Trauma Counseling

"Part 2 is a deeper dive into the physiology of trauma, in which van der Kolk lays out how the brain is structured, and which parts are involved in which relevant processes. He lays out trauma’s effect on specific areas of the brain, and how these changes affect the rest of the body.

Part 3 explores child abuse and neglect more in depth, as separate from other forms of trauma. Van der Kolk makes clear that incident-specific adult traumas affect the brain and body differently than ongoing childhood traumas, especially those starting at a very young age. He explains how trauma happens in children, how it affects them long-term, and how medical, education, and economic systems regularly fail victims of child abuse.

In Part 4, van der Kolk lays out historical context for the scientific study of trauma, including its roots in the late 19th century. He discusses in depth some of the primary objections to trauma as a diagnosis throughout history, and the resistance in both the medical field and the general public to the idea of repressed memory. Van der Kolk also notes some of the difficulties in getting others to see trauma as a “valid” study since it cannot be authentically reproduced in a laboratory.

Part 5 bridges all of the information provided from causes of trauma to possible methods of treatment. The section also focuses on a variety of treatment methods: EMDR, yoga, IFS, psychomotor therapy, neurofeedback, and theater.

Van der Kolk concludes with an epilogue in which he exhorts the scientific community and general public to give trauma the attention it deserves, so that traumatized individuals can receive the help they need and go on to life fuller lives."