Healing: Reflections on 'The Body Keeps the Score'

I recently finished reading "The Body Keeps the Score" by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk", a leading expert in the field of trauma and healing. This book has deeply resonated with me and has helped me understand why, despite years of self-work and self-improvement, we can still struggle with triggers and emotions related to past traumas.

While I've worked hard to heal from certain experiences that made me feel less than safe or secure, I often still find myself struggling with anxiety and fear when certain situations arise. Reading this book helped me understand that trauma isn't just a mental or emotional experience, but a physical one as well. Our bodies hold onto the memories and feelings related to traumatic experiences, even when our minds try to move on.

Dr. van der Kolk explains the complexity of trauma and healing. Healing from trauma may require more than just talk therapy or medication. It can require reconnecting with our bodies and learning to regulate our physical responses to triggers. This can be done through numerous practices like yoga, meditation, and other somatic therapies that help us become more attuned to our bodies and better able to regulate our emotions.

One of the most powerful takeaways from this book for me was the idea that trauma can actually be transformed into something positive when we return to ourselves. After reading this book, I consciously began seeking out more experiences and practices to help me mentally, emotionally and spiritually reconnect with my body.

By acknowledging our past experiences and working through the associated emotions, we can actually become more resilient and better equipped to handle future challenges. Rather than feeling like a victim of our past traumas, we can learn to see them as opportunities for growth and transformation.

Overall, "The Body Keeps the Score" has been a powerful tool in my own journey of healing and self-discovery. It has helped me understand the interconnectedness of our minds and bodies, and gave me hope that true healing is possible. If you've experienced trauma in your life, I highly recommend giving this book a read and exploring some of the somatic therapies and/or other practices it suggests. It may just be the missing stepping stone in your own healing journey.

*This post is purely a reflections/book review piece and is not intended as health advice.

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