Healing + Human Potential with Alyssa Nobriga

Episode: Bessel van der Kolk: 7 Ways to HEAL Trauma + Feel SAFE in Your Body Again
Guest: Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
Date: March 24, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode spotlights Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, renowned psychiatrist and author of The Body Keeps the Score, in a profound conversation about how trauma imprints on the brain and body. Alyssa Nobriga guides listeners through practical insights and groundbreaking research on trauma healing, the limitations of talk therapy, the promise of psychedelics and somatic therapies, and the essential role of community. The discussion blends neuroscience, clinical experience, and spiritual wisdom—offering a roadmap for reclaiming safety and presence in one’s body.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The True Nature of Trauma

• Trauma Is Not Just a Story:
  Trauma is fundamentally about how one's body and brain continually re-experience the past within the present, not just memories or narratives.
  • “Trauma is a story that you tell about your past. And trauma really is how your body continues to replay the past over and over again...” (16:12, Dr. van der Kolk)
• Present-Moment Suffering:
  The real impact of trauma is in how it shapes perception, causes hyper- or hypo-arousal, and distorts interactions with present reality.
  • “It's not primarily what happened to you back in the past. It's an issue of what's happening to you right now.” (00:00, Dr. van der Kolk)

2. Brain & Body Changes After Trauma

• Neurological Pathways:
  Trauma dysregulates areas responsible for threat detection and time orientation, making it hard to distinguish the past from the present.
  • “EMDR...activates your right temporal parietal area of your brain, and then it makes connection with your left insula...” (02:00, Dr. van der Kolk)
• Overactive/Underactive Warning Systems:
  Trauma can create either hyper-vigilant responses or blunted danger signals, both leading to vulnerability.
  • “Some people have underactive warning systems...their warning signals may not go off...the shutting down part is at least as important.” (02:50, Dr. van der Kolk)

3. Why Familiarity Feels Safer Than Safety

• Repeating Old Patterns:
  Humans, like animals, tend to return to what’s familiar—even if it’s dangerous—when under stress or in relationships.
  • “People choose what's familiar over what is safe...when the chips are down, they go home, oftentimes to a little trouble.” (03:25, Dr. van der Kolk)
• Moving Beyond Blame:
  True healing starts by recognizing unconscious participation in old dynamics rather than simply blaming others.

4. Therapeutic Approaches Beyond Talk Therapy

• The Need for Embodied Practices:
  Modalities like yoga, tai chi, qigong, EMDR, and neurofeedback are highlighted as essential for trauma processing because they address the body, brain, and nervous system directly.
  • “We measured [healing] after emdr, we measured after yoga, after neurofeedback, and after psychedelics. And once that sameness network changes, people don't get freaked out anymore.” (01:23, Dr. van der Kolk)
• Limitations of Medication:
  Medications like Prozac and Zoloft can help with focus or suppress symptoms, but they don’t resolve underlying trauma.
  • “You just take a chemical that suppresses certain things, but that doesn't really resolve anything.” (07:16, Dr. van der Kolk)
• What He Wishes Therapists Knew:
  Most psychology programs still don’t teach trauma-based, somatic, or psychedelic-assisted approaches.
  • “There is not a single psychology PhD program that teaches about trauma in America. That's just stunning.” (24:26, Dr. van der Kolk)

5. Psychedelics in Trauma Treatment

• MDMA, Ketamine, and Neuroplasticity:
  Psychedelics make the brain more malleable, unlocking new pathways and opening windows for deep healing—if combined with skilled therapy and integration.
  • “The brain tends to become quite rigid and stuck in certain patterns... psychedelics open up the windows of neuroplasticity.” (21:08, Dr. van der Kolk)
  • “The big thing...is a big enhancement in self-compassion. Stunningly so, actually.” (18:28, Dr. van der Kolk)
• Importance of Integration:
  The therapy and integration work during and after psychedelic experiences are as important as the substances themselves.
  • “People had 38 hours of psychotherapy.” (23:04, Dr. van der Kolk)

6. The Central Role of Community

• Healing within Groups:
  Humans are wired for connection—community is fundamental for recovery (e.g., group therapy, theater, mutual aid).
  • “Forming community is still the most important thing, because as humans, we are wired for connection.” (44:19, Dr. van der Kolk)
• The Limits of Individual Treatment:
  “The individual model of treatment that now is the prevailing thing is not the ideal model. The ideal model is to live in community.” (44:19, Dr. van der Kolk)

7. The Power of Somatic Practices

• Movement as Medicine:
  Engaging in activities like yoga, martial arts, tai chi, breathwork, theater, and even boxing or dance, helps harness the body’s inherent healing capacities.
  • “When you activate your imagination, you activate the same pathways of remembering the past.” (32:00, Dr. van der Kolk)
• Regulation and Self-Awareness:
  Somatic work rebuilds the capacity for self-awareness, emotional regulation, and presence.
  • “Learn how your mind works, learn how your brain works, learn how your body works...” (39:50, Dr. van der Kolk)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On What Changes After Trauma:

  “After you've been traumatized, you live in a different reality. Your brain has a hard time taking in ordinary stimuli.”
  — Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (00:00)

• On Familiarity & Trauma:

  “People choose what's familiar over what is safe.”
  — Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (03:25)

• On Story vs. Embodiment:

  “Telling the story in and of itself does not make the story go away.”
  — Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (11:21)

• On the Pitfalls of Talk Therapy Alone:

  “If knowing about our trauma would actually really help us, then therapists wouldn't have any issues.”
  — Host (13:22)

• On the Healing Power of Psychedelics:

  “The big thing that we saw is a big enhancement in self compassion. Stunningly so, actually...you did the best you could.”
  — Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (18:28)

• On Community in Healing:

  “Forming community is still the most important thing, because as humans, we are wired for connection.”
  — Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (44:19)

• On Importance of Movement:

  “To heal from trauma, need to live in a body that knows how to do things differently.”
  — Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (41:13)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 – Trauma’s impact on present-moment experience
• 01:11 – The brain’s danger response and hypervigilance
• 02:00 – Neurological changes and EMDR explained
• 03:25 – Why we choose familiar patterns/partners
• 04:21 – Effective approaches beyond talk therapy (yoga, EMDR, etc.)
• 07:16 – Limitations of medication for trauma
• 16:12 – Misconceptions: Trauma as story vs. ongoing body response
• 18:28 – What MDMA and psychedelics do in therapy
• 21:08 – The critical window of neuroplasticity and therapy
• 24:26 – The lack of trauma training in psychology programs
• 26:46 – How trauma can hijack a person’s sense of aliveness
• 31:19 – Community, theater, and imaginative healing
• 33:25 – Psychodrama vs. revising memories
• 35:22 – What actually works for trauma: bodywork, EMDR, neurofeedback, community
• 39:50 – Teaching self-regulation as a “fourth R” in education
• 44:19 – The vital role of community
• 46:30 – Dr. van der Kolk’s new book, “Come to Your Senses,” and resources

Practical Takeaways & 7 Ways to Support Trauma Healing

1. Engage Somatic Practices:
   Try yoga, tai chi, qigong, dance, psychodrama, martial arts—activities that ground and enliven the body.

2. Consider EMDR and Body-Based Therapies:
   EMDR is especially effective for single-incident trauma, but also useful as part of a broader approach.

3. Explore Psychedelics (Legally & Professionally):
   If accessible and appropriate, psychedelic-assisted therapy (e.g., MDMA, ketamine) can foster deep healing—always with integration support.

4. Practice Regular Breathwork:
   Breathwork and bilateral movement can regulate the nervous system and help separate past from present experiences.

5. Limit Dependence on Medication Alone:
   Medication may support functioning but doesn’t resolve underlying trauma—combine with experiential and relational treatments.

6. Prioritize Building or Joining Communities:
   Healing is amplified in group settings; seek out therapy groups, expressive arts, or mutual support communities.

7. Commit to Personal Practice and Ongoing Learning:
   “First thing is to really work on yourself...probably have to do some EMDR and somatic experiencing and psychedelics yourself to actually become a conscious human being.” (25:26, Dr. van der Kolk)

Closing Thoughts

Dr. van der Kolk emphasizes that while trauma profoundly shapes our present reality, true healing is possible when we engage our bodies, nurture our capacity for self-awareness, and find meaningful connection in community. The path to feeling safe again in the body requires openness to new interventions, supportive relationships, and courage to move beyond familiar but limiting patterns.

Resources & Connect

• Dr. Bessel van der Kolk:
  bestofindercorp.com
  traumaresearchfoundation.org

• Upcoming Book:
  “Come to Your Senses” – focusing on sensory self-awareness and trauma.

Summary prepared from the full episode transcript, focusing exclusively on the educational discussion and omitting promos, advertisements, and announcements.