The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

Van der Kolk draws on 30 years of experience to argue powerfully that trauma is one of the West's most urgent public health issues. We must experience to learn.'The trauma caused by childhood neglect, sexual or domestic abuse and war wreaks havoc in our bodies, says Bessel van der Kolk in The Body Keeps the Score. Yoga harnesses the body to teach us these lessons which is an experiential form of learning that cannot be learned through reading, talking, or watching a film. Often the anxiety about the feelings is more de-stabilizing than the feelings themselves. Yoga shows that like postures, feelings will peak then remit.

Yoga taught many that their fear of certain feelings and sensations (anger, shame, sadness) was usually more detrimental than the feelings themselves. Many found themselves listening to their body more, and that it became easier to know what they needed moment-to-moment. This awareness clued them into the tension and relaxation present in their day-to-day lives. They understood that sensations came and went and they could tolerate them. The sequences of postures activating different muscle groups combined with awareness on deep or shallow breathing allowed practitioners to become more aware and comfortable with the relaxation and tension inherent in a yoga class. However, it became clear to Van Der Kolk that the value of yoga was not its effect on HRV, but the bodily awareness it provided to those that practiced. Van Der Kolk studied the effect of yoga on HRV and discovered that as little of eight weeks of regular yoga practice helped improve variability. Broadly speaking, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) branch uses adrenaline to thrust our system into action while the parasympathetic system (PNS) activates chemicals to assist with digestion, sleep, and healing.

In order to assess our nervous system’s health, Van Der Kolk utilized heart rate variability (HRV) to evaluate the balance between the two branches of our autonomic nervous system, the sympathetic and parasympathetic. Van der Kolk sought to better understand the physiology of PTSD and an over-active limbic system. To help cope with the uncomfortable physical sensations, we may find ways to numb ourselves: drugs, alcohol, work, exercise, over or under-eating. In fact, many with mysterious physical illnesses may seek out treatment from physicians for issues that stem from a mostly psychological event. Van Der Kolk asserts, if we are chronically scared or afraid our bodies will respond with chronic pain, headaches, and difficulty sleeping. Often, this waking state of extreme caution is unconscious to the day-to-day self, but our bodies are aware.

A real trauma has taught those of us with PTSD that the world is a dangerous place.

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk