Body keeps the score, we just need to pay heed

A book that opened the door for me to understand my 'body and what goes within' and fed my curiosity with such deeply moving stories of struggle and resilience. With some profound pivots, humans are indeed capable of winning the battle of life!

Bessel Van Der Kolk has drawn on hundreds of studies to curate this mind-boggling book that spans themes within the umbrella of 'trauma' and its effects on children and adults.

It is an expansive account of how a traumatic event or experience and the ensuing stress harms us physiologically, along with the more obvious (and still underplayed) psychological changes. From effects on our gut microbiome to the less noticeable changes in the information flow within our bodies - every little change mounts to something significant.

While reading the book, I kept wondering why are these things not widely talked about! This level of awareness about our body and the impact that external stimuli can have on us is critical for all of us in order to lead a balanced life. It is not easy to grasp and retain the nuances of our body that is such a labyrinth of so many elements; it takes time and efforts but reaps heaps of benefits and adds layers of quality to our life and how we choose to live it.

One thing that stands out about Bessel's book is the number of powerful, sometimes heartbreaking, anecdotes that he shares to support his arguments. So be ready to be stumped by the heartfelt, real stories of adults and children dealing with some gravely challenging situations and the harms caused by those.

Don't worry! It's not all about Bessel pushing you into a pool of worrisome facts. He presents us with some exceptionally useful and actionable ways to tread on the path of trauma, develop trust and come out with triumph. He condemns the prevalent practice of addressing only the symptoms, without acknowledging the root causes of the problem.

In the recent times, there has been so much going around in the area of 'mindfulness'. Experts and gurus vouch for it as a practice but what is often not talked about is the true balance between the mind, body and the brain. The fundamentals of this balance are screaming to be understood so that we stop being on tenterhooks about our own health and mind frame.

Dive deeper and gain insights into the history, impact, recovery and context of traumatic disruptions, including PTSD, (widely and increasingly used in the wrong context) and seek inspiration from the success stories of human resilience.

I cannot emphasize the importance of this book, especially so in the present context as we collectively navigate through the pandemic and progress towards designing our futuristic 'normal'.