His contribution to society is immense. Thank you to this man. I only wish his book was mandatory reading for therapists, teachers, doctors, child protective services, and anyone else that deals with traumatized individuals. The mountain of knowledge in that book is incredible.
I have been informing my doctors of him and making sure they write down his name to look him up. Be sure to follow and share what you can if his on social media! We all deserve to be informed of these treatments! 💗🙏🏼💗
@Marzenka Krejcirik "child protection".. so you traffic children for the state while believing you are the authority on what other people's children need? or something else?
I worked in mental health for 20 years with people diagnosed with serious mental illness. I worked at a very progressive centre where I taught Yoga/meditation but the people were all drugged up by their doctors. For the last 16 years, I’ve done bodywork with people based in Buddhist meditation practice and Ayurveda. Food is crucial for a good base to heal and bodywork releases trauma from the body. This is so right on. One must develop a spiritual perspective to manage and heal from the kinds of trauma inflicted on people in our current world. It’s time the psychotic elite that are running things be held accountable for the fear and horror they have unleashed on the wold because they want power and control.
@Pep per. it depends on the person and their digestive strength/health of the gut, but organic/grass fed animal foods, good quality saturated fat like butter or ghee, are essential to health. Bone broth unless histamines are a problem - it will vary and people need to experiment by doing an elimination diet. Often starting with meat and fat and going from there can be helpful. I recommend the book Nourishing Traditions - based on traditional diets from around the world. It gives us a good idea of a normal human diet. Eating local and in season is also crucial. Remember, the majority of the brain is saturated fat and so is the myelin sheath around the nerves. We have never been so sick as we are now from the USD recommendations of a low fat, high carb diet.
And throw away processed “vegetable oils”. They’re not made from vegetables. They’re highly processed and turn into omega-6’s in your body which can cause inflammation. Use cold pressed virgin olive oil instead, just ensure it’s pure because a lot were found to contain unhealthy “seed or (not) vegetable oils” in them, or use avocado oil or butter made from milk from organic grass fed animals. Definitely eat real Whole Foods like organic cruciferous vegetables. Cut out processed foods, sugar, and carbs. If you must eat carbs, get them from real organic vegetables. Meat should be real also (not processed deli meats), grass fed and organic. Eggs are a good source of protein if you’re a vegetarian. You don’t need to worry about the cholesterol because eggs have choline in them which counteracts the cholesterol. But try to get eggs from locally raised chickens that are truly free range where they can run around outside. You’ll never go back to store bought once you try them. Or get your own chicken. You do need some healthy fats to absorb fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and I think, K. You can get healthy fats from avocados, organic nuts, grass fed organic butter, and even bacon. Once I switched to eating real food, cut the carbs, processed food, and sugar, and included healthy fats, I lost ~25 pounds over about 7 months because I was actually satisfied. The fats help you feel full whereas carbs turn into sugar and then you get hungry again a lot sooner plus every time you eat carbs or sugars, you have drastic changes in your insulin levels which affect your mood and energy levels. Intermittent fasting also helps and is easy to do when you’re eating real food because you’re not hungry. When you fast, your body cleans up damaged cells and creates new ones. And a good multivitamin helps to meet your micronutrient needs that might be missing in your diet. I didn’t change my diet to lose weight. I changed it to get healthy and more natural energy. At first it seemed more expensive, but since I don’t have cravings to eat all the time due to the insulin roller coaster, I actually buy less food and feel better.
@Mark Twain ... fresh, fresh and fresh vegies are better than fruits. Cut way down on sugars. Lottsa water. Fresh meats, but used more as a side or seasoning. Eat fibre, but not as much as is suggested - fibre is used as a scrub for the intestines not as something to fill up on. We don't need to be eating as much as we do even if we think it's healthy food. If you spend a larger portion of time shopping, preparing, cooking and serving you'd eat less, but healthier and happier ♡
This man is absolutely brilliant. I wish I could meet him and personally thank him for the work he has done. He gets it. And I DEEPLY appreciate that he called out the system that so often misses it and causes further shame for those of us who suffer from trauma, not some other bullshit, not something WRONG with US, but rather what happened to us and how deeply the horrendous shit we experienced imprinted into our very way of being. Period.
I never thought that my childhood was traumatic. I never thought you could get diagnosed with PTSD because of childhood trauma...always thought I could not claim that as I am not a military vet...but...here I am...age 48...realizing that all these weird dreams, anxiety and "puzzle pieces" are part of who I have become because of my trauma....reading through this book is difficult and I find myself avoiding to do my homework....but I persevere. Thank you for helping to make sense of this chaos.
You’re not alone. That first step is the hardest. We can’t change what we don’t acknowledge. Also look into Dr Gabor Mate and calming the vagus nerve. We live in a world where humans are the only species to cause so much cruelty and we share ~99% DNA. ✌️🌎
Yup, that's why attachment theory is so important. The original love wound from caregivers really controls your life until you examine it and heal it. Love is very monumental like that. If you had enough of it: it becomes the basis for safety, security, health (as illness really stems from stress & un-ease/dis-ease - epigenetics preserves that in the body) and mental health.
Helping yourself and your children to leave traumatic cirumstances is one of the most important things we can do to protect the next generation. Leave the violence and the conflict when you can. In addition.. once we haveescaped the trauma lets help each other to rewire our unconscious reactions to move through and beyond them. This work is so important to helping our societies to move through and beyond the trauma.
Exaclty. What a waste of time and emotion staying around abusive people, whoever they are, dealing with the sinister motives and actions, and trying to figure out how to navigate what nasty surprise will come your way next! Way easier to get away...the farther and faster the better. It took a couple years to realize i had to help myself get out. Thank god i applied for low income housing far away, and when one came available, i moved...7 cities away, my life has been peaceful ever since. And i am now mentally healthy enough to live a normal life!
This man is amazing. I actually prefer that he swore about war, because I can see how passionate he is to this. He gets the bigger picture. I can never understand why these are not the people who should be running the world instead of politicians.
"I can never understand why these are not the people who should be running the world instead of politicians." Me, too!!!! So puzzled about how our society runs.
Because he is honest. And the politicians are the hypocrites elected by the people. Perception is the veil covering the eyes of people voting for judges that later make laws against us while judges, attorneys are protecting each other. There must be a shift in the entire judicial system for people to see the truth and those manipulating the laws loose control only when being removed.
I came here because even after successful EMDR and years of counseling, support groups, and therapy, i noticed via FB memories i get physically sick and hospitalized on the same days each year, anniversaries of trauma events in my life. I did not even know they were trauma anniversaries until i went through old diaries, journals, and FB posts. My body literally remembers and knows...
@Ally Frasier I'm so so sorry you went through all of that. Your list of descriptive adjectives really helped me, thank you. I have a lot of those things a lot of the time, not just on anniversaries, just all the time. Especially being hypervigilant, I startle easily all the time, I'm forgetful, and one I'd add is that its' super hard for me to make decisions, even small ones. OH and I don't know what I like anymore... I don't know what foods I want to eat or what clothes I like.... it's like I'm frozen sometimes. I wanted to offer one thing. You wrote, ..."I am attracted to men like my father. They feel comfortable" I just to offer - they very unlikely feel comfortable cuz it sounds unpleasant, maybe more accurately its that they feel *familiar*. Not a big deal, but I've found over the years that my words make a difference to me so I wanted to share. Thank you again for your post!!! It really helped me today! Sending love and courage.
I have this also, I get somatic memory pain, hypervigilant, extreme grief, frozen with extended lost time dissociating, super sharp startle response and everything so loud I can't stand it. I get forgetful, triple checking locks or recalling if the oven is off etc But the full body inflammation pain, the 8hrs + per day with extreme diarrhea, the heart palpitations, just too many to list. This is just where I'm at after growing up, now a 45 yrs female & finally facing this head on. With 2 alcoholic parents, one highly physically and ragefully abusive not to mention emotionally destroying all self worth, & narcissistic, controlling and sharply mean; the other a codependent who eventually also became an alcoholic and did nothing at all to protect me. Memories as young as 2yrs flood me frequently. I have recently also divorced from a highly abusive ex..it seems I am attracted to men like my father. They feel comfortable, so clearly I need some major self work🙄. Recently started EMDR therapy (not yet started actual EMDR but very soon), and I am so thankful to have found someone who has experience with it because I'm in Australia and it's not an easy find.. Best wishes to everyone..and thank you most sincerely for this CS-vid content. How wonderful you are to share.
There is no magic man in the sky. There are no evil spirits. Only people who choose how to be. Religion induces schizophrenia. And no calling it spirituality instead does not change that. It's time we grow up and take responsibility for ourselves and our lives. No one else will save you. Save yourself.
@It Is Finished, Now time to Clean Up Private I started to read the book, “The Wild Edge of Sorrow” by Frances Weller and it’s helped me to approach my grief with reverence. I lost my Dad and my brother in a 7 month time span. I’m learning to sit with my grief and allow it to unfold. I released myself from many social activities and the American obsession to constantly improve. To anyone reading this.-I wish you peace on your journey to recover the pieces of yourself that have been wounded. 🦋💙🌈
I was asked once by an actively naive coworker, seemingly proud of herself "Do you have any adventures planned?" I responded, withholding 99% of the intensity of my response for her psychological safety and my professional security, "I've had enough adventure for one lifetime." She responded by saying something like "you can never have enough adventure". And I could not think of a way to effectively communicate with her that spending a year in a combat zone, going on 250+ missions to search for unfriendly contact, losing two friends to that contact, realizing you're a monster for having the willingness to hurt others and that others are monsters for not realizing your life is precious and that everyone is capable of unspeakable deeds, and realizing your brain has forgotten how and why to be a civilized person and is now only useful in a narrow and violent span of human experience and thus now useless in the world, was all an adventure, or 365 adventures, all of which I was unprepared and ill-equipped for and was, to me, tantamount to an extreme overdose of adventure and that if she knew what an adventure is she wouldn't ask for a single more minute of it ever again (nor for that matter flaunt the privilege of her naivete in my face). So I didn't say anything more. Recently after hearing about Peter Levigne's work, I requested Somatic Experiencing trauma therapy treatment from the VA. They responded with: We only offer evidence based treatments. I wonder how the fuck they figure they should accept a dollar of pay under the guise of helping service members while not searching every corner of every modality for potential therapeutic outcomes. Apparently they're ok with waiting until someone else in the business of caring for PTS leads the way. How must it feel to fail at the one thing that justifies your existence as an institution. I voluntarily put 100% of my life (and my psyche) on the line 365 times and this is the response I get. Once again I find myself struggling to communicate how infinitely, astonishingly, embarrassingly, colossally ethically, spiritually, conceptually lacking this is.
I totally agree. The therapies that actually work (heal) will never be covered by insurance and "health" institutions...the medical insurance companies were started and are owned by old world bankers..."medicine" was taken over by Rockf*r starting 1910 to remake it into chemical molecular industry as a new market for petroleum.
It's not the fault of the Somatic Experiencing organization, you have to understand that big pharma operate as a mafia worldwide and have infiltrated every governmental organization pertinent to health because they want people on their drugs, not to be cured. SE has mentioned how insurance companies refuse to pay for SE treatments in favour of drugs or some might pay only partially as long as they prove they're also on meds! It's insane I know. My hope is that more of us use, demand, and make this movement popular and hopefully SE becomes an acceptable treatment accesible for everybody. Wish you all the best on your healing journey!
Epiphany moment here for those who have lost loved ones and do not recover from the trauma, partly the trauma becomes a sort of vigil or pennance in remembrance of the loved one. Giving up the pain is perceived as giving up the love... Bessel is a genius.
Came from an alcoholic family. Sought help by a therapist who eventually abused his power & sexually abused me. Saw him for 18yrs. Public mental health system denied the abuse. Now in a psych ward trying to find my mobility after a year at home. Don't know if they'll keep me long enough.
After reading the book, I found a Psychologist that was trained in Neurofeedback and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy....I am off all pain medication, all antidepressants, all anti-anxiety meds and am weaning off sleeping meds. I feel like a new person, and have cut ties with those who have abused me, or cause anxiety in my life.
Indian culture, yoga, ayurveda ( and so many more disciplines- meditation, spirtualty etc etc etc.) has sooooooooo much to offer the world. Yoga is such a precise sofisticated science, I am in awe of it. I leave it upto the reader to explore further. I promise anyone who does will not be disappointed!
Love in trauma - powerful statements. We hear so much about Stockholm syndrome - but what about the child who genuinely loves their parent? Growing up in a home where both love & abuse existed, being grounded in love was the anchor that kept me stable. We have much to learn about forgiveness, with appropriate boundaries, in healing from trauma.
Cringe. Love and abuse coexisting just created an expectation that people who genuinely love you are also going to harm you and that's ok, because you deserve it. This is why abused children get into abusive relationships as adults. You don't owe anybody your forgiveness, and it isn't helpful in the sense that the expectation is continued vulnerability to someone who is NOT safe. Forgiving in the sense of "just let it go" also is NOT helpful, it is like telling a depressed person to just smile. It doesn't fix things.
Exactly. Things aren´t so black and white. Like Taylor Swift writes in her song ´happiness´: "There'll be happiness after you. But there was happiness because of you. Both of these things can be true. There is happiness. In our history, across our great divide" And in the bridge section she has this powerful line: "I can't make it go away by making you a villain" This song was such a healing moment for me. Took me a long time to get to this point.
This book was mentioned to me in a therapy session. I, along with my doctor, have had open discussions about trauma and adverse experiences in my childhood. I am astounded that someone like Dr. van der Kolk can finally say the truth out loud, with such confidence and determination, to his peers of which he appears to humbly respect. In watching this, I was relieved that it wasn't another sales pitch or dogmatic in any way. My doctor and I have discussed EMDR, and I believe we are ready to approach this therapy. I was especially pleased when Dr. van der Kolk pointed out "mindfulness". Too often I become exhausted talking and "dealing with myself. Mindfulness is such a great, and forgotten, element in the healing process. We live in a time where so much is available to us in our own healing. I often think to myself, which is more difficult?...climbing the mountain, or descending? Not sure yet, but the view is great either way.
If you are looking for books on this topic the first one you I recommend is Judith Herman's "Trauma and Recovery" as a foundation. Then Dr Van der Kolk's "The Body Keeps the Score". There are other books too of course but these two are a must read in my opinion. Others can feel free to add ones they recommend. I hope those of us hurt in our past can find healing and rest for our souls and bodies.
@Curtis Grindahl Herman's book is also grounded in Vietnam vets not just women which you seem to have an issue with. As Bessel says, more women are killed in DV than men in war since 2001. Herman spends a lot of time on soldiers and even credits Vietnam vets' activism and consciousness raising to getting PTSD recognized.
One of the most useful, interesting and insightful lectures I've ever heard...and I went to UC Berkeley and I've listened to a lot of truly brilliant academians, interesting researchers, politicians, and scientists give talks over the years. You so rarely hear someone being so honest and just telling the unvarnished truth. It's liberating to hear. Thank you to the Center Scene for posting this publicly! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Minute 49 regarding how you hold your body... I learned, as an adult in my 30s, that I could change my mood by skipping. I am not able to be depressed if I am skipping! It's rare that I can get other people to skip with me unless they're under 10 years old. Yet there are groups all over the country that skip in groups of as many as 200 people. Of course, the trick is to actually be able to make yourself get up and do it, in addition to remembering it helps when feeling so down.
I remember Helping my ex boyfriend who had PTSD by inviting him to skip with me.,a good memory I shall retain and let go of the pain. A good reminder, i will Skip tomorrow,!
Ahhhh! Bessel is so spot on with how and why people get diagnosed with some mental illnesses. People are more complex than that. Most doctors I have encountered do not ask these deeper questions and the ones that do are stuck in an unhealthy medical system and culture. Many doctors think you are crazy if you want to talk about deeper causes for health problems. I have experienced this a lot.
This lecture is priceless. However, If I would brief it with one sentence. It would be this: "The great challenge of our work is how you go inside your self and change your brain and change yourself by becoming friends with your internal experience. " 1:28:00
Dr Bessel van der Kolk M.D. I can never thank you enough for your book. It has helped me sooo much. I felt understood for the very first time in my life. I finally understood what was happening to me and how to fix it. You probably saved my life. thank you so much
Alv odin. I didn't say anything against what you are saying about feelings. I said that CBT does help you realize the negative thought patterns. This is where the saying that we are our worst enemies. It's the thinking patterns. Also, I don't believe that there is only one form of treatments, but a combination of several.
Lisa Patnaude@ You don't understand. Acknowledging and using your rational mind DOESNT help or change feelings in your body, which are the hallmarks of trauma. Especially, trauma that has to do with attachment or lack of secure attachment from childhood. We already know this. There's a reason cbt doesn't help people with BPD and other types of trauma that has to do with early attachment. And, the reason is why what I just explained. You can't think your way out of body based emotions. Yet, CBTz still gets founding,even with it's poor results.
I absolutely love his book. It has helped me as a psychology student, one who has dealt with childhood trauma, and becoming a good foster mom. I wish I could attend one of his lecture.
My treatment approaches have been influenced greatly by Bessel's work, and I continue to learn and grow as a therapist through his books and videos. I really appreciate this being available on CS-vid for all to benefit from.
He is truly amazing, genius. His love and compassion for human suffering and not giving up on them until he got to the truth and not accepting the stereotypes and diagnosis, I am truly grateful to him as trauma survivor, and for other trauma victims who have just started their journey. I found him only at the end of my healing, that is why I know he is a gift to all trauma survivors and psychologists and psychiatrists out there, who dare to challenge and walk down the path less taken. Thank Dr Van der Kolk.
Thanks to everybody involved in making this available to the public, especially Dr. van der Kolk - it makes me happy that even here in the comments people instinctively feel that he is a man wise beyond academic knowledge - despite being an impressive figure as a scientist alone. This "bigger picture" thinking is what I sorely miss in academia and in the world in general. Will definitely read his book.
My stepdad passed away MSG Jason Sikes, he was retired after 21 years in the military as well. This comment hit different. I hope you’re doing well. No one really can understand an army Veteran and what PTSD can do to a person Thank you for your service 🙏🏻
Jason Gentile my friend Levi did 4 tours in Iraq and ended up taking his own life when he came home. My heart goes out to you and I have met that struggle through him. Words can not tell you how happy I am for you to be pushing through and unraveling that puzzle of trauma that comes with the sacrifice of your service.
Wow. Thank you. I had EMDR and it helped tremendously while meds just messed me up more. Because of the meds I got to the point that I didn't trust doctors at all, and to this day I still am distrustful of doctors. I will always be grateful to my 5th or 6th therapist who had taken the time to learn EMDR. It was the first relief I had from the symptoms of PTSD. 40+ years after the main trauma I still have problems, but I think I've healed from most of the PTSD. One last note: The first person to ask a question at the end of the session hit the nail on the head: doctors/therapists far too many times think they know it all and aren't interested in looking for the truth about trauma and what it really does to people and what they actually need to heal. This conference gives me hope.
After over 40 years of therapy, EMDR training was helpful in healing my childhood trauma. I’m so thankful to my therapist to introducing me to Dr. van der Kolk and his book, The Body Keeps the Score.
Thank you for your research, this man gets how trauma works.. I have a question. As someone who has C-PTSD and bpd I’m really wondering if marijuana-based treatments are effective. I’ve been able to self-medicate with it for a couple of years to soothe the symptoms, flashbacks, anger, and nightmares and I have to say it’s been helping the symptoms. I don’t have nightmares and all it takes is one hit to bring me down from worst panic attacks. I trained my brain to simply redirect the thought into something else and completely forget what I was thinking about a couple seconds prior, very helpful for immediate relief but depending on the severity of the episode it can lead to hardcore disassociation. Although short term it’s been helping, more and more traumatic events have been happening and all of it just doesn’t fit in my brain anymore… All of it still lives somewhere in my head. past attempts to seek professional help left me in the hospital so whatever the solution is it has to be self-work… I wonder if anyone else can relate to this
I did EMDR. It helped me with some things from the past, taking away the fear of specific situations, but it doesn't just solve everything, since I've had different kinds of trauma during my whole childhood. I agree it has absolutely it's place in treating childhood trauma yet it's not enough on itself.
Same experience here. Did EMDR and had to change the ending of a traumatic event I witnessed. I wound up going home and becoming extremely upset after hearing a phrase on TV that was insignificant. I didn’t find it to be helpful, instead I was hyper vigilant.
I was watching random psych vids fell asleep and this auto played. He is brilliant! I woke up to hear this amazing lecture. SPOT ON. I have felt misunderstood, discredited...got very ill with an auto immune illness related to lyme and need mobility devices to get around...I tried meditation before, all sorts of CBT. And I got only worse. And this really validated my feelings! I have worked in a way my whole life to disengage from my body...to escape. I have a mobility service dog that helps also with psych because in public have been attacked verbally and physically and in a way I am looking for which side it is going to come from next. Doctors treat trauma survivors as if they are faking illness...and I hear this and I know...I am ok, and it all makes sense. My body is not broken, it is doing what it needed to do to survive. This guy is a GENIUS. This is the BEST LECTURE EVER.
This man is amazing. He is talking about the life I lived with my father who was abusive to me because he was a disabled Vietnam veteran. I love the way he explains the reaction to abuse and what can cause it. Ive been but on disability for Bipolar Disorder.
For anyone who suffers from chronic pain the book by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk is a must. It started my way to healing. I have deep respect for this doctor and think him to be the best among trauma - pain specialists.
As a survivor of multiple PTSD events/lifelong night terrors, this is RIGHT ON! EMDR significantly altered my awareness - combined w/6 short years of Hatha Yoga,well, there is still a lot to discover, despite now being Night Terror free. *If any studies involve concussion/ptsd healing, please sign me up
refreshing honest talk. Yes the complex love/parental trauma is one of the most difficult core issues I have faced. Diagnosed with finally with emotional Borderline Personality disorder (quiet BDP) love has always been the core problem for me, as it was such a toxic upbringing with conflicting messages. I have always felt my brain was 'sick' not right, now I know I can heal it. thank you.
@Elizabeth McBride therapists are limited. They are human. All healing comes thru Christ. Go within, it's right there. The best therapist is a spiritual one who leads u to Jesus... this is the 12th step in aanon. spiritual awakening.
I was diagnosed as BPD and it didn't feel right but at least I had a name. I identified as a quiet borderline. I found a therapist who does trauma informed therapy....and her assessment is I have trauma induced mood disorder. Just telling my diagnosis story not telling you anything about yours. Sending love!
I too had very inconsistent parenting which I think is a BPD hallmark. I wish you the best on your healing journey, mindfulness and self compassion has really helped me. ❤
@part 3 It is possible to heal from BPD. I should know. If a therapist refuses to work with cluster B that is their choice, I'll just look elsewhere. If someone truly wants to heal, they will put in the work required. The stigma is unfortunately very real though!
This is so amazing - I so appreciate what Dr. Bessel van der Kolk says about NOT directing the patient what to feel or do - which has always felt so incredibly disrespectful, invalidating, and patronizing. Thank you.
"Your licence is only a licnece to malpractice." Hell, yeah! There's too many examples of this kind of practicioners. Thank you for this wonderful and insightful lecture!
I am a survivor of childhood emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Much of the physical and emotional abuse I never repressed and in some ways found ways of processing during childhood. I have a memory of being in a a certain room at four years old, and realising that I hated my mother utterly and irredeemably ! That was a turning point. I guess when I rejected blame and replaced it with contempt towards my mother. I had repressed the memories of sexual abuse maybe until I had capacity to process the trauma ( in my mid forties). I had spontaneous regression during which I relived rape at six years old ! The witness saw and heard me squirming in pain and asked me my age ! I spoke in a heavy Lancashire accent I had then , and totally as a child ! That regression enabled me to begin to integrate the trauma by reparenting my injured and traumatised inner child ! That meant dialoguing between my traumatised child self and my empathic parenting capable adult ! I would talk her down from panic attacks , putting her to bed to feel warm and safe, soothing her with voiced words as I would an actual scared and lonely child ! In this way I integrated both the repressed experiences and my inner child as a real part of myself who deserved comfort, patience and relationship to a caring parental figure which I also was ! True I was also a qualified psychotherapist, a teacher and had many years of group therapy ! I certainly had PTSD. The kind referred to as profound and complex ! Which is an accurate description! Sounds easy ! But it was not. My intimate partner rejected me as a result ! In a way that made it obvious that repetition compulsion had put me into another abusive relationship ! I believe the unconscious inner guide does not allow us to enter deep regression until we are ready, that is equipped with healing capacity! I made progress. My whole internal mental and emotional dynamic got re jigged. The healthy maturing process that I was in no position to undertake before, I undertook then. It was time consuming, unpredictable, energy consuming, and gloriously transformative ! As too so called professionals ! They are mostly worse than useless ! Incompetence because they are ignorant and hidebound by indoctrinated presumptions through which they retraumatize rather than heal ! The only therapeutic that works well is self help group therapy with other survivors ! THEY are the experts ! There are book guides to that kind of work ! I am now a happy, empowered survivor , living as an intergrated whole , wise and so wary, kind and with self esteem and humour ! Now I said this I will listen to see if this guy has anything meaningful to say !
I am a yoga teacher. yoga meditation has helped my personal healing out of trauma and basically living life peacefully and that is why I became a yoga teacher. much love and light. Preet
In the depths of depression, dissociation, and feeling like my life was falling apart; I found this book & bought it. I read it and couldn't believe how my experiences had been explained. I simply thought it was just called depression. I had no way of explaining or understanding the dissociation I was dealing with until I read this book. I didn't know it even had a name and didn't know how to explain it to anybody. I didn't realize that it wasn't just depression, but PTSD that I have been dealing with for the last 37 years. I would also love to be able to try EMDR, but unfortunately live in a very small community that doesn't have any doctors that are trained to do it. I would love to meet, and even experience some therapy sessions with Dr. van der Kolk. I truly believe he could help me how no other doctor has. Thank you so much. This book has really helped shed light on my life and experiences with trauma.
Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families; is an in-depth solution to the pain and, “don’t talk, don’t trust, don’t feel,” many of us have with generational rigid rules and being invisible as children. God Bless ~
Great talk. I went through a very difficult time ten years ago where I lost my business, my house during the crash. I had worked for thirty years. I was devastated and ended up on medication for depression and anxiety. I regret the day I ever started taking these because now I am hooked on a load of stuff. I am still very unwell and have lost all motivation. I cannot concentrate to do anything productive. Having listened to this talk I am going to seek out some talk therapy and try to learn more about Mindfulness and meditation. I wish you all the best.
What a wonderful, complete, overarching yet thorough, talk about Trauma and mental health from Dr VanderVolk! So rare today to stop engrossed on CS-vid for an hour and a half! Sooo worth it! So encouraging as well but in a very critical way. A speech for therapists and scientists and anyone affected by trauma. Thank god for people in this crazy web of the 'treatment/science' like Dr V. Thank u also to everyone who made this to share with others (-and accessible for free to the audience there).
Does anybody else feel a sense of disappointment in this? As great & helpful as the research it is it's disappointing to me to know that the body does indeed keep the score. It sort of limits our conscious autonomy. Straight from the womb research says that the stress your mother endures plays a role in your physiology. All that trauma we endure quite literally physically becomes a part of us & plays a role in the way we perceive the world. Even when your unconciousness does it's best to hide it from you your body is there to soak it up like a sponge. It's like our trauma has more of a credential in who we are more so than our very own names, given to us from birth. Even worse, things like EMDR & somatic therapy can help get rid of that trauma. It's like we're much more our bodies than we realize. Something about enduring trauma that creates & controls your entire perception/personality being able to be whisked away with body therapy is like -- what was the point of all that mental suffering then? It's like even in getting rid of the trauma your consciousness isn't all needed. idk how to explain this but yikes.
I'm excited to learn about Bessell's research, having spent my entire adult life in therapy and the last 2 decades on meds (I am 55)....and only being able to SURVIVE, when I so want and need to THRIVE. Desperate for relief!
@Alexandru Gheorghe 👍I thank you for your kindness -and consideration for a fellow human being. I am borrowing the info you posted. We can only improve ourselves and then, pass it on to others. Blessings
Tesla referenced human energy 🌪👻jesus christ referenced living waters 💎🤍science described water memory 🌊👨🎓existence reflecting psychologically,psalms16:24 k,j 💎🤍👨🎓historical fact jesus christ 🗽💞🌪
“If anyone tells you that they have found the answer, then immediately show them the door because that means that they are religious fanatics and they are not really interested in the truth.” Such an important piece of wisdom so willfully denied in so many parts of the word
Yoga, mindfulness, Metta practice, brisk walking outside, EMDR, and various other self-care helped me. I have severe dissociation due to childhood torture by mom and the people she associated with -after years of self-medication to numb the emotional pain, tame anxiety, and PTSD symptoms, followed by prescribed meds for anxiety sleep and depression I’m off all meds, pushing myself to have human relationships and am generally a happy person. Bessel is awesome and I plan on buying The Body Keeps the Score.
Lori Passarelli May I ask if your mother was diagnosed with mental illness ? Did she have a traumatic experience with her parents ? My mother is sickly nice to me that I’m older .. but only so she benefits . She doesn’t accept any gifts I buy her and loves to buy me lots of little trinkets , as if to show me she is a good mother in her head .
@Tulin Beyduz Hi Tui, my mother died ten years ago, but I didn't cut her out of my life. She never apologized. My mom smothered me numerous times, and inflicted various forms of torture on me. It is my opinion you made the right decision in cutting the ties.
My mother abused me as a child . I always have a terrible feeling of being suffocated . I spent 10 years in foster care . I’ve decided to cut ties with my mother . She doesn’t acknowledge any of the abuse and that I’ve made it all up . Have you cut ties with your mom ? Did she ever apologize ?
I’ve been in bed w/pneumonia & RSV. Fell asleep listening to another lecture & woke up to hear this amazing angel. I have been a yoga/meditation teacher since early 1970’s. Starting back in therapy again for ptsd, anxiety & depression, along w/newly diagnosed ADD. Will buy his book now.
At about 32 min in he talks about the body's sense of "I'm here, I'm going somewhere and I know where I am going" falling apart, "instinct of purpose" per Pavlov disrupted by trauma. Such a great observation he makes of the relative gait of the veteran. Victim mindset!! That pisses me off because part of the problem with early childhood COMPLEX trauma is that one doesn't develop social skills and then one isolated and DO MAKE YOU A VICTIM not only of ALIENATION but of opportunists who prey on the vulnerable. Learning to protect oneself is a skill set and people need modeling and mentors and stable safe housing to try to regain losses of early childhood complex trauma especially if they are old which is sometimes when trauma comes back and cripples people who had survived through most of adulthood. One this he misses, so far 30 min in, is that sometimes people are in the moment feeling fear NOT just because or only because of the memory of the original trauma but when trauma occurs in early childhood and is continuous it means that the sufferer doesn't get to develop skills, social skills and hobbies etc. and they have a new CURRENT reason for fear; they are so messed up and don't have the conditions in which to now as adults develop those skills.
Spartan Life Coach Richard Grannon has does much work in this area of CPTSD and adult survivors. He helped me in ways that trained professionals were unable to do because they were simply ignorant of the work on trauma that is out there. Pls also check out his Fortress Mental Health Channel.
@SusanD Hi, Susan, Would you be able to explain what process you applied to achieve healing and fredledom? I understand him to say that trauma experienced in early childhood is inflicted on the amygdala, which is not connected to the thinking and communicating part of the brain, which has not developed at that time. The amygdala becomes the "unconscious." That is why it is difficult to physically heal the body and get it to stop repeating the physiological responses to the trauma. A "miracle" is required, whether in the Christian sense of divine intervention. Or perhaps by some other process, as yet uncertain and unpredictable, and therefore, seemingly not repeatable. Thank you in advance for any wisdom you want to continue to share. Best kind regards.
I think your perspective misses his point. I am just marveling at his understanding of what I refer to as "coming home to yourself.". I don't think it matters that the fear is current but still as a consequence of childhood trauma. It's the access to that part of the brain that can imagine another response. I experienced this myself. It's an amazing miraculous experience that is so healing. I have never heard any explanation until now. My psychiatrist at the time was dumbfounded. And he was brilliant and a neurologist. I just got so much better so fast. This becoming aware of who you are is grounding, centering. It's not fear of others, it's not lack of skills, it's fear of not knowing how to decide, how to perceive situations and when to act. It's the difference between saying "I don't know for so many years and then suddenly you know what you want and how you feel and what you love, and you step forward decisively because now you know who you are. One week in the woods, lying on a deserted beach and done. I was a wreck. Every decision was too much. And did that as an alternative to the hospital, at my doctor's recommendation. I refuse being thought of as a victim, thinking of myself as a victim. Your ship will sink doing that. That is lack of imagination.
This illustrates the difference between PTSD and CPTSD. PTSD is more or less one trauma. CPTSD is complex contonuous trauma that never allows you to form that internal map for safety and love, thus it's much harder to heal from.
I picked this book up a year ago after a major clinical event that I still suffer from. Haven't read much of it but I found it very comforting considering nobody believes my physical body sensations, they all think I'm lying.
As a veteran and victim of most types of traumatic experiences, it is so frustrating to try and get real help. I read the book, and I kept thinking "Wow. A lot of these stories were related to actual doctors." I always get a social worker.
I’m not exactly sure what I love the most the incredible amounts of truth that comes out of his mouth or the fact he couldn’t care less about other people compliments. Thank you For making my life a better place to be 🎉🙏
Dr. van der Kolk cites and commends the importance of opening the imagination to heal trauma with theatre and says he hangs out with actors and martial artists and that kindergarten teachers have much to teach psychologists on opening the imagination as the gateway between the body and the tramatized brain - and that this was a free conference .
I’m willing to bet that when his father required absolute obedience, it stemmed from his father’s experience that absolute obedience (to that soldier that sent him to the bathroom) actually is what saved his father’s life. Somewhat misguided conclusion, if that’s the reason, nonetheless Bessel turned out amazingly gifted to bless the lives of millions. Thank you van der Kolk family 🙏🏼❤️
I respect Dr Van Der Kolk and have followed his work for years. My one complaint is that he doesn't address how the trauma doesn't have to be "that bad" to be THAT BAD. Complex-ptsd can result from a childhood with neglectful parenting, or being verbally bullied over a period of time, or being scapegoated. The dysfunction doesn't have to be dramatic for the small t traumas to line up to cause debilitating complex-ptsd. The doctor does those of us a disservice by focusing on the more extreme cases. Three years ago I never have said I'd had a traumatic childhood, but a breakdown at age 55 changed all that. I had fairly severe CPTSD that I'm still recovering from.
I still struggle to acknowledge or validate why I have emotional dysregulation and ferocious unfiltered bouts of rage. I tried EDMR but only a couple of sessions because I didn't feel I was getting to the core of why I struggle. I feel the memories I was picking were me just trying to grasp at straws. Although I was molested, it wasn't aggressive or even by a man and I don't recall much of it. My father is an extremely aggressive and intense man but I still think that's not enough to call it trauma. My mother was entertaining but not emotionally present but that's not big stuff like war and rape. Maybe I'm minimising but I don't want to be a trauma band wagoner. I must be authentic. I now am investigating whether I have ADD. I do know that when I used to meditate it helped everything way more than learning or information.yet I never do it anymore. Wish I could start again and stick with it.
Thank you for the wisdom you have shared with us. I am very excited about your work. Briefly about my professional journey. I initially wanted to study medicine but ended up a qualified nutritionist. I was initially shocked by the irrelevance of my University training, which was out of context. I had to delearn what was taught and enrol in the university of life of the Mothers and families who were experiencing poverty leading to child food and nutrition insecurity. My other passion has always been about understanding why we behave and act as we do. What drives our behaviour! With these youthful desires, II have gone 360 degrees in my career; finally studying nutrition and issues of poverty , human rights, neuroscience, trauma with mainly poor and rural communities. I got frustrated that economic empowerment interventions were not yielding sustainable results. I decided to focus on human behaviour/ their experience of poverty and scarcity and how this experience undermines their self worth, dignity, aspirations and the desire to improve their lot and live a good quality life. To cut the long story short. I have been compelled by my passion, desire and curiosity to find what works to save and enhance quality of lives of families and communities around me, to read a lot around the healing of the impact of socio economic, emotional trauma and scarcity and various forms of violence during childhood. I don't apply any one rigid formula during our healing sessions. Having said this,I am excited that my experience and insights are being confirmed daily by our great experts/ scientists. I have the desire to share our humble experiences , achievements , insights and to learn from the global wisdom available to us. Bless you!
I have suffered ptsd. After years of therapy it only took the edge off . I then went into Eft with a trained Eft practitioner for a good length of time . It was the only thing that helped !! I can say that I am healed from my ptsd and can talk about my past like i was reading about it with no reaction . This technique is amazing !! It has save my life !!
wonderful. His calmness and voice is comforting, very helpful. I see his book is on youtube. Rape is so common and yet no one mentions the source for the hate men feel that drives them to rape women, maybe if society took it seriously and made boys attend some kind of class so we had less rape? instead of women having to go through it and then learn to be martial artists to walk out of libraries, that might be healing. Just saying, all the work and suffering and finding a way to function again is on the person traumatized.
I developed a self-treatment which was to do a meditation brain retraining audio which I would do during acupuncture. The acupuncture activates the parasympathetic and makes it possible to go into that relaxed state. Also, dance art , kickboxing are other things I did to become functional and happy. Still stressed but not too bad.
Thank you for posting this video ⭐ Some notes: 23:30, 29:59 Use of talk therapy and importance of body focused, "bottom-up" approaches, in trauma recovery - eg yoga has proven beneficial effects in self-regulation after trauma, more so than drugs 24:57 Ancient, body-focused, "alternative" practices proven as more helpful for trauma than current Western ideas of medicating the symptoms 28:16, 29:46 What is trauma? 29:29 How to treat it?... Learning to befriend, love and become safe in our bodies.
This man knows his stuff. He is a true hero - not in his practise to make success solely for himself but to help others to live their best life. Happy that I found his videos.
I've been able to cope by 1: getting independent and living on my own, so that my security isn't threatened by broken relationships. And 2: meditation and yoga which has made it easier and easier to bounce back from anxiety and destructive thinking, my inner voice is now caring and safe and this has meant a lot to me. (also a lot of help from a 12-step community in regards to codependence). I still suffer from spasms due to physical abuse, they are not tied together with emotions or flashbacks but can be really annoying since they emerge whenever I try to relax. (And it gets worse if I'm in a stressful period).
@Donna Saathoff I understand what you mean but I'm not sure that that's what's going on with me. I don't feel like I'm "bracing" but rather reacting with spasms that are much like the flinching I did when I was physically abused.
You may be suffering from a common condition that complex PTSD survivors have.... muscle armoring. Please Google complex PTSD and muscle or body armoring. I have had 37 years of chronic pain because of this and just recently made the connection. My therapist agrees
"When ur traumatised you feel powerless x defenceless, doing things that give you power, particularly things that are very close to what robbed you of YOUR POWER in the first place is an astounding way in which you can rewire your brain" (1:22:15).🐻🐼🦊
Fantastic presentation. It is evident, more than anything, the deep, deep validation of trauma survivors. Safety, peaceful, calm and finding good that is close to your trauma source...that is true purpose. Powerful.
Thank you for the humor, Dr. Van der Kolk! You've helped me understand myself better and release myself from some of the grips of PTSD. Amazing to hear that last question about trauma in the womb. I have believed for a while that I experienced trauma while in the womb and now I know it is a thing someone is looking at. I will get more curious about that now and do some research!
Look into Dr Gabor Mate ‘s work. The last 3 months in utero the baby gets everything from mom including her environments and stress hormone. Dr. Nadine Burke Harris also addresses ACE or adverse childhood experiences which cause many health and psychological symptom into one’s life.
It would be just so awesome if these videos had subtitles for other languages, so people from all over the world would be able to listen to him and try to fix themselves or understand other people.
+d orbegozo I watch those boatloads of refugees arriving in Europe, I see how they are received by the media and the oh so bloody vocal right wingers .... and I think, "Can't anyone see where this is going? Can they really not see those tens of thousands of traumatised children? What do they think is going to happen with them? That they will just settle in to mainstream life, and BE GRATEFUL?" Then I scream. It's absolutely vital that this information gets disseminated everywhere, in every language. I've been walking my long hard road for over 40 years. I'm a broken down shell of a woman. Oh I tried. With energy, enthusiasm, tenacity, grit and heart. But I couldn't do it in a world that simply didn't know WHO I was, where I came from. How my brain functioned. I was just expected to "put it all behind me", stop being a "headcase" and get on with a normal life. Like all these refugees will be expected to - or not, depending on where they land up. Now all I CAN do is scream.
+d orbegozo Not just awesome, but even incredibly important, because relieving people from the intense daily sufferings of trauma - which I have experienced for decades myself - is one of the greatest gifts, if not the greatest gift, one can ever receive. It is because it is the gift of a genuine life, a rebirth into a life that's worth living and offers the possibility to love oneself and others. And traumatized people hurt the world, while healthy people spread love; the one force this planet so desperately needs. Uploader, can you please look into this and provide subtitles?
I experienced both Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Emotional Transformation Therapy (ETT) Both were good, but I found ETT for me the most beneficial for trauma.
I had two EMDR treatments at Kaiser Santa Teresa. After the 2nd session the doctor told me I should experience less nightmares and feel better. Instead not only the nightmares increased horrifically but I started hallucinating seeing horrible images while I’m awake. It was 24/7 of hell. The doctors decided to stop the treatment after 2 sessions. They put me on very high dose Wellbutrin, Lexapro, and Gabapentin all at once. Somehow I got 2 prolong seizures each 30min apart. The 2nd seizure wiped out my memory for days. They took me off Wellbutrin and lexapro and put me on Prozac and anti seizure meds. Recovery wasn’t easy. When I hear of EMDR or antidepressant medications I get goosebumps and my stomach hurts!
I have seen Bessel speak many years ago. I remember he was treating patients who served back in WW11. He said one of his goals was to take the patient from seeing just one building in the distance to seeing the whole skyline.
This video has found me after waking from a nightmare and not wanting to go back to sleep at 330am. This video has given me hope and major in site in what Iam going through. I straight away brought the book and can’t wait to get it. Until then Iam going to research drs studies. Thankyou
“It is not necessary that you leave the house. Remain at your table and listen. Do not even listen, only wait. Do not even wait, be wholly still and alone. The world will present itself to you for its unmasking, it can do no other, in ecstasy it will writhe at your feet. ” ― Kafka, Franz
I'm going to rewatch these talks regularly because I feel the points are very important and useful for me to keep in mind particularly as a vulnerable person navigating the public and private health system plus society in general. Once he got to CBT I just lost it.
I'm a survivor of multiple long term traumas. It wasn't until a few years ago I started studying trauma, etc. Now working on my degree, which was not something I was not allowed to pursue until recently. Studying though, helped me understand myself and it also opened up the door to wounds/traumas I didn't remember. It's not pleasant. However, education/awareness is the beginning. Watching this reminds me of techniques I learned and practiced in the past. Things I've got out of habit of doing as the new and old wounds I mastered covering reveal themselves vs. being invisible scars masked to others and myself. I'm quite impressed with the research and examples in this lecture. As well as Dr. Bessel's style of examination and intrigue into various trauma. Would love to read the book. Agree with the comment below it should be a required textbook. Certainly one I will recommend to advocates too. Neuroscience/neurology has always fascinated me, along with why people do what they do. I have a CCM found after a head injury and many MRIs to monitor it. The scan comparison near the end of this video is remarkably disturbing. Some parts of the day as I continue to work on self are difficult, basic things I could do and focus and other things simple but not as often as I'd like and this gives me hope that I can thrive vs. just being an expert in how to survive. Also to note, I imagine the prison study is a bit like covid lockdown/isolation. Many of us don't know how to live with ourselves and until we can and like/love I'm not sure many of us know how to appropriately respond or interact/socialize, let alone have loving healthy relationships with others. Just my two cents on self-isolating as I very slowly heal which I use loosely because so often I feel like I'm a mess. Which is an improvement from brushing things off, burying, denial and pretending the past isn't my reality. A very long war that is over, but many wounds to heal and only two hands to stitch and rest. Complicated complex trauma but good to have hope and happy I came across this and the nerve stretch video to help as well. Looking forward to practicing these and now not as nervous about EMDR w/covid lockdowns finally eased up to try it out.
14 years with the Canadian Army. Tours to Afghanistan in 07,09,10. My counselor recommended this book. Reading the first Chapter about Vietnam hit me hard with the similarities to the Afghanistan war. War is absolute shit its changed me for the rest of my life. Hit the bottle hard for years to numb the memories and voices in my head. Have had far too many friends who have commit suicide since coming home from a war we never intended on winning.
@Alysen Cameron Great words of wisdom. Thank you for sharing. Still learning to deal with my angry from the guilt and shame. Now I channel it through weight training and intense cardio 5 days a week. Would rather my body feel sore then live in my head all day. It seems so easy to be patient with oneself. Yet its a hard thing to master. We are our own worst enemy within the walls of our head. But I'll never give up.
I encountered many US and Canadian Nam-vets at 20 years old. It was heart breaking to listen to them around campfires. It broke my heart to see my inner self being relived in their stories. My father was military. Initiating the change from this heritage began with those born to enact Nam. I dedicated my self to changing from the heritage of sadness with death to happiness with creation. I learned to keep my focus on me through yoga and meditation. After more than 30 years of doing this practice I cleansed my whole being, from self to Self, with the result others speak about me being 'lighter'. I don't get angry or impatient. People say I'm uber-patient. It's fantastic and tells me there is far more to experience into tomorrow with success. It's thriving because the practice is to be patient with oneself. The activity of making things with my hands helps me to being self patient.
'Mind is the builder...' Edgar Cayce Regression therapy has been extremely beneficial in helping overcome past trauma. As soon as my health is better I'll be a certified regression therapist for this so I can help vets with PTSD because I find it absolutely UNACCEPTABLE how many we lose everyday. PLEASE Don't give up!! Healers like me are out there ready to help you HEAL NOT COPE!! 🙏💚
17:30 - This is a note for myself so I will remember this secret the doctor just told. That just changed my life. Now I know why I have sided and stayed with my abusers.
This moment was huge for me too! I mean, I knew it already intuitively, but hearing it from a professional really helps give myself permission to recognize that truth, since I so often experience gaslighting attempting to diminish it!
I absolutely find this one of the most valuable breakthroughs in my search to heal from Trauma. That being said the one flaw I see here, having grown up in conservative Wyoming, many people here will not be helped because of the little political side comments that would alienate people in power. It is sad that so many people in conservative states are being left behind, unable to live up to their potential. Religious fanatics think they are keeping their children safe.
@Isidore Aerys compassion... Humans are predatory. Moral high ground makes some people think their anger is justified, while others have nothing to protect.
He speaks about the importance of Yoga from the 24th minute. Important to listen all the time before to understand what happens when people go through trauma recall.
This is brilliant CBT Has never been so overused in the UK. It's the only therapy offered free. This is a disgrace as there are so many brilliant people like this man. I'm a body psychotherapist and I fully aware of all these factors Another good point Traumatised people are often told about meditation and these people are often retraumatised when they meditate. Excellent talk.
I received almost immediate relief from anxiety and depression through an outpatient program through the VA that used a combination of Tapas and EMDR. The first session was miraculous, the relief was immediate, and two following sessions were what I would call "clean up" of lessor "isms" that were not addressed in the initial visit in 2015. In 7 years since the sessions I have experienced ups and downs, but nothing lasting. I live life as a whole, productive, and useful person who is free of the baggage.
