Bessel van der Kolk draws a critical distinction: academic trauma research typically measures management — whether PTSD symptoms decrease below a cutoff score. But that’s the wrong outcome criterion. True healing is resolution: “I used to be an abused and neglected kid but now I feel loved inside.”
“The issue is really not how do we manage it and keep it under control — the issue is how do we resolve it.”
In a very large number of cases, trauma can actually be resolved — not just managed. People can arrive at a genuine felt sense of being loved, not just symptom reduction. This distinction matters because management keeps trauma contained while resolution transforms the person’s relationship to themselves entirely.
Related Concepts
- Downregulation is not resolution
- Feeling the held-back emotion ends trauma repetition
- Insight requires embodied integration
- Self-compassion is the real outcome of healing