Scan barcode
A review by wolfeyreads
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk
3.0
"The greatest sources of our suffering is the lies we tell ourselves”—
Bessel A. van der Kolk
I was hesitant to read “The Body Keeps the Score” because of how old this book is and I assumed that the author, as a white man, might exclude a reader like me, a Black queer nonbinary person. But it kept popping up in my life, through conversations and recommendations, and I was curious to learn more about trauma, how it impacts the body, and how to navigate that.
I knew that I could struggle with this book because of the medical terms and length. I did feel like it was dry at times and went on longer than it needed to (which is why I listened to the audiobook), however, I also found some of the material, necessary, especially where I am at with understanding trauma, transformative justice, and healing.
The takeaways that stuck with me were his discussions on shame, rejection of trauma, and our desire for human connection. I also liked the tools and resources near the end of the book, like writing for yourself, chanting, yoga, and breathing exercises.
I didn’t enjoy his approach to tackling rape culture, where he writes, “if you are hunched over and too afraid to look around you, you are easy prey to other people’s sadism, but when you walk around projecting the message, 'don’t mess with me, you’re not likely to be bothered.' This felt like victim-blaming and saying that to be safe, you have to look/be hard. this could have been better carried out.
He writes, “as long as we continue to live in denial and treat only trauma while ignoring its origins, we are bound to fail.” But what about the generational trauma Black folks carry? The constant transphobia, sexism, racism, ableism, and the violence BIPOC, women, queer, *trans, and other oppressed folks are impacted by daily? And what about the fact that even if we get to the deep-rooted trauma we have experienced, it will always be there. He’s right, “hurt people hurt people” and we need to talk about that hurt, and also, we need to talk about the societal trauma embedded in us that compels us to hurt people.
Lastly, there are sections, graphic descriptions, and mentions of rape, sexual assault in both childhood and adulthood, PTSD, self-harm, and other concerns that might be triggering. I bring this up because it was triggering for me, and I think readers should be aware, especially if they have experienced these topics. We can learn from his words: “There can be no growth without curiosity and no adaptability without being able to explore through trail and error, who you are and what matters to you.”
Bessel A. van der Kolk
I was hesitant to read “The Body Keeps the Score” because of how old this book is and I assumed that the author, as a white man, might exclude a reader like me, a Black queer nonbinary person. But it kept popping up in my life, through conversations and recommendations, and I was curious to learn more about trauma, how it impacts the body, and how to navigate that.
I knew that I could struggle with this book because of the medical terms and length. I did feel like it was dry at times and went on longer than it needed to (which is why I listened to the audiobook), however, I also found some of the material, necessary, especially where I am at with understanding trauma, transformative justice, and healing.
The takeaways that stuck with me were his discussions on shame, rejection of trauma, and our desire for human connection. I also liked the tools and resources near the end of the book, like writing for yourself, chanting, yoga, and breathing exercises.
I didn’t enjoy his approach to tackling rape culture, where he writes, “if you are hunched over and too afraid to look around you, you are easy prey to other people’s sadism, but when you walk around projecting the message, 'don’t mess with me, you’re not likely to be bothered.' This felt like victim-blaming and saying that to be safe, you have to look/be hard. this could have been better carried out.
He writes, “as long as we continue to live in denial and treat only trauma while ignoring its origins, we are bound to fail.” But what about the generational trauma Black folks carry? The constant transphobia, sexism, racism, ableism, and the violence BIPOC, women, queer, *trans, and other oppressed folks are impacted by daily? And what about the fact that even if we get to the deep-rooted trauma we have experienced, it will always be there. He’s right, “hurt people hurt people” and we need to talk about that hurt, and also, we need to talk about the societal trauma embedded in us that compels us to hurt people.
Lastly, there are sections, graphic descriptions, and mentions of rape, sexual assault in both childhood and adulthood, PTSD, self-harm, and other concerns that might be triggering. I bring this up because it was triggering for me, and I think readers should be aware, especially if they have experienced these topics. We can learn from his words: “There can be no growth without curiosity and no adaptability without being able to explore through trail and error, who you are and what matters to you.”