Comments and Reflections on The Body Keeps the Score by B. van der Kolk

van der Kolk writes, "Just as we need to revisit traumatic memories in order to integrate them, we need to revisit the parts of ourselves that developed the defensive habits that helped us to survive" (p. 281). With those defensive habits, coping takes its toll, not just on the mind but on the body. Yet, as we have learned in this class, as well as throughout this book, what the brain does to protect, flee, and fight is "normal" and, in fact, part of God's design. Imagine if none of those preservation habits were present when we faced trauma. Imagine what our brains and bodies would do then. I fear all would be lost.  I agree with van der Kolk in the importance of not only healing the mind from trauma, but also working with the body to heal from our defensive habits. It goes back to the "I do not know what I do not know." We cannot shame others (or ourselves for that matter) when defensive habits become destructive habits. In the midst of our trauma re...

I appreciated van der Kolk's thorough overview of EMDR since it has felt like a modal of practice that feels like we have been introduced to the practice multiple times this semester (or, maybe it is just me since I studied it as a comparison practice in my CBT/DBT class, as well). Yet, EMDR also seems a bit mysterious and abstract to me. What EMDR offers is change and a clearing of the mind for the trauma survivor through a re-wiring and healing of the brain. It seems fascinating to me, yet so foreign since I have not yet had the opportunity to see it practiced in person in direct practice. Therefore, I found van der Kolk's process of discovering EMDR, embracing the practice of it, as well as his description of processing trauma with Kathy incredibly helpful. van der Kolk's use of yoga practice was also helpful. Again, I am seeing how important it is to engage the entire body in the practice of trauma healing. When trauma makes it difficult to engage the cognitive level of...

van der Kolk writes the challenge of recovery is reestablishing ownership of your own body and mind--of your self. ...For most people this involves (1) finding a way to become calm and focused, (2) learning to maintain calm in response to images, thoughts, sounds, or physical sensations that remind you of the past, (3) finding a way to be fully alive in the present and engage with the people around you, (4) not having to keep secrets from yourself, including secrets about the ways that you have managed to survive" (p. 205-6). It was ten o'clock in the morning at O'Hare airport in Chicago. I was stumbling through the airport after landing a few hours earlier after a sixteen-hour direct flight back to the States from Ethiopia with minimal sleep. All I wanted at that point in my trip was a large latte from Starbucks, a yogurt, and a quiet gate where I could slip my mask off my face for a few moments since I was heading into hour number twenty for mask-wearing. I had a seven-h...

I can remember at the beginning of the semester either Dr. Boer or perhaps Dr. van der Kolk noted the way the mind and body respond to trauma is a normal response. Parts of our brain go into overdrive protecting the body and mind from harm, while other parts of the brain shut down and even decrease in size. This is normal. When we face trauma, our brains also forget.  As difficult or frustrating as it may be to not have full memory of exact events or scenarios, how beautiful this ability actually is. How tragic it would be to continuously relive the sexual abuse from a perpetrator over and over again. How much more harm would it cause to the body, mind, and spirit to continuously be haunted by the images, sounds, and smells of an abuser if the memory did not shut down. How redeeming it is for God to cause this to happen in the brain when trauma and tragedy hit. Yet, when people do remember--like the story of Julian--navigating how people remember or what triggers their vivid memori...

van der Kolk's explanation for the hidden epidemic in developmental trauma was spot on. His description of a child who experienced something unexpectedly devastating was helpful, especially the section on diagnosing. He writes, "In the case of the troubled children with histories of abuse and neglect who show up in clinics, schools, hospitals, and police stations, the traumatic roots of their behavior are less obvious, particularly because they rarely talk about having been hit, abandoned, or molested, even when asked" (p. 159). Furthermore, even if they are asked, there is a great chance they will not have the memory of the event, especially if it happened in their early development, or may not have the words to properly describe what had happened.  For research on a paper I wrote last semester, I read an article focused on an 11-year-old girl named Rachel who had been referred to an outpatient trauma clinic. She appeared to have clinically significant symptoms of PTSD ...

There is a tendency for new parents to want to do everything right--how to feed, diaper, attach, and secure. I've heard so many not-yet-parents comment how they will  never  do that when they are parents. Then they become parents.  A few weeks I was pulled into a conversation between our pastor and a young "soon-to-be-parents" couple who had asked our pastor what it took to be good parents. I know the pastor's journey in parenting is not too dissimilar to our journey so he paused, smiled, and looked at me, asking what I thought it took to be good parents. I recalled my HBSE class last semester and the phrase coined by Winnicott, a British pediatrician and psychoanalysis, "good enough mothering." It is the idea that children actually benefit from imperfect parenting, and in all actuality, no parent is perfect. The phrase seems to alleviate any anxiety for expectant parents who are nervous about getting something wrong with the newly born being. The phrase see...