Bessel Van Der Kolk's - The body keeps the score

im reading The Body Keeps the Score, brain mind and body in the healing of trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk and its changing my life. im only on page seventy, but its remarkably enlightening. i cant pull myself away from it and it complements TMS therapy and theory beautifully, or rather expands upon it significantly.

i got it at the library. its new, published 2014. costs like 40 i think but im pretty sure im going to end up buying it and rereading it over and over after im done.

 

I'm reading this book also, and find it very helpful and enlightening. It's available in paperback now, so not very expensive.

 

hi ,
thanks for that, it looks really good and had excellent reviews.

another to add to my 'I want to read list'

thank you x x

 

There are a slew of these types of books coming out, I think the Internet has allowed people to validate alternative approaches. Unfortunately medics tend to be very driven but not very creative, it's good not to have Doctors going on solo runs but any who diverge are ostracised until eventually the data become undeniable. There are several epidemics of health problems that modern medicine is completely ignoring because it can't admit wrongdoing not to mention infiltration by Pharma.

Just recently several prominent British medics harshly critiqued activities by Big Pharma...something that got you labelled a kook until fairly recently.

We have seen meditation become more widespread and the Wim Hof method has won a legion of fans. One thing is clear, modern living is a total disaster for health and if you aren't actively implementing strategies to offset the cost you I will pay in the long run.
Anecdotal evidence is the beginning of huge change coming and will lead to a golden age of medicine where the whole person is taken into account blended with cutting edge technology.

 

Thanks for the heads-up on this book. I'm always looking for good TMS Or MBS resources. I just put a hold on it at my local library

 

Thanks a million Forest for sharing this treasure list!

 

Books are great source of knowledge...but when does the reading stop and the healing begin...for me reading book after book was a form of distraction and also not doing the work of healing which is living again!

 

ive gone through phases in my recovery. my favorite thing about this book is that it isnt a TMS/MBS/PPD book. its also very clinical and aimed at therapists rather than patients, as can be seen with some of the wording.

im still sorting through it, but i believe its complementing my theory which is that the pain isnt there to help us focus on something besides our emotions, rather the pain is a symptom due to a traumatized brain which involves nuerological changes that cause us to essentially stay in the state of trauma on a daily basis (author goes very in depth). all of our mindfulness and journaling exercises are actually standard treatment for trauma due to the function of trauma, not TMS, which actually shuts down the part of our brain that tells us whether things are happening now or in the past. ive just gotten to page 200, half way through, and begun the reading on healing. and in just a few pages its already been extremely enlightening. to be honest i think the TMS approach fails more serious trauma patients because they arent looking at healing their mind but rather theyre focused on their pain.

and i realize many TMS treatments emphasize thinking psychologically, even Sarno himself back in 1988. however its much more than just thinking psychologically, realizing there is a psychological root, and fighting this supposed demon which is giving you pain to protect you from yourself. its about advanced methods of systematically returning your brain function to the way it used to be before it was physiologically changed. the book talks about social interaction, neditation, yoga, and much more. ive literally read five pages on it and flipped through, theres 195 to go on treatment.

 

Hi All,

I have received an email from sounds true for an interview with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk , the author of, 'The body keeps the score'. The book is held in high regard on this forum.

For any of you who are interested, you just need to enter your email address and will be granted immediate access. Please note, the lecture is only available for a limited time.

http://bessel.kajabi.com/fe/74837-the-body-keeps-the-score?r= (The Body Keeps the Score)

Warm regards,

Mike

 

I saw him for an appointment after reading the book and thinking he potentially had much to offer me. I was extremely disappointed, however. He was only interested in doing neurofeedback, which I believe to be at best an experimental and unproven treatment and more probably a gimmick. He had no interest at all in talking about my issues. And I had no interest in being a guinea pig for his research.

 

I agree with you. Those of us that come from trauma have a brain that never feels safe. Eventually the signals that our brain sends our body that it's not safe turn into pain signals because it's the only way our brain can help us recognize something is wrong, even when everything is alright.

 

This is a trauma doctor who studies the brain. What did you expect?

 

I expected someone who would listen to my issues and history thoughtfully as any psychiatrist seeing a patient for the first time should, and then discuss options, not to be instantly railroaded into his latest pet project which at the time was an nf study.

 

LOL.... I understand.

 

Yeah it was weird, within ten minutes he was like the only thing on earth that can help you is neurofeedback and you need to commit to 20 sessions no guarantees of course. Given the breadth and excellence of the book i was shocked.

 

I would still trust his work and his studies over anything else. As a child that went through significant trauma and as an adult that has experienced significant trauma this book hits home for me. I take everything I hear from everyone with a grain of salt, and I apply what I believe in and what I can relate to. I know for a fact that my brain, since I was a little boy, his felt like it's never safe. I'm constantly in fight or flight. There's a hundred theories out there about why and how this causes pain, I'm searching for my own answers and while I'm searching I am becoming pain free. Unfortunately, just like a lot of doctors we were visiting when trying to diagnosed this pain, TMS doctors AND therapists are very hard to trust ( my wallet tells me so). I have all the information that I need, therefore I take it, I listen to it, and I apply it when needed. But most of all, trusting myself and allowing myself to feel safe, confident, and have self-compassion, is what I believe is key for me to be victorious. We are all on our own journeys, and the truth is, science knows very little about what's going on with the brain and anyone who pretends that they are an expert on the cause of the pain is full of shit IMO. Learn from others, trust yourself, and find your own way.... that is my motto!

 

When I have more time, I will detail chapter by chapter how this book has helped me. It's just another tool for an enormous toolbox.