The Body Keeps The Score - A Book Review

When it comes to healing trauma through movement, maybe I should start out by saying that I have never had any formal training in trauma work. I’ve had access to a lot of education over the years but mostly around the physical body like anatomy, biomechanics, and rehab protocols for certain injuries. I knew about the nervous system from a physiological standpoint, but none of my training ever explored beyond that. It was through my experience working with people one-on-one that I got curious about the role trauma plays on the physical body. Intuitively I knew it was important to make people feel safe when they saw me for private sessions and to build trust; this was the starting point for many discoveries and evolution over the years both for my clients and for me.

I had a woman once who was very tough, a little intimidating even. She wanted a sweaty workout from our sessions that was vigorous enough that there was no time to talk about sensations in her body. She did mention neck pain some days but insisted on continuing with the same type of workouts. I started to watch her body to see what was held or guarded, and I paid attention to the energy she walked in with. One day after we had been working together for a while and trust was established I asked her if we could start the session with some thoracic rotation because it would make arm work more effective later in the session...she agreed. As she lay there rocking her upper body side to side slowly I watched tears well up in her eyes. I could sense her discomfort so I assured her it was ok to cry, her emotions bubbled over. She named a traumatic event that had happened six months prior and told me she was surprised by her reaction, but that it felt like the memory was being stored in this part of her spine. She asked me if this was crazy to which I replied, “makes total sense to me.” I’ve witnessed this type of thing happen a hundred times since then.

When I myself experienced trauma during my daughter’s birth I started to develop pain in my body that couldn’t be “fixed” by biomechanics or typical protocols. I started really tucking into research on trauma and began my personal journey of healing trauma through movement. I read Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory and it blew my mind wind open. This was the first time I really started to understand why the environment I created for clients was so vital to their success and growth. It also reinforced for me that the nervous system is king.

Here’s a quick synopsis of the Polyvagal Theory if you’re unfamiliar: Polyvagal Theory describes an autonomic nervous system that is influenced by the central nervous system and responds to signals from both the environment and bodily organs.

I started following the work of James Crader who combines the Pilates method with language and theories influenced by Stephen Porges’ work. Then I delved into Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve, but it wasn’t until I read The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk that my lived experiences and scientific research really synched for me.

The way the author talks about trauma so naturally, while linking to research, made this dense book read like a novel.

“Trauma happens to us, our friends, our families, and our neighbours. Trauma affects not only those who are directly exposed to it, but also those around them.”

I immediately felt empathy wash over me reading these passages. The book gave words to what I had been seeing in people’s bodies for the years, and what I had felt in my own body. “Instead of feeling angry or sad, they [people with alexithymia, a symptom of trauma] experience muscle pain, bowel irregularities, or other symptoms for which no cause can be found.” The book explores the behaviour of people living with trauma and possible treatment to assist their healing. It was inspiring to read how often movement, and self-awareness practices were used to help folks move on from trauma. Van Der Kolk was the first to publish a study of Yoga for PTSD in 2014, and the book devotes a whole chapter to the application of yoga for trauma and PTSD. I found many of the techniques for breathing and nervous system regulation to be adaptable for Pilates. It gave me so much confidence in the work I’m doing with people, and I highly recommend reading this book if you teach movement in any capacity.

One of the clearest lessons from contemporary neuroscience is that our sense of ourselves is anchored in a vital connection with our bodies. We do not truly know ourselves unless we can feel and interpret our physical sensations; we need to register and act on these sensations to navigate safely through life.