Trauma is a fact of life. Traumatic experiences inevitably leave behind traces on the mind, emotions and even biology. Hear Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, a pioneering researcher and one of the world’s foremost experts on traumatic stress, offer a new paradigm for healing onWednesday, October 1, at 7 pm in the Westport Library’s McManus Room. The program is free and open to the public.
Van der Kolk is a psychiatrist noted for his research on post-traumatic stress since the 1970s, whose work integrates developmental, biological, psychodynamic and interpersonal aspects of the impact of trauma and its treatment. In his book, “The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma,” he 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 treatments including neurofeedback, mindfulness techniques, play, yoga and other therapies, offering alternatives to drugs and talk therapy. Van der Kolk is the founder and medical director of the Trauma Center in Brookline, MA, and director of the National Complex Trauma Treatment Network.
NYT Magazine article, "A Revolutionary Approach to Treating PTSD," from May 22, 2014.
For further information, phone 203-291-4800, or check westportlibrary.org.