Highlights from The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk- day 20

 "One of the hardest things for traumatized people is to confront their shame about the way they behaved."

"It is hard enough to face the suffering that has been inflicted by others, but deep down, many traumatized people are even more haunted by the shame they feel about what they themselves did or did not do under the circumstances. They despise themselves for how terrified, dependent, excited, or enraged they felt."

"Trauma affects the imagination. Without imagination, there is no hope, no chance to envision a better future, no place to go, no goal to reach."

"Trauma is the ultimate experience of "this will last forever."

"Over the years our research team has repeatedly found that chronic emotional abuse and neglect can be just as devastating as physical abuse and molestation...Not being seen, not being known, and having nowhere to turn to feel safe is devastating at any age, but is particularly destructive for young children, who are still trying to find their place in the world."

"Maybe the most devastating long term effect of this shut down is not feeling real inside."