On Being with Krista Tippett Bessel van der Kolk – How Trauma Lodges in the Body, Revisited
52 snips
Nov 11, 2021 AI Snips
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Episode notes
Veteran's Living Testimony
- A Vietnam veteran refused medicine because he needed to keep his nightmares as a living memorial to his fallen friends.
- This revealed how trauma survivors bear loyalty to the dead through their bodies and memories.
Nature of Traumatic Memory
- Traumatic memories remain unintegrated and relived as raw sensory experiences rather than coherent stories.
- These memories don't fade or change like normal memories, causing long-lasting effects.
Trauma Shuts Language Area
- Trauma affects brain areas that enable clear thinking and speech, shutting down the Broca's area.
- This shutdown explains why traumatized people often cannot articulate or verbalize their experiences well.