My review of The Body Keeps the Score

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. is quite difficult to read without a background in psychology or a strong interest in trauma. That is one of the reasons it took me a very long time to finish.

Why did I read it? My wife recommended the book. I bought it and read quickly up to the halfway point. Then I set it aside for months because it became so challenging. The first half, which discusses trauma and how it affects the body physiologically, was manageable. However, the second half, which explores neurology and therapeutic methods (seemingly aimed at practitioners), was much harder to understand.

Even though I did not fully grasp some sections, there are two key takeaways for me:

1. Trauma affects the body physiologically, not just psychologically. In other words, it can alter the brain’s structure — the hardware itself.
2. Trauma during childhood has a profound impact on mental health in adulthood. Therefore, I have to put more care into my child(ren), when I have one.

I’m glad I eventually finished reading it, rather than leaving it in my backlog forever.