36 Best The Body Keeps The Score Quotes
The Body Keeps The Score is a book by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk that dives deep into the physical, emotional, and psychological effects of trauma. As a leading trauma expert, Dr. van der Kolk has shared his wisdom through the book, which has become a must-read for anyone interested in trauma, healing, and recovery.
There are many powerful quotes in the book that can help readers gain insight into their own experiences, as well as provide comfort and hope. Here, we’ve collected the 36 best quotes from The Body Keeps The Score to inspire, motivate and encourage you on your journey.
Read the book summary: Book Summary: The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk
The 7 Best Quotes From The Body Keeps The Score
Quotes are a powerful tool that can provide motivation, guidance, and wisdom. They can help you find the strength to push through difficult times and inspire you to be the best version of yourself. Quotes can also provide a much-needed reminder of the importance of self-care and the need to take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
“Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Mindfulness practice is the cornerstone of recovery from trauma.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“By far the most important predictor of how well people coped with life’s inevitable disappointments was the level of security established with their primary caregiver during the first two years of life.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Neuroscience research shows that the only way we can change the way we feel is by becoming aware of our inner experience and learning to befriend what is going on inside ourselves.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Drugs cannot “cure” trauma – they can only dampen the expressions of a disturbed physiology.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Just as we teach history and geography, we need to teach children how their brains and bodies work.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Kids don’t have the freedom to pick their parents, and they don’t understand when their mom or dad is too sad, angry, or distracted to be there for them.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
The Best The Body Keeps The Score Quotes
By surrounding yourself with meaningful quotes, you can gain the clarity, insight, and motivation to live a life full of purpose and joy. Whether it’s a simple one-liner or a life-changing proverb, quotes can help you make sense of the world and create a better future for yourself.
“The mere opportunity to escape does not necessarily make traumatized people take the road to freedom.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Dissociation is the essence of trauma.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“If an organism is stuck in survival mode, its energies are focused on fighting of unseen enemies, which leaves no room for nurture, care, and love.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Chronic emotional abuse and neglect can be just as devastating as physical abuse and sexual molestation.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Knowing what we feel is the first step to knowing why we feel that way.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Associating intense sensations with safety, comfort, and mastery is the foundation of self-regulation, self-soothing, and self-nurture.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Children who don’t feel safe in infancy have trouble regulating their moods and emotional responses as they grow older.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Everything about us – our brains, our minds, and our bodies – is geared toward collaboration in social systems.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“People with PTSD are unable to put the actual event, the source of those memories, behind them.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“As long as a memory is inaccessible, the mind is unable to change it. But as soon as a story starts being told, particularly if it is told repeatedly, it changes – the act of telling itself changes the tale.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“In order to regain control over your self, you need to revisit the trauma: Sonner or later you need to confront what has happened to you, but only after you feel safe and will not be traumatized by it.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“At the core of recovery is self-awarness. The most important phrases in trauma therape are “Notice that” and “What happens next?”.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Practicing mindfulness calms down the sympathetic nervous system, so you are less likely to be thrown into flight-or-flight.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Study after study shows that having a good support network constitutes the single most powerful protection against becoming traumatized.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“People cannot put traumatic events behind them until they are able to acknowledge what has happened and start to recognize the invisible demons they’re struggling with.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Blaming is a universal human trait that helps people feel good while feeling bad.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“The language center of the brain is about as far removed from the center for experiencing one’s self as is geographically possible.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Writing experiments from around the world, with grade school students, nursing home residents, medical students, maximum-security prisoners, arthritis sufferers, new mothers, and rape victims, consistently show that writing about upsetting events improves physical and mental health.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Only by getting in touch with your body, by connecting viscerally with your self, can you regain a sense of who you are, your priorities and values.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“EMDR therapy is a powerful treatment that reduces the intense symptoms of traumatic events.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“If you are not aware of what your body needs, you can’t take care of it.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Trauma results in a fundamental reorganization of the way mind and brain manage perceptions. It changes not only how we think and what we think about, but also our very capacity to think.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“We do not truly know ourselves unless we can feel and interpret our physical sensations; we need to register and act on these sensations to navigate safely through life.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Traumatic stress is an illness of not being able to be fully alive in the present.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“When people don’t know who they are, they can’t possibly see the reality of the people around them.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Traumatized people are terrified to feel deeply. They are afraid to experience their emotions, because emotions lead to loss of control.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Emotional intelligence starts with labeling your own feelings and attuning to the emotions of the people around you.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“For real change to take place, the body needs to learn that the danger has passed and to live in the reality of the present.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
“Being traumatized means continuing to organize your life as if the trauma were still going on—unchanged and immutable—as every new encounter or event is contaminated by the past.”
Bessel Van Der KoLK
Final Words
When someone you love is suffering, finding the right words to help them heal and feel better can be incredibly challenging. It’s easy to offer the wrong advice or try to fix the problem when we don’t really know what you’re going through. That’s why finding the right way to support a loved one is important, even if it means being quiet as they process.
These quotes from The Body Keeps The Score are full of powerful insights and wisdom drew from Bessel van der Kolk’s 30 years of research in trauma, neuroscience, and clinical care. It’s a book everyone should read because it can help you understand your loved one’s pain better and better support and guide them through it.
Even if you’re not the best at giving advice, Dr. van der Kolk’s book is a great resource for learning about the many complex emotional, psychological, and physiological factors that contribute to trauma, PTSD, and healing.
[amazon box=”0143127748″]The Body Keeps The Score quotes are powerful, whether it’s because they’re struggling with the memories of their own traumatic experiences or because they know someone who has been affected by violence.
Best, Fabian
