Big Think Your reality narrows after trauma — here’s how to expand it | Bessel van der Kolk
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Aug 18, 2025 
Psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk, renowned for his groundbreaking work on PTSD and author of The Body Keeps the Score, joins the conversation to explore the deep impact of trauma on our perceptions. He discusses how trauma is not just a memory but a lived experience affecting both body and mind. Van der Kolk critiques traditional talk therapy, advocating for innovative approaches like movement, touch, and psychedelics to help rewire the brain and restore a sense of safety, ultimately expanding one's view of the world.
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Trauma Is Lived In The Body
- Trauma is experienced as ongoing sensations and reactions, not just memories of an event.
- Van der Kolk explains that survival centers keep reliving events so talk alone can't erase those sensations.
Trauma Narrows Your Perception Box
- Traumatized people feel intense sensations while their rational frontal lobe goes offline.
- This constrains the 'perception box' so victims cannot imagine safer alternative realities.
Use Visceral Experiences To Heal
- Do not rely solely on talk therapy to resolve trauma because it doesn't change bodily sensations.
- Provide visceral experiences that prove safety and allow the mind to adopt new perspectives.
