Days Without Incident: Twelve

Tigger warning: mentions SA/rape (no scenes described)

I’d like to start today’s post with an excerpt from the book I’ve been reading, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk M.D.: 

“…finding words to describe what has happened to you can be transformative, but it does not always abolish flashbacks or improve concentration, stimulate vital involvement in your life or reduce hypersensitivity to disappointments and perceived injuries.” 

In other words, bringing language to your trauma and understanding its associated effects does not necessarily resolve anything. And yet, positive psychology would argue that sharing your pain with others and connecting to others through your emotions is deeply healing all on its own. I say this all the time on my livestreams, but I believe that research is like a comfort blanket. You can do your own research and come to the same conclusion each time: everyone is suffering in some way. We search for connections to bring meaning to our pain. Why suffer in silence when we can find purpose through our struggles? When we could create change by learning from the mistakes of our fellow man? Or woman, of course. But let's be honest, men make way more mistakes, right? 

I’m joking of course. I make mistakes all the time. As I reach the “Paths to Recovery” section of Kolk’s book, I’ve realized—several times, in fact, and in many chapters—that I have fallen into the same destructive patterns that his patients have. The very patients that inspired him to push for the foundation of trauma psychology research, to advocate for the women and children who have survived unthinkable abuse and been turned away by society because of it, and of course, to write this book. It's extremely fascinating to see the ways he and his colleagues have passionately and diligently worked behind the scenes to push for the recognition of trauma disorders in the NIH (National Institution of Health). 

What’s even more interesting is the pushback that he outlines in the earlier chapters. Until recently it felt like society was unable or unwilling to accept that significant events can have significant after effects on the brain. It took even longer for them to convince the NIH that there are significant effects on the body, too. There are hundreds of studies outlined in this book that break down every single effort and motion made to help the people who were suffering as a result of a traumatic memory (or memories). B.V.D Kolk M.D. started as a therapist for war veterans after graduating college. It only took a single interview with a rape victim to completely change his career path for good. He immediately recognized the symptoms of PTSD in the survivor, and he was eager to understand better. Just as I am. Just as we all should be, as members of the all-life-is-suffering-but-at-least-we-have-eachother club.

I know it sounds like I’m constantly plugging this guy’s book, but I mean come on, he LITERALLY wrote the book on the disorders in question. I mean he was quite literally the person who defined C-PTSD and other trauma related disorders. Of course we’re going to bring him up a few times. Plus, I never made it through my first neuroscience course in college. I panicked during the first lecture, dropped the class, and changed my major to sociology instead of psychology. So, we kind of need him if y’all want to dissect anything aside from social sciences. 

Until next week!! Thanks for joining me.