Lesson 5: Do’s and Don’ts for Supporting Traumatized Colleagues and Loved Ones | Bessel van der Kolk

Have you ever heard someone refer to their partner as a “fixer-upper”? As if the person would gain in value, or make a great partner once, like an old house, their “wiring” is updated? It doesn’t usually end well when you start a relationship with the goal of changing the other person. In fact, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Bessel van der Kolk warns against viewing others as needing to be “fixed,” especially trauma survivors. In this video lesson, he offers advice on how to best accept and support the survivors in your life, including encouraging them to engage in self-investigation. © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ►Listen to Big Think Interviews on Spotify Insights from the world's biggest thinkers, now as a podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/7KRYoRD1NdF2aoQcBMyPlb ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Bessel van der Kolk: Bessel van der Kolk MD spends his career studying how children and adults adapt to traumatic experiences and has translated emerging findings from neuroscience and attachment research to develop and study a range of treatments for traumatic stress in children and adults.