#tbkts

[letmeliedown]

why did i just spend 2 hours reading pages of quotes from bessel van der kolk? i'm convinced no one has ever actually read the body keeps the score. trauma fucks up your body because the circumstances of abuse & trauma put physical stress on your body, not because of some mystical process of magical energy storage. fat is not a physical storage tank for your trauma. jfc. i already knew he was a war crime apologist but man this guy fucking sucks

[sapphic-luthor]

We are a hopeful species. Working with trauma is as much about remembering how we survived as it is about what is broken.

-Bessel Van der Kolk, The Body Keeps The Score

[wereverine]

borrowed the body keeps the score from one of the local libraries and it's just been languishing in my room but no longer it shall be started tonight

[sae-something]

Have u ever read body keeps the score? I’m considering it but I’ve heard it’s got quite extreme trauma examples in it? I’m wondering if I’ll find it triggering or invalidating 🫣?

Hey anon,

I have read it, but a really long time ago (like, at least 7 years ago?). This was a time where I could still read scientific/research literature really quickly, without feeling much of it. I truly read the book as an academic part. Because of this, I don't really remember feeling really triggered by it - I don't tend to feel very triggered by reading about things.

I do remember feeling invalidated, but that doesn't mean a lot either because just about everything and anything makes me feel invalidated.

But yeah, the book definitely includes anecdotes/stories about patients who had suffered childhood abuse, sexual abuse, and war. Probably more, but I remember those. The effects of trauma in the body are also explicitly described - all kinds of flashbacks, tension, issues (digestion, sleep, attention, etc.). It really is quite a specific book.

Maybe you can consider for yourself why you would want to read it? What are you looking for? Is there a safer way to meet that need? Is there someone around you - a therapist or a close friend/partner - who would be able/willing to maybe read bits of the book as well? That way you'll have someone to talk to about what reading the book does for you. I would always recommend to pace yourself. Don't read too much at once, allow yourself the time to sense if you are getting triggered or overwhelmed - so you can hopefully stop reading before you got really triggered, for example.

If the idea of reading the book already has you worried about feeling triggered or invalidated, maybe it's best to just not read it. Honestly that's the approach I've taken the last years - I don't really read much anymore, if I am looking for something specific I go through the books until I find it, but I'm not full on reading it. You don't have to read it. It's okay to just enjoy the quotes on tumblr 😅

Take care!!

- Sae