The Body Keeps the Score

Summary

The book 'The Body Keeps the Score' by Bessel van der Kolk emphasizes the profound connection between emotional trauma and physical symptoms. It challenges traditional psychiatry by urging therapists to address the body alongside the mind. Traumatized individuals often manifest emotional distress in their posture, breathing, and movement. Van der Kolk advocates for therapies that incorporate physical activities like kickboxing, rhythmic chanting, and sensory integration to help individuals reconnect with their bodies. His approach promotes healing through physical experiences, emphasizing the importance of touch, movement, and rebuilding trust in one's body after trauma.

Takeaways

• 📚 The book 'The Body Keeps the Score' by Bessel van der Kolk emphasizes the importance of understanding the body's role in emotional trauma.
• 🧠 Emotional suffering is not just a mental phenomenon; it manifests physically through posture, breathing, sleep, digestion, and more.
• 🤝 Therapists are encouraged to view the body as a 'score sheet' of emotional experiences, not just the mind.
• 🚫 Suppressing emotions like anger due to fear of retaliation can lead to physical manifestations such as stiffness or resistance to physical activity.
• 🤸‍♂️ Engaging in physical activities like kickboxing or swimming can help release pent-up emotions and assertiveness.
• 🎶 Rhythmic activities like chanting or drumming can be therapeutic for those who have suppressed their emotional expression.
• 👶 The book discusses the impact of early childhood experiences on emotional well-being and the need for proper nurturing.
• 🏥 Van der Kolk opened a sensory integration clinic to help individuals reconnect with their bodies through therapeutic play.
• 💆‍♀️ Therapeutic massage can help rebuild trust in one's body for those who have experienced neglect or emotional trauma.
• 🤔 The body's physical symptoms can serve as a source of memory and evidence when the mind cannot recall or validate past traumas.
• 🌟 Healing can come not only from therapy and dialogue but also from physical experiences like dancing, swinging, or receiving a nurturing hug.

Q & A

What is the main idea of the book 'The Body Keeps the Score' by Bessel van der Kolk?

The main idea of the book is that emotional suffering is often manifested physically, and that treating emotional unwellness should involve attending to both the mind and the body.

Why does van der Kolk emphasize the importance of the body in understanding emotional distress?

Van der Kolk emphasizes the importance of the body because emotional symptoms often show up physically, such as in posture, sleep patterns, and reactions to touch, which means that treating only the mind may be insufficient.

How might childhood experiences affect a person's physical behavior according to van der Kolk?

Childhood experiences, such as dealing with a parent's overwhelming rage, can lead a person to suppress their emotions and physical expressions. This can manifest in a rigid posture or resistance to physical activities, driven by a fear of their own vitality.

What alternative forms of therapy does van der Kolk recommend besides traditional talk therapy?

Van der Kolk recommends physical activities like kickboxing, karate, competitive running, swimming, rhythmically chanting, or drumming to help release suppressed emotions and reconnect with one's body.

How does van der Kolk describe the physical state of traumatized people?

Traumatized people tend to have bodies that are either too alert, reacting strongly to every stimulus, or too numb, feeling heavy and immobile. Treatment aims to find a comfortable balance between these extremes.

What is the purpose of the sensory integration clinic established by van der Kolk's team?

The sensory integration clinic aims to help people reconnect with their bodies by offering activities like diving onto foam mats, rolling in a ball pool, and balancing on beams. It is intended to correct a long-standing disconnection from their bodies caused by past trauma.

Why might some people be uncomfortable with physical touch, according to van der Kolk?

Some people may be uncomfortable with physical touch because they were neglected or treated poorly by caregivers during childhood, leading them to view their bodies as disgusting or unworthy of affection.

How can therapeutic massage help those with a history of trauma?

Therapeutic massage can help rebuild trust in one's body, offering experiences that contradict the feelings of helplessness or collapse resulting from trauma, and helping individuals feel more comfortable in their own skin.

What role does the body play in recovering memories and understanding trauma, according to van der Kolk?

The body can serve as a source of memory and evidence for trauma, especially when the mind is unable to recall or doubts its own experiences. Observing bodily reactions can provide clues about what might have happened.

What are some activities that van der Kolk suggests for healing emotional trauma?

Van der Kolk suggests activities like dancing, swinging, chanting, and receiving nourishing hugs from trusted individuals as ways to heal emotional trauma and reconnect with the body.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Mind-Body Connection in Healing Trauma

The book 'The Body Keeps the Score' by Bessel van der Kolk emphasizes the importance of recognizing the body's role in emotional suffering. It argues that emotional pain is not just a mental issue but is also manifested physically through posture, breathing, sleep patterns, and behaviors. The book suggests that therapists should consider the body as a record of emotional experiences. It provides examples, such as individuals who have suppressed their anger due to a parent's rage, and how this suppression affects their physical presence. Van der Kolk advocates for therapies that engage the body, like sports or rhythmic activities, to help patients reconnect with their bodies and find a balance between being overly alert or numb. The book also discusses the establishment of a sensory integration clinic to help individuals re-experience physical touch and movement in a therapeutic setting.

05:01

🧒 Overcoming Childhood Trauma and Emotional Inheritance

The second paragraph discusses the impact of childhood experiences on adult life, focusing on how emotional inheritance shapes our sense of self and our choices in relationships. It talks about how our early experiences with parental love influence our adult partnerships and our perception of being good or bad. The paragraph suggests that healing from childhood trauma involves not just intellectual understanding but also physical experiences like dance, play, and touch. It mentions the idea of surrendering to a nurturing hug as a form of therapy, indicating that emotional healing is a multifaceted process that involves both the mind and the body.

Keywords

💡Emotional Unwellness

Emotional unwellness refers to a state of mental or emotional discomfort that can manifest in various ways, including mood disorders, anxiety, and depression. In the context of the video, emotional unwellness is not limited to psychological symptoms but also includes physical manifestations, such as changes in posture, breathing, and sleep patterns. The video emphasizes the importance of considering the body as an indicator of emotional health, suggesting that physical symptoms are just as crucial as mental ones in understanding and treating emotional distress.

💡Bessel van der Kolk

Bessel van der Kolk is a Dutch professor of psychiatry at Boston University and the author of 'The Body Keeps the Score.' He is a key figure in the video's discussion, as his work focuses on the connection between the body and emotional trauma. Van der Kolk argues that the body itself can be a 'score sheet' that reflects the emotional experiences of an individual, and thus, should be considered in the diagnosis and treatment of emotional unwellness.

💡Sensory Integration Clinic

A sensory integration clinic is a therapeutic environment, mentioned in the video, designed to help individuals reconnect with their bodies through various sensory experiences. The clinic is likened to an indoor playground where both children and adults can engage in activities that stimulate different senses, such as diving onto mats, rolling in ball pools, and swinging. This approach is intended to correct past neglect or improper physical affection, helping individuals to feel more at home in their bodies.

💡Emotional Inheritance

Emotional inheritance refers to the way in which our early emotional experiences, particularly those involving our caregivers, shape our emotional lives and relationships later in life. The video suggests that the way we were held, caressed, and soothed as children can have a profound impact on our adult emotional well-being. This concept is integral to understanding how early life experiences can lead to emotional unwellness in adulthood.

💡Trauma

Trauma, in the context of the video, refers to deeply distressing or disturbing experiences that can have lasting effects on an individual's mental and physical health. The video discusses how trauma can cause the body to become overly alert or numb, and how it can lead to a disconnection from one's own body. Trauma is a central theme, as it is the source of much of the emotional unwellness that the video aims to address.

💡Physical Manifestations

Physical manifestations are the observable bodily changes or behaviors that can result from emotional distress or trauma. The video highlights how emotional suffering is not just a mental state but also has tangible effects on the body, such as changes in posture, breathing, sleep patterns, and reactions to touch. These physical signs are crucial for understanding and treating emotional unwellness.

💡Therapy

Therapy, as discussed in the video, is a broad term that encompasses various methods for treating emotional unwellness. It includes traditional talk therapy as well as more physical activities like sports, rhythmic chanting, and drumming. The video suggests that a holistic approach to therapy, which considers both the mind and the body, can be more effective in treating emotional distress.

💡Vital Signs

Vital signs, in the context of the video, refer to the body's basic functions, such as heart rate, breathing, and body temperature, which can be indicators of emotional state. The video implies that by paying attention to these signs, therapists can gain insight into a client's emotional well-being and tailor treatments accordingly.

💡Rhythmic Chanting

Rhythmic chanting is a therapeutic technique mentioned in the video as a way to release pent-up emotions and assert one's right to be. It involves the repetition of sounds or phrases in a rhythmic pattern, which can have a calming effect and help individuals reconnect with their emotions and bodies.

💡Massage

Massage, as discussed in the video, is a therapeutic practice that can help rebuild trust in one's body, especially for those who have experienced trauma. It involves the manipulation of muscles and other soft tissues to reduce stress and promote relaxation. The video suggests that massage can be a way to counteract the helplessness or rage that results from trauma by providing a positive physical experience.

💡Hug Therapy

Hug therapy, as mentioned in the video, involves the use of physical touch, specifically hugs, as a form of emotional healing. It is based on the idea that physical contact can provide comfort and a sense of security, helping to counteract feelings of isolation and emotional pain. The video suggests that a long, nourishing hug from a trusted person can be a powerful tool in the healing process.

Highlights

The book 'The Body Keeps the Score' by Bessel van der Kolk emphasizes the importance of recognizing the physical manifestations of emotional trauma.

Emotional suffering often presents itself through physical symptoms such as posture, breathing, and sleep patterns.

Therapists are advised to consider the body as a record of emotional experiences.

People who suppress their anger due to a parent's rage may develop a stiff, almost frozen physical state.

Vander Kolk suggests physical activities like kickboxing or karate to help individuals reconnect with their strength.

Traumatized individuals may have bodies that are either hyper-vigilant or numb and immobile.

The book proposes that emotional healing can involve physical activities and experiences.

Vander Kolk and his team opened a sensory integration clinic to help individuals reconnect with their bodies.

The clinic offers activities like diving onto mats and jumping on swings to help correct alienation from one's body.

People who were neglected in childhood may withdraw from their bodies, feeling uncomfortable with touch.

Therapeutic massage can help rebuild trust in one's body for those who have been emotionally stunted.

The body's symptoms can serve as a source of memory and evidence for past traumas.

Emotional healing can be facilitated through physical activities like dancing and swinging.

The book discusses the impact of parental love styles on the formation of adult relationships.

Vander Kolk's work suggests that the body can be a guide to healing from emotional wounds.

The book challenges traditional talk therapy by incorporating physical activities into the healing process.

The sensory integration clinic is designed to help individuals who have been deprived of proper physical touch in their youth.

The book explores how early childhood experiences shape our emotional and physical well-being.

Transcripts

the body keeps the score is the

beautiful and suggestive title of a book

published in 2014 by a dutch professor

of psychiatry at boston university

called bessel van der kulk the book has

proved immensely significant because it

emphasizes an idea

that has for too long escaped

psychiatrists and psychotherapists

vander kulk stresses that people who are

suffering emotionally are unlikely to do

so just in their minds

crucially their symptoms almost always

show up in their bodies

in the way they sit or breathe and how

they hold their shoulders

in their sleep patterns in their

digestion processes

in the way they treat their spots and in

their attitude to exercise

taking the body more seriously opens up

new avenues for both the diagnosis

and treatment of emotional unwellness

instead of simply seeing a person as a

disembodied mind

which must talk its way to a cure

a therapist is advised to see the body

as a kind of score sheet

of the emotional experiences that its

owner has been through

a scoresheet that should be read and

attended to as carefully as any mental

account

to take one example many people who have

grown up having to deal with the

overwhelming rage of a parent

will have learnt to suppress their own

anger and their desire to hit back at

those who hurt them

in their minds they will have become

meek and precisely attuned

to fulfilling the wishes of others

however unreasonable these might be

but as importantly in their bodies they

will have learnt to be very

still almost frozen because a part of

them associates the expression of

anything exuberant or powerful

with the risk of bringing about

retaliation from others

these people might sit in a particularly

stiff way or have an ingrained

resistance to running

that has nothing to do with laziness

what is at stake is a fear of one's own

vitality

in trying to treat such people van der

kulk goes beyond advising

traditional talk therapy he would also

recommend that they try

under the supervision of a

therapeutically trained teacher

kickboxing or karate competitive running

or swimming

sports these people might long have

resisted because of a cowed relationship

to their strength

they might also try out rhythmically

chanting or drumming

thereby additionally releasing pent-up

longings to assert one's right to be

traumatized people tend to have bodies

that are either too alert

responding to every breath and touch

flinching and bristling at contact

or else too numb shut down heavy and

immobile

treatment seeks to find a more

comfortable halfway house between these

two extremes vanderkolk's book helps us

to think anew of how to deal with people

who

at the start of their lives were not

properly held

caressed and soothed in the way that

young children desperately need to be

in order to feel at home in their own

skin

as part of their work van der kulk and

his team opened up a sensory integration

clinic in boston

a sort of indoor playground for children

and adults

where one can get back in touch with a

body that was not properly

and by loving hands touched or cuddled

gently swung from side to side or hung

upside down for a giggly moment

in the sensory integration clinic under

the instruction of a therapist

one might dive onto foam-filled mats

have a roll around in a ball pool

jump on a swing and balance on a beam it

sounds

childlike and is meant to be offering a

serious chance to go back a step to

correct a long-standing alienation

those who were once neglected by

emotionally stunted parents

have often almost literally withdrawn

from their bodies

they own them but they do not properly

live in them

they might be rendered deeply

uncomfortable if anyone touches their

shoulders or strokes their back

they might intuitively think their body

was disgusting

because that's how it once seemed in the

eyes of those who were meant to look

after them

for such people vanderkulk might advise

a therapeutically informed massage

to help rebuild a basic trust in one's

skin and limbs

as he puts it he wants the body to have

experiences that deeply and viscerally

contradict the helplessness

rage or collapse that resulted from

trauma

it is no doubt deeply unfortunate that a

difficult past appears to give us

physical as well as mental symptoms

but the body's travails can in

vanderkulk's optimistic account

also become a source of memory and

evidence

when our minds have otherwise seized up

or fatally doubt the legitimacy of their

own feelings

we can start to remember what might have

happened to us

by asking ourselves questions in therapy

and at the same time by taking a look at

how we are sitting

how we breathe and how we feel when

someone we love proposes to hold us

then we can hope to be healed not only

by wise arguments and kind voices

however consoling these might be but

also by dancing

swaying from side to side on a gigantic

swing

chanting in unison or best of all

surrendering ourselves to a very long

and very nourishing hug

from someone we have quietly dared to

trust

how to overcome your childhood is a book

that teaches us how character is

developed

the concept of emotional inheritance the

formation of our concepts of being good

or bad

and the impact of parental styles of

love on the way we choose adult partners