Bessel A. van der Kolk

“While trauma keeps us dumbfounded, the path out of it is paved with words, carefully assembled, piece by piece, until the whole…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“. I was often surprised by the dispassionate way patients’ symptoms were discussed and by how much time was spent on trying…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“In April 2013, a few weeks before DSM-V was formally released, NIMH director Thomas Insel announced that his agency could no longer…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“The brain-disease model takes control over people’s fate out of their own hands and puts doctors and insurance companies in charge of…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“It was early in my career, and I had been seeing Mary, a shy, lonely, and physically collapsed young woman, for about three months…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“Unlike other forms of psychological disorders, the core issue in trauma is reality.”

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“Beneath the surface of the protective parts of trauma survivors there exists an undamaged essence, a Self that is confident, curious, and…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“trauma produces actual physiological changes, including a recalibration of the brain’s alarm system, an increase in stress hormone activity, and alterations in…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“The brain-disease model takes control over people’s fate out of their own hands and puts doctors and insurance companies in charge of…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“The ACE study group concluded: “Although widely understood to be harmful to health, each adaptation [such as smoking, drinking, drugs, obesity] is…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“Like so many survivors of childhood abuse, Marilyn exemplified the power of the life force, the will to live and to own…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“The internal system of an abuse victim differs from the non-abuse system with regard to the consistent absence of the effective leadership,…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“As long as you keep secrets and suppress information, you are fundamentally at war with yourself.”

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“... stress hormones are meant to give us the strength and endurance to respond to extraordinary conditions. People who actively do something…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“As long as you keep secrets and suppress information, you are fundamentally at war with yourself…The critical issue is allowing yourself to…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“When you have a persistent sense of heartbreak and gutwrench, the physical sensations become intolerable and we will do anything to make…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“The roots of resilience . . . are to be found in the sense of being understood by and existing in the mind and heart…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“The scientific study of suffering inevitably raises questions of causation, and with these, issues of blame and responsibility. Historically, doctors have highlighted…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“BEFRIENDING THE BODY Trauma victims cannot recover until they become familiar with and befriend the sensations in their bodies. Being frightened means…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“A man has as many social selves as there are individuals who recognize him. —William James, The Principles of Psychology”

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“The challenge of recovery is to reestablish ownership of your body and your mind — of your self. This means feeling free…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“Since then neuroscience research has shown that we possess two distinct forms of self-awareness: one that keeps track of the self across…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“No matter how much insight and understanding we develop, the rational brain is basically impotent to talk the emotional brain out of…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“A few years ago I heard Jerome Kagan, a distinguished emeritus professor of child psychology at Harvard, say to the Dalai Lama…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk

“You live through that little piece of time that is yours, but that piece of time is not only your own life,…

— Bessel A. van der Kolk