The Body Keeps the Score

Van der Kolk tells us about the body’s alarm system when danger is sensed, about what happens neurologically, chemically, and physically, which body parts are activated, and which shut down and what can happen when this alarm system is triggered repeatedly over a period of time. What does this tell us about the body’s ability to survive and develop resilience?

Van der Kolk compares childhood and adult traumas in the text. How are childhood and adult traumas similar and how are they different?

Over the course of his career, Van der Kolk has drawn from many researchers and teachers who have shaped scientific understanding of trauma, its diagnosis, and its treatment. Discuss some of the theories he writes about and how they've evolved over time. Which did you find most compelling?

Van der Kolk mentions “top-down” and “bottom-up” approaches to treating trauma. What are their effects, advantages, and disadvantages of the different approaches?

Could widespread use of technology rather than in-person communication cause or perpetuate trauma? Why or why not?

How have western biomedical health models shaped mainstream understandings of and responses to trauma and healing. How does the U.S.’s healthcare system impact society’s relationship to trauma and healing? Discuss other health systems/models that engage trauma and healing differently.

What was so important about the establishment of an official PTSD (PostTraumatic Stress Disorder) diagnosis in 1980? What does the book posit about how the current DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) addresses the needs of, or neglects to address the needs of, trauma survivors?

Based on Van der Kolk’s writing style, what audience do you think this book is geared toward? In your opinion how could the book's delivery be different (less or more technical, visual, examples, etc) to effectively reach this audience?

What does the book suggest should be priorities for future trauma research?

How does trauma effect people who are not directly exposed to it, but who are around someone who has been exposed to trauma?

How does access (or lack of access) to basic survival materials (shelter, food, warmth, etc) shape someone’s neuropathways? How does poverty play into experiences of trauma?

How does Van der Kolk’s book grapple with the stigmatization endured by so many trauma survivors in society? How would Van der Kolk encourage us to think about the behavior of survivors who engage in high-risk behavior or seem resistant to healing?

During pandemic times, this book is among many about stress, anxiety, and trauma that rose in popularity. It has been argued that these books are not that helpful for the kind of suffering most people experienced during the pandemic. What do you make of this? Has "trauma" become too much of a catchall phrase, and if so, to what detriment?