Pioneering trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk shares his thoughts on the differences between public and private trauma.

More than any other positive emotion, love resides within connections. It extends beyond personal boundaries to characterize the vibe that pulsates between and among people. It can even energize whole social networks or inspire a crowd to get up and dance.

Psychophysiologist Stephen Porges’s research on the polyvagal nervous system provides insight into the evolutionary roots of trauma and anxiety, and how therapists can effectively convey safety to clients.

Some people can drink to excess for years without experiencing the negative consequences that can destroy their lives. So when does someone cross the tenuous line from habit into addiction? And what’s the difference between the two anyway?

Most clients have automatic habits of thinking, feeling, and verbalizing experiences that imprison them in a world of gray sameness. How do we help them escape? The most immediate way is to ditch your logical analysis and help them experience a felt sense.

How do you help 200 teenagers who’ve had to flee their country find a path to peace in a new place? A psychiatrist who’s traveled across the world to help traumatized refugees from Tibet guides them to a source of wisdom and hope within themselves.

Although the idea that the mind and body are inextricably linked is widely accepted in our field, many clinicians remain too focused on words to hear the truths that their clients’ bodies have to offer.

Is “mentalization” a breakthrough in our understanding of the mind, or just a rehash of old ideas?

As a growing body of research shows, deep change doesn’t come when clients just talk about their problems: it results from the impact of an emotionally arousing therapeutic experience on the structures and biochemistry of the brain.