Psychiatrist and trauma specialist Bessel Van Der Kolk Photo: Supplied
From Saturday Morning, RNZ, March 4, 2023
Trauma occurs when a threatening experience causes our brains and bodies to "lock into" a state of high alert and stay there, says pioneering psychiatrist and researcher Bessel van der Kolk.
To heal from trauma, we need treatments and practices that instil a sense of physical and psychological safety, he tells Kim Hill.
When a child experiences a disturbing event, they may not have the cognitive capacity to understand they're not to blame themselves, says Van der Kolk, who is best known for his 2014 best-seller The Body Keeps the Score.
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