Mind-Body Connection
Van Der Kolk discusses how traumatic experiences and memories affect both the body and mind. The hopelessness and sense of peril caused by trauma foster the release of stress hormones that affect the organs, bodily functions, and the immune system. He affirms that psychiatrists have long ignored the body while assessing the effects of trauma on the brain. Through new studies in developmental psychopathology and neurobiology, he reveals that trauma causes certain physiological changes. He stresses the connection between the brain and the body as they work simultaneously to process information and deal with traumatic experiences.
Therapy versus Medication
The book addresses different ways of treating post-traumatic stress disorder which include pharmaceutical drugs and therapy. The common approach is the use of medications that hope to treat every individual in the same way however every person is different. Van Der Kolk supports the use of psychotherapy to approach trauma through methods such as mindfulness, breathing, touching techniques, and yoga. Trauma affects the brain through dissociation hence teaching the brain to process information and produce the right action is key.
The Ubiquity of Trauma
As the title suggests the author aims to enlighten the masses on the score that our brain and body keep with every traumatic experience. Trauma is an epidemic that remains concealed within our bodies and minds but causes changes and alters our mechanisms. Traumatic memories manifest through intense emotions and somatic sensations because of their fragmented and disorganized nature. Unlike positive memories that are complete and demand action, trauma block survival responses by releasing stress hormones. Therefore trauma continues to reshape the body and brain of the sufferer in silence without their knowledge.
