DeepSummary
In this podcast episode, Bessel van der Kolk, a psychiatrist and author, discusses his holistic approach to understanding and treating trauma. He emphasizes that trauma is not just a mental issue but also affects the body. Van der Kolk explains the difference between stress and trauma, with trauma being an assault on one's being that changes how one experiences the world and oneself.
Van der Kolk critiques the traditional way of addressing trauma, which he sees as too disembodied and focused on the mind. He advocates for incorporating practices like yoga, martial arts, and psychodrama that help people reconnect with their bodies and sensations. He also highlights the importance of social connections and feeling safe in one's environment for healing from trauma.
The episode explores the manifestations of trauma in illnesses like fibromyalgia and autoimmune diseases. Van der Kolk discusses the potential of psychedelics like MDMA in increasing self-compassion and facilitating a deeper exploration of one's experiences. He emphasizes the need for a more embodied, integrated approach to understanding and treating trauma.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Trauma is not just a mental issue but also affects the body, and a holistic, embodied approach is needed to address it.
- The traditional medical and psychological approaches to trauma are too disembodied and focused on the mind, failing to account for the bodily experience of trauma.
- Practices like yoga, martial arts, and psychodrama can help individuals reconnect with their bodies and sensations, which is crucial for healing from trauma.
- Social connections and feeling safe in one's environment are essential for recovering from trauma.
- Psychedelics like MDMA show potential in increasing self-compassion and facilitating a deeper exploration of one's experiences, which can be beneficial in trauma treatment.
- Trauma recovery involves changing one's perceptions and experiences of the world and oneself, rather than trying to change the external world.
- Understanding the difference between stress and trauma is important, as trauma is an assault on one's being that alters how one experiences the world and oneself.
- Incorporating embodied practices and fostering self-compassion can help individuals become more aware of their reactions and better manage their emotions.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Medicine, of course, is very disembodied profession. We deal with the body, but we really don't know about the body. And psychology is about the minds and how people think and about their behavior. But psychology has also traditionally been a very disembodied profession.“ by Bessel van der Kolk
- “What we hypothesize is that the MDMA changes people's awareness of themselves. We can talk, do some what I call bio babble. We can talk about the serotonin receptors in the brain. You say, oh, he must be very smart. He knows about serotonin receptors, but doesn't really exist. Anything. Now, I have some words to use to explain it. The brain is an incredibly complex organ, but we are beginning to get some little understanding about what might be going on to make that happen.“ by Bessel van der Kolk
- “At the end, if you really want to recover from trauma, we need to help people to change their perceptions of the world. We change the world out there, but we go to change what they see and how they experience themselves and the people around them.“ by Bessel van der Kolk
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Episode Information
Modern Wisdom
Chris Williamson
5/23/24