Trauma survivors often have difficulty expressing their emotions from "summary" of The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
Trauma survivors often have difficulty expressing their emotions, their inner experiences, and their bodies often speak the unspeakable. The body is the medium through which we register and express our emotions. To go through life without experiencing feelings is to be cut off from an essential part of the self. Emotions powerfully affect our bodies, and the reverse is true as well. When we are upset, our bodies produce chemical reactions that help us deal with the situation at hand. These reactions are an essential part of the stress response, preparing us to fight or flee. Trauma interferes with this process by leaving a legacy of physical reactions that can be confusing and difficult to understand. The inability to be fully alive in the present keeps people locked in a cycle of reenactment. Neural circuits that were laid down in the past and that were shaped by our emotional experiences can keep us from living in the moment. ...
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