The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk
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This book is a lengthy examination of how trauma affects the body, mind, childhood development, and our social relationships, both in the moment and for years after the fact. Illustrated with numerous case studies, and sometimes hair-raising detail, the author paints a revelatory picture of how traumatic events reshape us. Most interestingly, the author describes a variety of therapeutic methods that, in his view, show promise in helping victims of trauma to reintegrate themselves and move on from trauma.
The author is a psychiatrist who has been working with victims of trauma for decades, but he is also a somewhat controversial figure. His views of certain elements of trauma (such as repressed memories) are not in the mainstream of modern psychiatric thinking (but are not entirely irrational either). He also recommends some therapeutic methods that are not backed by studies (or are backed by low-quality studies), but he also describes a long career spent trying out different techniques to help people resolve intractable psychiatric problems. That is to say, someone has to do the initial research, and he's done a fair amount of it. Also, some of the methods would be very difficult to "operationalize" in such a way that would permit higher quality double-blind studies. Most importantly, the author cites his sources, so you can assess for yourself the quality of the evidence. It's good to keep a critical view while reading, but the author seems basically honest, if a little enthusiastic about what he believes will help people.
On a personal level, the book was very hard for me to read. It brought a lot of submerged feelings out into the open, and it made me realize that I have a lot of work left to do on a personal level. Happily, it also included a remarkably detailed blueprint on how I might go about doing that. Honestly, the mere act of reading it and recognizing myself in some parts of the book was therapeutic, albeit quite difficult at times. Heartily recommended to any trauma survivors out there, but make sure you're in a safe space when you start reading it.