your body is holding pain. this is important since body contact with certain parts can be related to certain traumas.
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the book is helpful. it contains several graphic examples of trauma, so be careful & take your time. like this book has advanced my therapy & such a ton, so that's why it's 5 stars because it explains how my body works, how trauma works, suggestions for healing from it, etc. also the discussion of the history of psychiatry & getting recognition for diagnoses was helpful too, including how anti-psychotics got rid of the mental institution as a place of imprisonment.
he also works a shitload with veterans, which personally sucked for me since i associate soldiers (especially usamerican ones) with genociders & war rapists. that being said, i know the military is surprisingly a major component of pop culture.
so yeah. anyways, I think this centering of USA's military makes him reformist & it shows when he tries to argue things from a budget or cost-savings perspective in ending child abuse while not getting how businesses & employers rely on vertical ethics & abuse.
i'm looking back on my notes & it seems chapter 12 or 13 triggered the hell out of me that i didn't make reading progress for a month. i also stopped taking notes around the 56% mark, like i just wanted to get it done. he cites transphobe germaine greer around that point in the book to talk about how war makes troops sick not sick troops went to war (which like dude couldn't you have cited anybody else!).
so basically get some physical exercise involved that make you conscious of where your body is holding pain. this is important since body contact with certain parts can be related to certain traumas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, Rape, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Abandonment, Ableism, Addiction, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts