This book, which has been on The New York Times bestseller list for more than 30 weeks, is considered to be the most important book in many years on the topics of trauma treatment and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
van der Kolk, a Boston-area psychiatrist, shows how trauma literally rearranges the brain’s wiring and how these areas can be reactivated through a variety of innovative treatments such as neurofeedback, mindfulness, EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) and yoga.
He focuses on the physical aspects of psychological injury, suggesting that working with the body is the clearest and most effective approach to healing. Not surprisingly, van der Kolk is not a big fan of psychopharmacology to treat trauma.
Be forewarned: The beginning of the book has some disturbing details of traumatic experiences that could be triggering for someone with PTSD.
This book, which came out in January, is about a middle-aged man’s quest to learn new things.
Inspired by his young daughter’s growing skill at chess, Vanderbilt decides to spend one entire year learning new skills purely for the sake of learning. So, he takes up chess, singing, surfing, drawing and juggling. Vanderbilt is the “beginner” in the book.
The book is mostly a collection of his experiences – some funny, some sad, others profound. It also includes interviews with psychologists, scientists and researchers that help explain learning at different ages.
A few key takeaways: It’s critical to adopt a beginner’s, or child’s, mind to learning; learning any new activity makes you see the world differently; and focus more on the process than the results of any new activity.