Summary from the book
In The Body Keeps the Score, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity.
My summary: Did not finish
I’m very interested in books that deal with mental health and how therapy, medication, and select activities, such as exercise and meditation, can help relieve symptoms and improve quality of life for people with long-held trauma.
Over the past year, I learned that this title had a resurgence during the pandemic. I got it from my local library and made it about half-way through it before giving up. I think what I was looking for was more of a how-to on how to recognize when your mental and emotional state is potentially damaging your body, and what can be done to prevent or reverse this sort of damage.
The good: It went into the history of antipsychotics and SSRIs. It provided the doctor’s first-hand account of the effects these medications had on severely traumatized patients. It also explained his remorse for how the prevalence and over-prescription of these types of medications has had a negative impact on society in the long term, meaning that medication should be combined with other treatments, such as therapy. The author writes in a very natural, easy-to-understand style. The examples provided were clear. He took what could have been a dry, technical article to something relatable.
The bad: This was more a book about scientific research and treatment history than a practical guide. The content is very interesting, but I could not get past the numerous examples to get to any of the practical takeaways.
