Episode 116: The Body Keeps Score: How Trauma Rewires Your Nervous System with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk

Listen to Episode 116 with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk →

When Your Body Remembers What Your Mind Forgot

You experience physical symptoms that doctors can't explain with tests. Your body reacts to situations that shouldn't trigger you. You understand your trauma intellectually but still can't feel safe. Could your body be keeping score of what happened?

In response to overwhelm, your body tries keeping you safe. In different ways through various protective mechanisms your system creates. Sometimes your body feels so shaken and shocked profoundly. That it makes your mind need to disconnect completely. From the pain of it all happening simultaneously. This is called dissociating from unbearable experience.

Yet, your body still remembers what happened to you. The impact to your biology doesn't go away magically, just because you don't understand or remember something consciously. The impact is how your body keeps track permanently. Of everything from your past that shaped you.

When we understand that your body is reacting currently. Because it is still holding onto something significant. From the past that never got processed completely. It can help us uncover what needs healing.

Dr. Bessel van der Kolk joins me today as pioneer. To explore the profound nature of trauma's effects. How it affects your body in ways that persist. In ways that make it keep score indefinitely.

He explains why trauma is not just about events. But about how those experiences become engrained permanently. In your biology, creating patterns that persist stubbornly. Long after the danger has passed completely. This in turn can make trauma truly "unbelievable, unbearable, overwhelming."

Our bodies are built to move when in danger. When we can't move during traumatic events occurring. It changes how our brain works and functions. This conversation looks at why this happens biologically. It also explains how difficult experiences in childhood shape. Create patterns in our minds like an internal roadmap. That shapes how we see the world around us. And connect with people as adults later.

If you're working with trauma professionally in any capacity. Supporting someone on their healing journey with care. Or navigating your own recovery path personally and bravely. This episode is excellent for understanding how biology works. For understanding how the body keeps score of experiences. While offering practical actions to reclaim agency over responses. Embody healing, and create a life worth living fully. Through curiosity and collaboration with your own body.

Understanding Dissociation and Body Memory

When bodies feel shaken and shocked beyond normal capacity. So shaken and shocked that your mind must disconnect. From the pain overwhelming your system's capacity completely. This isn't a choice or weakness or character flaw. It's a survival mechanism your system created automatically protecting.

What dissociation actually is involves your mind disconnecting protectively. From the pain, from the experience, from the body. To survive what's unbearable in that moment. What's unbearable to experience consciously while it's happening.

Yet the body remembers even when consciousness doesn't retain. Even when your mind disconnects to protect itself. Your body still remembers what happened to you. The biology holds what consciousness released for protection. Your tissues, your nervous system, your patterns all remember.

Understanding the Biology of Trauma® reveals why body memory persists. The impact doesn't go away simply because you forgot. Just because you don't understand or remember something. The biological impact remains affecting you every single day. Affecting you through symptoms that seem unrelated to the past.

How the Body Keeps Score

How the body keeps score represents the central concept. This is the impact creating your current symptoms. How your body keeps track of everything forever. Of everything from your past that mattered biologically. In your tissues, in your nervous system, in patterns.

Understanding body reactions helps uncover what needs healing now. When we understand your body is reacting currently. Because it's still holding onto something from the past. Something from the past that never got resolved. We can uncover what needs healing for freedom.

The profound nature of trauma Dr. van der Kolk describes matters. Trauma affects your body in profound lasting ways. Not just psychological or emotional impact alone primarily. Biological, physical, neurological changes at every level simultaneously. All levels affected by traumatic experience persistence.

Not just about events but about how experiences imprint. Trauma is not just about what happened to you. It's about how those experiences became engrained permanently. Engrained in biology creating automatic patterns and responses. These patterns persist long after danger passes completely.

Movement, Language, and Childhood Patterns

Built to move means our bodies require movement for safety. Our bodies are built to move when danger appears. Fight or flight requires movement completing the response. This is biology designed for survival through action.

When movement is blocked during traumatic events everything changes. When we can't move during traumatic events occurring. It changes how our brain works and processes. Permanently sometimes creating lasting dysregulation patterns that persist. The lack of movement during an event matters.

Why lack of movement matters involves energy getting trapped. The lack of movement during an event creates. Is what makes it traumatic rather than just scary. Immobilization creates trauma biology that therapy alone can't resolve. Movement would discharge the energy that gets stored.

Childhood experiences create patterns in our minds permanently. Like an inner roadmap formed during vulnerable development. These patterns shape how we see the world. The world around us and our place within. How we connect with people as adults later.

The Physical Toll and Reclaiming Agency

The physical toll of living with a dysregulated nervous system. Living with a dysregulated nervous system affects everything. Your body constantly in survival mode, never resting. This creates real damage to tissues and systems. Your health and your life are affected by chronic activation.

Why housekeeping matters involves addressing basic body functions first. Healing must address basic housekeeping functions of the body. Sleep quality, digestion, breathing patterns need attention initially. These foundations matter enormously before deeper trauma processing. Before deeper work can be effective and safe.

Trauma blocks pleasure through nervous system's survival focus. Your capacity to experience pleasure gets blocked completely. By trauma keeping your system in defensive mode. Your nervous system can't safely feel good things. Can't safely feel good when survival seems threatened.

Reclaiming agency through this conversation offers practical actions clearly. To reclaim agency over your body and responses. Over your responses, over your life moving forward. Not just understanding but actual steps you can take. To work with your body rather than against.

Embodied Healing and Moving Forward

Embodying healing means healing must be embodied physically. Not just understood intellectually through insight and awareness. Your body must experience it, feel it, know it. Know it through direct somatic experience not concepts. Experience safety not just understand safety intellectually only.

Creating life worth living happens through curiosity and collaboration. Through curiosity approaching your symptoms without harsh judgment. And collaboration with your body working together harmoniously. With others supporting your healing process with compassion. With your healing process unfolding at the right pace.

Why talk therapy isn't enough becomes clear through understanding. Because trauma lives in body not just mind, requiring verbal processing alone. Body-based approaches essential for complete healing to occur. For complete healing integrating all aspects of experience.

The profound gift of understanding how the body keeps score. Understanding this removes shame about your symptoms completely. Explains symptoms that seemed random or weak previously. Validates experience showing you're not broken or damaged. Provides direction for healing that actually works effectively.

This Episode Is For:

✓ Trauma professionals seeking deeper understanding of body-based mechanisms 

✓ People supporting loved ones through healing 

✓ Anyone in personal recovery wanting to understand symptoms 

✓ Those who've tried talk therapy without full healing 

✓ People interested in Dr. van der Kolk's groundbreaking work 

✓ Anyone wanting to understand how childhood shapes adult patterns 

✓ Those ready to reclaim agency over their nervous system

What You'll Learn

Listen to hear Dr. Bessel van der Kolk explain profoundly. How the body keeps score of trauma through rewiring. And why healing must address basic body functions first. Movement, and the capacity for pleasure that trauma blocks. Plus practical actions to reclaim agency over your responses. And create a life worth living through curiosity collaboration.

Your body keeps score but healing is possible through understanding.

Listen to Episode 116 with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk →

Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The information shared reflects my clinical expertise and research, but every person's biology and healing journey is unique. Always consult with qualified healthcare providers before making changes to your treatment plan or starting new interventions. If you're experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact emergency services or a crisis helpline immediately.

Join the Conversation

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode. What resonated with you? What questions came up?

Please keep comments respectful and supportive. This is a community of people committed to healing. We welcome diverse perspectives and honest questions, but we don't tolerate personal attacks, spam, or content that could harm others on their healing journey.