Learn the Signs and Symptoms of PTSD, with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk | Big Think.
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- čas přidán 12. 01. 2015
- Learn the Signs and Symptoms of PTSD
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One of the world's foremost psychiatrists specializing in PTSD, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk visits Big Think to discuss the history of the disorder, its varying effects on sufferers of all ages, and forms of treatment that can "help people to come back to life." To understand PTSD, says Dr. van der Kolk, you have to understand the nature of trauma and the ways in which traumatic triggers can vaporize anyone's joie de vivre. His latest book "The Body Keeps the Score" was written to draw attention to how traumatic disorders can be avoided.
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BESSEL VAN DER KOLK:
Bessel van der Kolk is a psychiatrist noted for his research in the area of post-traumatic stress since the 1970s. His work focuses on the interaction of attachment, neurobiology, and developmental aspects of trauma’s effects on people. His major publication, Traumatic Stress: The Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body, and Society, talks about how the role of trauma in psychiatric illness has changed over the past 20 years.
Dr. van der Kolk is past President of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University Medical School, and Medical Director of the Trauma Center at JRI in Brookline, Massachusetts. He has taught at universities and hospitals across the United States and around the world, including Europe, Africa, Russia, Australia, Israel, and China.
His most recent book is The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Treatment of Trauma.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Bessel van der Kolk: PTSD was a diagnosis that my generation first created in order to remind the VA to take care of veterans and to really say to the VA these guys are messed up because of Vietnam. And initially people said these guys were always messed up; it must be some other thing. And the way that we organized the diagnosis was around the issue of memory. About that you have flashbacks to witnessing people getting killed, to the horror stuff that they saw in the war. That is not really the primary issue that people came in with; the issue that people came in with was that they had a very hard time getting along with other people, not blowing up at people, becoming scared and frozen, having no feelings for their kids, feeling numb with their girlfriends and general problems with engagement with other human beings and getting triggered and becoming very angry and very upset and very out of sort.
And the memory issue was also an issue but it really is not what people suffer most from, it really is about having difficulty feeling alive in the present, feeling engaged, feeling a sense of pleasure, of joy, of even exuberance at the right moment of just feeling like boy it's good to be alive. And in the years since that time we have understood a lot about what happens in the brain that interferes with the capacity to feel alive in the present.
The primary symptoms are becoming upset, becoming triggered, they're particular sounds, smells, images, bring back states in which people act again as if they're being traumatized. What happens in kids is it's not so much memory issues but becoming upset, becoming angry, being assaultive, being oppositional, not trusting people, unable to concentrate, to pay attention, to engage in anything. And particularly when you're traumatized as a kid, kids are very egocentric and they think that the universe is all about them; that's what it's like to be a kid. And so if terrible things happen to you you feel like this is happening to you because you are a terrible person so this becomes part of your identity. I'm a person who makes bad things happen and I'm also a person who other people cannot possibly care for because people who were supposed to take care of me are not taking care of me.
And so kids develop something more like what we call developmental trauma disorder, in which it invades very many areas of functioning. It doesn't mean that adults who get traumatized may not also have those feelings. Often times traumatized adults often feel ashamed, blame themselves for what has happened to them. When they get raped they say I must have done something wrong to make this happen to me. So the issue of shame and blame is also a very big issue for adults.
Something like three quarters of the U.S. population experiences traumatic events and may actually be triggered by particular things...
To read the transcript, please go to bigthink.com/videos/dr-bessel...
The brightest researcher and practitioner of trauma to ever live. God bless his soul.
Yep, he was also a victim of abuse.
This describes me exactly. Years ago someone told me they thought I was exhibiting signs of PTSD and I felt quite relieved actually as I thought there was something seriously defective about me. I started sharing my "good news" and another person got SO angry at me and said "how dare I" because me saying I had PTSD took away from the people who had "real" PTSD, like those who were in the war. I appreciate this video so much as I identified with everything he said.
Dear Abby , I understand .🎄🌲🎄. Alot of mean, spiteful humans . Once these kind of people know about you having PTSD will trigger you. Run away from these type. Peaceful healing . 🙂🌿🙂
I read his book (the body keeps the score) and it is one of the most amazing book i have ever read. It changed the way i think about PTSD.
definitely
Childhood Trauma=Anxiety/Depression/Burnout/IBS=Adrenal Fatigue=PTSD.
Love Thyself and it’s so hard to deal with it
I wish I can have any one of you
Around me
Cause you understand the situation
I first bought this book, then the audiobook. His work has helped me.
Stu VS Me too
As one of my main issues... I spend a lot of time trying to be aware of this and how I handle myself. I think over the years I have gotten much better but like most things.. I still have ways to go.
I like this guy. Very insightful.
I don't know why my psychiatrist never considered this
Dr. Vanderkolk's father was traumatized when he was protesting the Nazi occupation of Holland, so Bessel knows some of this stuff firsthand growing up.
Vanderkolk himself was a child of the Dutch Hunger Winter.
Trauma is so crippling. Everyday is a nightmare for me. My poor children suffered because of me. I wasn't diagnosed until my 55th year on this Earth. Maybe, someday a human will whisper in their soul about CpTSD . And maybe they will both heal and forgive me. I suffer everyday.....lonely for their faces , their smiles, their laughter and touch. No Happy Mothers Day, no Merry Christmas, no ♥️day. It's worse than physical torcher. I've been alone for five years now. No human contact. My community is ignorant to mental health. Your labeled .....crazy.
@@rubytuesday7653 Oh my god, I can't imagine what it must be like for you. I really recommend you to read his book "The body keeps the score" If you haven't, and I really wish you to find the help, the support, and the love you deserve.
Lot of support to you Ruby ! Please don't give up!
I'm so sorry Ruby. @@rubytuesday7653 🙏🫂
I have these symptoms from several traumas.
This explains a lot.
Thank you Dr van der Kolk, this is very helpful
Bessel is amazing.
Great talk, wonderfully spoken, interesting points of view.
(7:00 Frozen mentioned, fangasm achieved. Let the river of life flow.)
when I was 15 I got into a fight (didn't start it, defended myself) the girls 300lb (not joking) mom attacked me and later tried to hit me with a truck. I have had nightmares, get upset, freak out easy, have memory issues, have flashbacks, and have social anxiety.
I fear everything. my dad and step mom act like it's not a big deal, and think I can get over it. my mom and step dad did nothing. my step dad told me to get over it. I live with my grandparents because half of what happened was my step dad's fault (he didn't pull the fat hoe off me and didn't do anything when she almost ran over me). nobody understands. I moved in with my grandparents. I'm glad this mess is dealt with, but even away from the house this happened at, I have flashbacks and every other thing. My dog helps some, but I still fear everything
If you are interested, Bessel Van der Kolk has a great book on how deal with trauma. I was bullied as a kid and dealing with my own trauma was something that was greatly expedited by this books insights. I'm terribly sorry for what happened to you and I hope that you eventually find peace.
great vid
Thanks for this video, need more psychology and physics talks like this.
If so, then you really need to check out his book...The Body keeps the score, it is absolutely life changing.
Wow, hearing him speak makes me think I have PTSD. I had three family members who died in 2016, which was the last of my parent's generation, except for an uncle, who had to deal with his own loss at the time.
You’re amazing ❤
This is exactly me…one million percent.
hes amazing and makes so many great points. i wish he would mention more specifics about treatment. im starting neurofeedback therapy now and have already seen some relief
I just heard about this therapy type today. What do you like about it?
look into IFS
There’s an interesting video on CZcams, an interview with Marlene Dietrich. She volunteered in WW2 to visit soldiers in the hospital. She was at a psychiatric ward in Alaska, and tried to talk with a soldier, but he was completely shut-down . She asked “Did he see terrible combat?” The doctor told her “No, he has not seen any combat, that is just from basic training.” In fact, all or most of the patients there with “shell shock” had not been in combat. They were just psychologically unable to be in the army.
My great-uncle was from a small farming community. He was drafted into WWII and had a very hard time re-adjusting when he returned. I don’t know how much action he saw.
He explains everything about the life after a bad experience. I have PTSD from war(Iraq & Afghanistan). No solution for me at this stage.
Continue trauma psychotherapy. ✌🏻🙌🏻👍🏻
Persist and Take small Self Care Steps Daily. Don't quit but use new tools to Shape your Future.
i feel defective but i don't know if i m the wrong one or not i couldn't distinguish between them too because i did wrong things too and i always blaming myself and couodn't come over. so how can i make the defference between being traumatistic or blaming self for soing wrong things?
Research Sound Massage. It has been prescribed in hospitals in Europe (I believe it is in Germany) for over 30 years and I have found this to have a profound impact on my health/PTSD.
This is a great video, but I don't need to buy your book. You pretty much summed it up for me :)
I think I just learned something important about myself.
I witnessed something horrible in my life and 9 years later I'm still suffering from flashbacks and the memory is still strong. I have a very good memory which is the crappy part of it. And I've gone through EMDR therapy and ect, but I just cannot move on from this memory/tramua I'm not sure what to do.
Is there someone you can talk to about it and who is skilled in helping you?
@@QueenYak I'm seeing someone now actually he is a licensed therapist who specializes in PTSD and Trauma and is doing CBT with me. Which I haven't tried yet.
@@stephenresponts2935 I see. I hope he can help you and that you can someday move to a different place with this experience. The fact that you are seeking resources such as Dr. van der Kolk's talk here, and that you've found a therapist, suggests to me that you will be ok. Please keep the faith. I admire your courage. Peace.
@@QueenYak Thank you I hope so as well! One step at a time.
@@stephenresponts2935 Hey there :) Would you say that CBT is working for you?
Tumblr is gonna love this.
I'm kind of like this but i'm intolerant of hateful, bigoted, invective people. You would be shocked by how many bad people there are out there (if you aren't one yourself). I'm also talking about people you have no problem with because they're not intolerant to people like you. I would rather revel in my solitude than be dejected in the company of another or others besides books hold the most enthralling conversations anyway.
Sebanoe Sadly, you're right.
Alright, I get angry easily, I remember almost nothing, I hate talking to people, Social-Anxity, I have been Abused by being screamed at almost 24/7, I have ADD, it's hard to know honestly, I have had Depression and Suicidal thoughts for a long time, I also get scared easily. Sorry for drama, just want someone to comment uf I have it or something else, BUT, I feel numb, the thing is, I feel sometimes happy, joy, depressed, irritated, stressed, angry, raged, when a girl I loved, a lot, she broke up with me, I cared so much about her, but when she broke up with me, I was like "Okay", and I do not care. Honestly I thought I had schizophrenia, I talk to myself, sometimes psychotic, I almost choked my dog, I love a lot, I did not mean it. I hear clashes and bang noises, hear my name being called. I know this is long and you may not read, but if you do, thank you and please comment what you think?
This is so similar to my situation. I've basically been physically abused regularly from 12 to 15. Still was before and after but rarely.
Now it's more screaming, yelling and threats of abuse, so I comply as I know that my parent is capable of it.
I moved a ton, and at one point both my parents basically abandoned me and I'm not even 18 yet.
I've become diagnosed with depression. I wonder how you know you get scared easily if that's what you're used to?
I become sad and depressed every single day. I try to supress and push it away, with good music, working out and sport. Sadly my doc isn't someone who can give me those anti depressant meds.
I geuss it works. I go outside with a smile and optimistic mindset. I have fun, smile at a good joke and become grateful. Were anything horrible to happen to me, like friends abusing me, or me talking about my domestic abuse, my facial expression freezes. I become uncapable of expression emotion. Same when my distractions fail, I get bored and think of home and the past.
I still need to be strong. I know none of it is my fault, but I can't let it ruin my school career. I know I have built all these walls, and don't let anyone get close unless it's their job, for a reason.
It makes sense that you and I have become emotionally numb after the screaming you and I faced. It makes us zone out in a way, be strong when we can't get out of a threatening environment.
It's actually quite a smart coping tool. It means that you are less likely to get hurt.
I know it's probably best to process everything, but if you're still in an abusive household you might not want to. Why get depressed and sad over memories if they're still happening. If you're in school I'd say stay strong
I got hacked same here i have social anxiety i dont want talking to people
It sounds very much like complex ptsd. It can come across like a lot of these other 'disorders' but is the result of all the abuse you suffered. If you can get a copy of Bessel's book (even at the library) you will find it very helpful. Even emotional abuse does as much damage as physical and sexual abuse. If you can see someone for trauma counseling that would also be helpful.
I can relate to your story. Thanks for sharing. I think you are suffering from PTSD and perhaps C-PTSD depending on how long that abuse went on for. Can you find a resource where you live so you can get some skills to help you? You don't need to suffer so much.
Uknown Entxty wow I feel u
I hope u have around u ppl to support u and be nice to u
I know u r a good person, and I felt the same, I can express it in my language but not in English!!! Thanks for Express it in english
We want limbic system therapies !!!!!!!
❤️😭🙏
04:15
He talks from his culture. Still, what he says is valuable. When he says, the kid experiencing PTSD will feel like they're not engaged in anything- that's an all-nothing statement, but also when considering his culture we can interpret it non-literally.
I wonder who of what cultures the research studied; because cultures change depending on climate, residency, language and social norms, etc. like people live our whole lives for generations may present differently than where people are transient and move according to finding a job that is more fulfilling to a person's needs and social and moral surroundings. So I wonder how do people researching one culture ask people of other cultures to join in, and how do the people researching interpret, since their only framework for understanding people is their own social experiences.
Also, it's morally wrong to not acknowledge this in research. Videos also should be tagged with this recognition. I wonder how much of the culture of this person researching is based in dismissing other cultures (that is a part of colonialist violent cultures, like UK and USA who've relied on economic growth through exploitation and discrimination and prison industrial military complex), and by dismissing or not studying or giving weight to more cultures, how public money/resources/thought continues to be invested in only certain areas to benefit historically white heterosexual men, implying that everyone is the same, dismissing a comprehensive investigation. We have notable and important differences too that add to the observations and self and social understanding- we can integrate these perspectives to grow our understanding of everything.
I think he's right on in a very literal sense, and I know other people who do too. I'm from the US.
He's Dutch, but most of his work was in the US treating Vietnam War veterans with PTSD. Vietnam War veterans were and are a pretty diverse group, including female medical personnel who witnessed traumatizing horrors. Perhaps one day you will become a brilliant and respected psychotherapist who is able to turn your theories into practice and help bring other people to health.
Unplug the river of life..
Are you dutch?
Thats rude
Yeah, it's rude. I'm not Dutch, it was an ugly rumor I heard, and I know ol' Bessell is a piece of shit.
first
I can just tell that this guy has to be Dutch just by accent! If he isn't I will.... eat my socks
He is. Look at his name. 'van' is only used in Dutch. But his accent isn't that bad. I wasn't annoying or something in my opinion.
Teus nee, zijn Engles is best goed maar grappig dat je het bij Nederlanders blijft herkennen
All those poor Tumblr feminists who have PTSD because someone said something mean to them on the internet :'(
fuck off
Hey, mysogny much?
🌿💙🌿🌈🌿💙🌿
Why different from previous wars?
WWI and WWII were horrible as well.
Those vets came home, heroes. The drafter Viet Nam vets came home and were spat on.
they got it too, but there were very little studies done in comparison to more recent soldiers. Vets from those days came home with "shell shock" , the same sort of thing as PTSD without the research and attention drawn to is. Psychology as a science is relatively new. They were also treated worse and alienated and I think that made it even worse
May traumatized children were raised by Vietnam Vets.
I don't trust his statistics.
It is hard for me to take this man seriously, when he essentially says that the creation of the category of PTSD was a political maneuver, and then later on repeats some statistics that are false on their face and have been debunked since they were first promoted.
Too bad PTSD wasn't something his generation "created". It was called SHELL SHOCK in ww1 and battle fatigue are both names of the same thing as PTSD. So this guy is just trying to get you to buy his book. Go out find your local veterans shake their hand. Hug them and tell them you are glad they are home. Be involved. Show them they aren't alone.
Also find out that the VA does not help soldiers. The VA police torment Veterans. The VA has death panels and is much harder to get real help you need. Please don't take my word. Ask veterans you know how the VA doesn't help them besides pushing SSRI and other big pharma drugs that don't fix anything.
Sorry but shell shock isn't PTSD. Shell shock is actually Combat Stress Reaction or CSR which isn't the same and shouldn't be confused with acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder or other disorders attributable to combat stress even if they can fall under CSR.
The local VA is basically a prescription factory.
He said the *diagnosis* of PTSD was created by his generation. No doubt it and similar conditions have existed throughout history. But he is talking about humans defining this very specific set of these symptoms as a disorder known for the first time as PTSD.
Jack Matyus
I was diagnosed with PTSD in late 2009, roadside bomb Afghanistan. I started lifting in 2010 and working on my diet. What they are calling PTSD is most a side-effect of poor nutrition and a weak constitution. Since my original diagnosis in 2009, and my change in lifestyle, I have had zero issues related to anything that could even be called PTSD. Once I cleaned up my lifstyle and started rebuilding my body, all of the issue that were attributed to PTSD literally went away.
God im glad im too old for this cancel culture drama