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

medium-paced

4.25

The best way I can describe this book is probably one of the best intro college courses you'd reminisce on if you took a course on trauma in college. The way the author writes his chapters allows for the reader to comprehends the contents of the book. And of course, you might be a little confused on the science but at the end of the day you're going to understand what the author is trying to get you to understand. I do believe that the anecdotes are also necessary because oftentimes when we learn about trauma and mental health it's very much from a stoic and non-humanizing perspective and I feel that the author's personal experience with his patients adds a level of humanity to what we will read on further in that particular chapter. I think it also really enhances the ability to understand the content in the book. I feel that I've learned a lot about other people and of course myself throughout this book. I will say that this book can have the ability to potentially be triggering for some traumas but again, those aren't necessary to discuss in order to understand trauma because that's the whole point of the book. Towards the end, the book does feel a little repetitive and there was a point where I went from really intrigued to just kind of wanting to get the book over.

Other than that, the book is phenomenal.