The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

In chapter 4, the author states the ability to move and act in the face of a threat is crucial for preventing long-term trauma. RUNNING FOR YOUR LIFE: THE ANATOMY OF SURVIVAL When the left side of the brain fails to function during trauma memory, it prevents the patient from viewing the action analytically as something that happened long ago.

The left hemisphere of the brain stores factual information, while the right hemisphere stores emotional recollections. The author explains this by saying that trauma is hard to put into words and cuts the patient off from language.Īctivity shifted from the logical, analytical left hemisphere to the creative, intuitive right hemisphere, as revealed by the MRI scans. There was less activity in the parts of the brain that process speech. He found increased activity in the limbic area of the brain, especially the amygdala, which triggers stress. This new technology was used by the author to conduct an investigation of brain function during flashbacks. In the 1990s, brain-imaging techniques were very popular. LOOKING INTO THE BRAIN: THE NEUROSCIENCE REVOLUTION He’s interested in natural techniques to treat trauma. The author worries that medications have become the default technique of addressing mental health concerns. The author has never been able to explain this, but says it indicates pharmacology’s limitations in treating trauma. Prozac helped many trauma patients, but not combat veterans. Once Prozac was available in 1988, he began prescribing it with effectiveness. The author later explored the possible connection between PTSD and serotonin. After becoming a psychiatrist, the author became interested in neuroscience to comprehend traumatic stress better. He thought patients’ hallucinations came from suppressed memories. The author while working at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center between his first and second years of medical school. REVOLUTIONS IN UNDERSTANDING MIND AND BRAIN A healthy response to trauma involves the body accepting the reality that the threat is no longer present. But a talking cure, in which they learn to talk about what they’ve been through, is rarely enough. It’s understandable that survivors of such horrific acts would want to put them behind them.

Because hearing about a slaying or rape is upsetting, many people would rather ignore the possibility of such atrocities occurring altogether, or at least believe that they occur only in remote areas of the world. The author notes that most hearers experience horror when hearing about someone else’s second-hand trauma. The author makes it clear in this first chapter that, based on his work with a wide range of patients, he does not believe that trauma can be remedied with pills alone. What Is Being Said In Detail LESSONS FROM VIETNAM VETERANS

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk