Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., one of the leading voices in the field of trauma and the author of The Body Keeps the Score, writes, ““Trauma, by definition, is unbearable and intolerable.” However, his research also shows that healing is possible. Specifically, van der Kolk describes three avenues for “help[ing] survivors feel fully alive in the present and move on with their lives.”

As we’ve been exploring, trauma has a significant and distinct impact on the body, mind, and emotions. Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., one of the leading voices in the field of trauma and the author of The Body Keeps the Score, writes that “Trauma…almost always makes it difficult to engage in intimate relationships…affects the imagination…It changes not only how we think and what we think about, but also our very capacity to think.” Trauma can impact our ability to make decisions, access rational thought, create, play, and feel fully alive.