Dr. Bessel van der Kolk – PTSD Relief Therapy

PTSD Relief Therapy

Bessel A. van der Kolk M.D. is a clinician, researcher and teacher in the area of posttraumatic stress. His work integrates developmental, neurobiological, psychodynamic and interpersonal aspects of the impact of trauma and its treatment. His most recent 2014 New York Times Science best seller, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Treatment of Trauma transforms our understanding of traumatic stress, revealing how it literally rearranges the brain’s wiring—specifically areas dedicated to pleasure, engagement, control, and trust. He shows how these areas can be reactivated through innovative treatments including neurofeedback, somatically based therapies, EMDR, psychodrama, play, yoga, and other therapies.

The Body & The Breath

In this session, Dr Bessel van der Kolk investigates breathing in response to trauma in the body. Dr van der Kolk explains how ‘the body keeps the score’, and shows us how we can move our way out of the effects of trauma. This session is helpful to explore our trauma with breath and the body. We discover how trauma effects the survival part of the brain. Dr van der Kolk provides us with tools to help regulate our breathing and identify the effects of trauma by learning to pay attention to ourselves, to help reclaim ownership of our bodies.

Accepting Your Trauma

In this session, Dr Bessel van der Kolk provides us with a refreshing and insightful investigation into trauma. We learn about the adaptations that arise from trauma, including ‘multiple-self’s’ and ‘managers’. Once triggered, these adaptations no longer work and that’s when we can develop behaviours such as self-harm and substance abuse. Dr van der Kolk shows us how we can accept these parts of ourselves. He provides us with tools to get to know our ‘wounded selves’ and discover their purpose. Dr van der Kolk highlights the importance of self-acceptance and taking responsibility by owning our trauma.

Finding a Therapist

In this session, Dr Bessel van der Kolk investigates the lonely and isolating experience of trauma. Humans are social creatures, our brains are wired to be social and thus it is vital for us to connect with others, especially when we are suffering from trauma. Dr van der Kolk explains the importance of going to therapy and confronting our problems, and how it is essential that we find the right psychologist to help treat our trauma. He provides us with several questions we should ask our psychologist to find out whether their treatment will be helpful.

Therapies for PTSD

In this session, Dr Bessel van der Kolk investigates treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Traumatic experiences change the way our brain functions and how we see the world. Research shows that when we are traumatised our central nervous system is set to cope with our past traumatic event rather than what is happening in the present. Dr van der Kolk explains the effects trauma has on our brain and how we can re-wire our brain through new experiences and technologies, offering us relief from chronic fear and making our brain more attentive and effective.

Childhood Trauma

In this session, Dr Bessel van der Kolk investigates the effects of childhood trauma. Dr van der Kolk explains how trauma most commonly happens to children, often associated with abuse, neglect or feeling unsafe. He discusses how traumatised children are often misdiagnosed with other conditions and offers solutions for taking ownership of our childhood trauma. We learn about the fear-driven brain and how to help that wounded child who lives inside of us. Dr van der Kolk discusses self-loathing and how we can shift self-blame associated with trauma. He outlines effective ways we can re-engage with our body and find connection with others.

Meeting Yourself

In this session, Dr Bessel van der Kolk explores the importance of “meeting yourself”. Dr van der Kolk explains how trauma lives inside our body and how we need to meet our body sensations. He provides us with tools and techniques to help overcome our overwhelming feelings, using breath and awareness. We also learn about our inbuilt mechanisms that make us feel better. Dr van der Kolk explains how being traumatised is part of the human condition and how every culture has found a way to deal with trauma. He highlights the problem with medications and the need for us to confront and own our trauma.

The Nature of Trauma

In this session, Dr Bessel van der Kolk examines what it feels like to be a traumatised person. Dr van der Kolk identifies the causes of trauma and shows us how to help overcome feelings of helplessness associated with trauma. When you’ve been traumatised your body becomes stuck in fear and terror. Dr van der Kolk offers us effective ways to overcome this suffering and refocus our mind and re-regulate our body. We discover how the brain is affected when we are traumatised, helping us to develop a deeper understanding of the nature of trauma.

Trauma and Your Identity

In this session, Dr Bessel van der Kolk discusses the importance of restoring connection in trauma survivors. Trauma can make us feel isolated, alone and like no one understands us. Dr van der Kolk offers advise that can help us feel reconnected after we have gone through a traumatic experience. When you’ve been traumatised you can become stuck and unable to move on with your life. Dr van der Kolk evaluates the effectiveness of theatre, which can be very helpful in allowing us to move forward with our lives and forge a new identity.

Dealing with Shame

In this session, Dr Bessel van der Kolk explores the relationship between trauma and shame. Dr van der Kolk explains how most people who are traumatised experience shame. He identifies the different causes of shame and discusses our tendency to want to avoid our feelings. Dr van der Kolk describes the importance of separating our past-self with our present-self, highlighting the usefulness of self-compassion and mindfulness. He provides us with techniques to cultivate self-compassion and outlines ways for us to practice mindfulness. Dr van der Kolk encourages us to be one of those traumatised people who use their trauma to find new solutions and alternative realities.

Processing Trauma

In this session, Dr Bessel van der Kolk investigates how the body and the mind process trauma. Dr van der Kolk discusses why memories of our past trauma keep returning and explains the effects this has on our brain. He offers techniques and skills to help elevate ourselves from these painful memories. Dr van der Kolk shows us how Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), Yoga, Tapping, Acupressure and Acupuncture, which are all useful practices that help widen our window of tolerance, assist our mind’s functioning and help us feel calm and safe in our body.

Trauma Is…

In this session, Dr Bessel van der Kolk reviews the findings of his extensive PTSD research, exploring the most important and effective treatments. Dr van der Kolk shows us how trauma relates to our survival system, explaining how and why the survival part of our brain can hijack our “rational self” after we have experienced trauma.Dr van der Kolk provides examples of the effects our “survival brain” can have on our daily life. Perhaps you feel like sometimes you just shut down or become over-reactive in certain situations? This may be a sign that your frontal lobe, your ‘executive self’, is not working and your survival brain has taken over.

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