Alive Quote by Bessel van der Kolk
“Traumatized people chronically feel unsafe inside their bodies: The past is alive in the form of gnawing interior discomfort. Their bodies are constantly bombarded by visceral warning signs, and, in an attempt to control these processes, they often become expert at ignoring their gut feelings and in numbing awareness of what is played out inside. They learn to hide from their selves.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Body Keeps the Score, 2014
Trauma embeds itself in bodily sensations, causing chronic hypervigilance and emotional numbness.
In simple terms: Trauma lives in the body.
Key Takeaway
Reconnect with bodily signals for healing.
Themes
trauma
body awareness
psychological safety
Mood
somatic
introspective
Type
psychological
self-help
When to use this quote
- therapy sessions
- stressful work
- intimate relationships
Key Concepts
neuroscience
somatic therapy
Questions to Reflect On
- What sensations do you avoid?
- How can you safely notice them?
A Different Perspective
Healing requires confronting, not just ignoring, bodily cues.
![“We’re constantly being bombarded by problems that we face and sometimes we can get completely overwhelmed. [But] we should always feel like a hummingbird. I may feel insignificant, but I don’t want to be like the other animals watching the planet go down the drain. I’ll be a hummingbird, I’ll do…” quote by Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/25d/wangari-maathai-2479_animal_we-re-constantly-being-bombarded-by-prob_1333608.jpg)
