A fascinating read, though not greatly applicable.

Pros:
- Van der Kolk is clearly hugely knowledgeable and I liked the case studies he included to demonstrate his points. He explains himself well to an average person without previous training in psychology and I definitely felt that I learned a lot and wanted to take a lot of notes.
- He also communicated his points quickly and efficiently, so that the points were broken up and never felt like they were dragging a lot.
- Parts that particularly interested me were the idea of internal family systems, yoga practices, EMDR and linking your body back to your mind after trauma. This alternative to simple talking therapy was interesting and I liked how he also talked about social interactions being crucial to recovery.


Cons:
- Although he says not to trust therapists who push for one therapy, he makes it very clear he doesn't believe in the use of CBT or psychoanalysis for trauma, and that he thinks neurofeedback and EMDR are the way to go. Whilst I agree with a lot of what he says, he's clearly pushing an agenda for the DSM to include his Developmental Trauma diagnosis.
- He makes it clear that anything other than vanilla sex is 'bizarre' and is clearly not kink-positive.
- He mentions briefly 'treating autism' which I thought a red flag. Autistic people need support but not 'treatment'.
- This is probably simply because this book deals mostly with childhood sexual abuse and violence, but I did feel like it invalidated and failed to address any other sort of trauma. I don't think he ever defined what childhood trauma was exactly - what age does it count as being adult trauma?
- Some of the brain imagery bits went over my head.
 - I definitely preferred the latter part of the book, where he talked about therapies and solutions. The first half felt dense and depressing, leaving me feeling sick and out of sorts. 

Overall, this wasn't the incredible, cure-all book that the person who recommended it kind of sold it as, but it was fascinating and I'm very glad I read it.