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No matter how much insight and understanding we develop, the rational brain is basically impotent to talk the emotional brain out of its own reality.

— Bessel van der Kolk The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (2014)

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More quotes by Bessel van der Kolk

One thing is certain: Yelling at someone who is already out of control can only lead to further dysregulation.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (2014)

A major challenge in recovering from trauma remains being able to achieve a state of total relaxation and safe surrender.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (2014)

Scared animals return home, regardless of whether home is safe or frightening.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (2014)

It takes enormous trust and courage to allow yourself to remember.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (2014)

The greatest sources of our suffering are the lies we tell ourselves.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (2014)

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Bessel van der Kolk (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.