Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
Van der Kolk is a world-renowned psychiatrist who wrote The Body Keeps the Score to educate the public and different professionals about the impacts of and possible treatments for trauma. The book weaves personal narratives, clinical anecdotes, scientific research, and wider reflections.
Tom
Tom was one of van der Kolk's first patients when he began working at the VA. Tom’s experiences in Vietnam left him suffering from flashbacks, numbness, and shame. This contributed to risky behaviors and the degradation of Tom's relationships. Working with Tom informed van der Kolk's decision to dedicate his career to unraveling the mysteries of trauma.
Julia
In Chapter 2, van der Kolk shares horrific details about a patient he calls Julia. Her extreme coping mechanisms (which involved becoming a prostitute and engaging in risky behaviors) in response to her trauma showed a drive to relentlessly pursue a lifestyle that recreated the original trauma. Although Julia is at the extreme end of the spectrum, the underlying pattern of her life is replicated daily by people who seem to actually seek out opportunities—consciously or not—to recreate the emotional circumstances that have been traumatic in their own past.
Jean-Martin Charcot
Jean-Martin Charcot was a French neurologist and professor of anatomical pathology. He was often termed the “father of neurology.” He is considered especially essential by the author for his landmark research into the connection between traumatic episodes that occur early in life and the later onset of hysteria.
Pierre Janet
Pierre Janet was a French psychologist who published the first book-length scientific account of traumatic stress in 1889. Janet hypothesized that the root of what is now called PTSD is intense emotional arousal. Whereas Charcot's goal was more research-oriented, Janet's foundational priority was to treat his patients. Van der Kolk studied Janet's case reports in great detail.
Marsha
Marsha is one of the participants who agreed to have her brain scanned while being guided through a flashback to a traumatic experience from years before. A car accident led to the deaths of her daughter and unborn child, rendering her severely depressed and guilty. Her brain scans showed activation in the limbic system, particularly in the amygdala. The scans also showed decreased activity in Broca's area, which is one of the brain's speech centers.
Noam Saul
Noam Saul was five years old when he witnessed planes slam into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Van der Kolk recalls a drawing that Noam made ten days later of a trampoline at the bottom of the towers. This demonstrated the child's capacity to imagine a creative alternative to the horrific events that he witnessed. This event etched into the author's mind a juxtaposition between those who are traumatized by terrible incidents and those who can integrate the experience.
Stan and Ute Lawrence
Stan and Ute Lawrence were a couple who suffered from PTSD following a 87-car pileup in Ontario in 1999. They sought help from Dr. Ruth Lanius, a psychiatrist at the University of Western Ontario. Brain scans confirmed the cognitive impacts of flashbacks. For instance, when the researchers read scripted details about the accident out loud, Stan's amygdala activated as though he were experiencing the crash in the present moment. Conversely, other parts of his brain that would situate him in the present deactivated. This is why trauma impairs a person's ability to distinguish time frames and context. In contrast, Ute's brain scans revealed an overall decrease in cognitive activity, which made sense given that her entire organism devoted itself to coping with the trauma.
Stephen Porges
Stephen Porges, a researcher at the University of North Carolina, introduced Polyvagal Theory. With Darwin's observations as a framework, Polyvagal Theory explores the role of the vagus nerve in regulating the autonomic nervous system in the context of social engagement, emotional responses, and fear. While this theory still faces some criticism, it provides a useful understanding of the biology of safety and danger.
Antonio Damasio
Antonio Damasio is a renowned neuroscientist recognized for his work on the relationship between emotions, feelings, and decision-making. Van der Kolk learned from Damasio's book The Feeling of What Happens, which points out the deep divide between our sense of self and the sensory life of our bodies.
John Bowlby
John Bowlby (1907-1990) was a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who developed the core concepts of attachment theory. This theory posits that early parent-child relationships significantly impact a child's emotional development. The psychologists Mary Ainsworth and Mary Main later expanded on Bowlby's theory through the "Strange Situation" experiment, which essentially provided empirical evidence that different attachment behaviors existed. From there, Ainsworth and Main identified four primary attachment styles.
Dr. Vincent Felitti
Dr. Vincent Felitti conducted the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study alongside Dr. Robert Anda. This study revealed that trauma experienced in early childhood and adolescence is much more common than initially thought.
Nancy
At the end of Chapter 12, van der Kolk shares the story of a woman named Nancy who was given insufficient anesthesia during a laparoscopic tubal ligation surgery. Her grueling journey to recovery eventually involved working with a psychodynamic psychiatrist and joining a Pilates class. Strengthening her physical, psychological, and social cores contributed to her healing.
Bill
Bill was one of van der Kolk's patients. He served as a medic during the Vietnam War and, upon returning to the United States, worked on a burn unit in a local hospital. Van der Kolk helped Bill integrate his memories with EMDR. Their therapeutic relationship also focused on the everyday pain that Bill felt as a result of being a minister. When Bill began practicing yoga, it helped him manage the loss of physical control he had over his limbs. Because of everything that he went through, Bill was able to help community members and fellow veterans as a minister and yoga instructor.
