Bessel van der Kolk Quotes
Like Maier and Seligman’s dogs, many traumatized people simply give up. Rather than risk experimenting with new options they stay stuck in the fear they know.

Quotes to Explore
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I am deeply convinced that happiness does not exist in this world.
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To be the outsider is actually a great thing in England.
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Liability limit has become a symbol of corporate greed in passing the risk of disaster to the U.S. government and U.S. citizens.
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I was shamed.My son, Bill, who was 14 come to me and said: "Mother, you've been professing that you're an atheist for a long time now. Well, I don't believe in God either, but every day in school I'm forced to say prayers, and I feel like a hypocrite. Why should I be compelled to betray my beliefs?" I couldn't answer him.
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After the assassination of my wife, our nation was perilously close to civil strife. If I, as the co-chairman of the Party, had asked my people to take to the streets, the very existence of the federation would have been threatened.
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The strongest of us are those that are spiritually strong, and a spiritual warrior is one of vulnerability.
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the act does not create guilt unless the mind is also guilty.
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It cannot be too often or too forcibly brought home to us that the hope of the profession is with the men who do its daily work in general practice.
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Nature's old felicities.
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I never wanted to be Marilyn - it just happened. Marilyn's like a veil I wear over Norma Jeane.
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Free from passion and desire, you have stripped the thorns from the stem.
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We were too young and immature to give up, you idiot.
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Everybody goes through rough things in their lives, us included. The best advice we can give is to never give up, and always believe in yourself because when you do that, anything is possible.
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If you want to manage your emotions better, your brain gives you two options: You can learn to regulate them from the top down or from the bottom up. Knowing the difference between top down and bottom up regulation is central for understanding and treating traumatic stress. Top-down regulation involves strengthening the capacity of the watchtower to monitor your body's sensations. Mindfulness meditation and yoga can help with this. Bottom-up regulation involves recalibrating the autonomic nervous system...we can access the ANS through breath, movement, or touch.
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I'm a vegan. But, no one believes it because when you're out in the field, most of your meal options involve meat with a side of something fried. I've learned how to be creative and improvise and can eat anywhere - even a steak house or a gas station.
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Like Maier and Seligman’s dogs, many traumatized people simply give up. Rather than risk experimenting with new options they stay stuck in the fear they know.