EP19 | Bessel van der Kolk, MD - The Cumulative Effects of Trauma

Thomas interviews world-renowned trauma expert and the author of “The Body Keeps the Score,” Dr. Bessel van der Kolk. They discuss different approaches to healing trauma on individual and societal levels. Dr. Van der Kolk emphasizes the need for physical and relational safety in order to process trauma, and the difficulty of healing in environments that tend towards disembodiment. He explains that trauma causes us to become numb, withdrawn, and full of shame, and that we experience these sensations physically. But through collective and creative experiences, practicing self-compassion, and deepening our relationship with our physical bodies and the sensations we feel, we can reconnect to ourselves, re-discover our spirituality, and define our own identities. Key Points: 02:55 The importance of trauma awareness 06:21 Relational safety forms healthy societies 10:04 An interesting insight into generational trauma 15:10 How safety affects academic performance 18:15 Reigniting physical sensations for healing 23:32 What goes on in healing workshops 29:07 The cycle of trauma and how to break it 38:04 Experiencing healing in the collective 40:24 Being connected makes us Earth-conscious 42:55 MDMA-assisted trauma work 47:57 Spirituality as a healing resource 50:20 Do this daily grounding practice Bessel van der Kolk, MD is a psychiatrist, author, researcher, and educator based in Boston, United States. Since the 1970s, his research has been in the area of post-traumatic stress. He is the author of The New York Times best-seller, The Body Keeps the Score. Van der Kolk formerly served as president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and is a former co-director of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. He is a professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine and president of the Trauma Research Foundation in Brookline, Massachusetts. Website: https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/ Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/thebodykeepsthescore?_rdc=1&_rdr LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/besselvanderkolk/ Instagram: @thebodykeepsthescore Sign up for updates by visiting our website: