Storytelling and Identity – Fall 2023 – Page 6

Prep Note – 2/2

On February 2, 2024

I found “The Body Keeps the Score” to be super interesting. I’ve always been interested in social sciences and psychology but I never had the chance to take a class on it in high school. This book is the perfect opportunity to learn more about this subject I’ve always been curious about. One story I was particularly interested in was Stan and Ute’s. The way they experienced the same traumatic event but reacted so differently was intriguing. It shows how our minds are subject to change and how our experiences can train them so that we have vastly different reactions from person to person to the same situations. That variability in human response is what really intrigues me. Not only was this variation in their actions physical, meaning how they reacted in the moment, but it was also internal in the sense that after the event when their trauma responses were triggered their brain scans were vastly different as well.

Prep Note – 2/1/2024

By Nicholas Javier

On February 2, 2024

In Javier, prep note

One of the interesting thoughts I had during the reading came up in chapter 6. The subject “losing your body” and the notion of sensory, and the complicated relationship that is inscribed between the body, the senses, and the mind. I did a Literature Review in high school that studied Music and its impact on the brain, and one of the terms that came up was “DSN” — that term returns as they compare the brains of “normal” Canadians against those who had a history of trauma, and when observing the contrasts between the brains – it was terrifying to think about.

The idea that those who experienced trauma earlier in life had taught their body to “deaden” itself to certain feelings is shocking. The author describes the interplay with concepts of “self” and in trying to explain how it might affect their day-to-day life such as their struggle with a sense of self and purpose, to the point where they might not even recognize themselves in the mirror, further reinforces the significant impact that trauma can have in terms of long-lasting impact.

The deep interplay of the “sense of self” and the body is something that I find interesting and want to do more reading on. The concepts of agency combined with selfhood draw back to how important this concept of “identity” might be, not just as a “literary” or “self-discovery” element, but on a biological and fundamental level.

2/1/24

By Brice Di Carlo

On February 1, 2024

In Brice, prep note

A section of the book that I thought was most interesting was Jack’s story. The impact that facial expressions have on children as a result of trauma is very impactful. It’s important to know this during our time at the detention center. We should do our best to keep positive and friendly facial expressions at all times. Many kids who experience trauma are very observant but at the same time capable of misconceiving facial expressions. Another fact to keep in mind is that many of these kids want attention. Whether it be neglect or absence of family in their lives from a young age, our time at the detention center is an opportunity to provide valuable attention to the juveniles.

Prep Note 2/2/24

By Kristine Nguyen

On February 1, 2024

In kristine, prep note

One thing that stood out to me in “The Body Keeps the Score” was the story of Jack. Jack was a 14-year-old boy who was found breaking into a neighbor’s house when they were away. When asked who Jack thought would visit him in jail on Christmas, he responded by saying that he expected no one to come. He said that no one pays attention to him. Jack had gotten into trouble multiple times, so when the police discovered him in the house, they recognized him and called him by name. Jack later admitted that this recognition made what he did worth it. The fact that some people feel so abandoned by the world breaks my heart. When people feel abandoned, they will do anything they can to ensure that they are still seen by others, even if doing so requires unconventional methods. How could we as a society have failed these people so badly? It just makes me wonder how we could have prevented things like this from happening. People with abandonment issues will latch onto anyone so they don’t feel alone. Humans are social creatures, after all. Zero social interaction has been found to have detrimental effects. This all makes me rethink the criminal justice system and how we can try to show up for people who feel left behind.

Prep Note 2/2

By Mitchell Parker

On February 1, 2024

In Uncategorized

Reading “The Body Keeps The Score” reminded me of a lot of the things I learned when I took AP Psychology in high school. Many of the examples or experiences Kolk referenced were ones I’ve heard of before, for example, the learned helplessness experiment tested on dogs or the serotonin inhibitor experiment on mice. Since that class I’ve been interested in how the human mind works, and I was happy to find out that the selected passages from the book don’t read too much like dry, analytical lab notes and more like a humanistic account of the psychology behind trauma and mental illness. I also really appreciated the hands-on experience and insider knowledge within the psychopharmacology field that Kolk could demonstrate through writing,

Prep Note 2/2

By William Sheets

On February 1, 2024

In prep note, Will S

When reading Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score, the part that I found the most interesting was tied to a brief case study the author discusses that revolves around the trauma of two people, Stan and Ute. These two were in the same car crash together, the source of their trauma, but they reacted in very different ways. As van der Kolk writes on page 65, when the accident occurred, Stan tried his best to escape the car working hard to try and get his crushed door open. He was unable to do so, and had to wait for someone to break his windshield and help him out. During this time, he had to watch helplessly as people died in the accident. Ute reacted very differently. She, unlike Stan, made no attempt to escape the car, and instead sat silent and motionless until the pair were rescued. And even then, she had to be pulled out of the car as she made no effort to get out herself.

The part of the story that I find most interesting is when van der Kolk describes a study done on the two regarding their trauma. During the study, both Stan and Ute’s trauma responses were triggered and brain scans were studied. The fascinating part of this is that when the pair had their trauma responses triggered, they reacted in the same way as they did during the crash. Stan’s blood pressure rose, he started breathing quicker, and he began to sweat, as if he was working to get out of the car all over again. Ute, on the other hand, had almost no visible reaction, going blank the same way she did in the car. Stan’s brain scan shows a lot of activity, whereas Ute’s shows basically none at all.

I think that the fact that both Stan and Ute relive their trauma in the exact same way they first experienced it is extremely interesting. I find it even more interesting that Ute’s reaction to the traumatic events was informed by coping mechanisms she developed in childhood to deal with her verbally abusive mother. This part of van der Kolk’s book showed me that trauma is not simply some monolithic problem. It has a ton of variability on a personal level, and it’s a topic that would take many years of study to even begin to deeply understand.

Prep Note Feb 2

By Kaylee Wyrick

On January 30, 2024

In Kaylee, prep note

I was a little nervous to read “The Body Keeps the Score” because I wasn’t sure how medical/technical it would be, but I found it to be a fairly easy read. One part that I found fascinating was the example of trauma being like a horse and a rider. Often trauma is completely out of a person’s control, similarly to the way the body might respond to it. I thought this was a great way to describe how fight or flight can feel, and how hard it is for a person or “rider” to handle it. Overall I really enjoyed the reading.

Prep Note 01/30

By Angelos Charalampos Bouras

On January 30, 2024

In Angelos, Experiential Reflections, prep note

The book provided me with many different insights regarding trauma and healing especially for the younger age that is determining for the development of character. One of the most fascinating characteristics of the book was the explanation of different behaviors and characteristics through the use of social sciences and mostly psychology. Moreover, all the claims were supported by real life examples that did not just make the book more appealing but also provided a better understanding to the reader. Through the use of examples, studies and scientific approach, behaviors that are hard to be approached through logic or common sense are explained with details providing useful information not only to people suffering from traumas but everyone!