Mental Health Book Club
WHEN
Friday, August 28, 2026
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (America/Los_Angeles)
WHO CAN JOIN
Hosted by: Kristin Russell
Virtual Event
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Meta Details
Cost:
Free
Date :
28
August
2026
Event Details
The Body Keeps the Score; Session 1
Join Kristin Russell, PhD, licensed psychologist, for the first of a three-part book club exploring The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, MD. This groundbreaking book offers invaluable insight into how your brain and body have evolved to help you survive life’s challenges—even when those same survival responses can make it difficult to truly thrive. While the book is rich with life-changing information, it can also feel overwhelming to read on your own.
Session 1: Fri Aug 28, 12-1pm pst
We’ll explore the anatomy of the brain, how trauma changes neural pathways, and why responses such as hypervigilance, people-pleasing, emotional shutdown, or fight, flight, and freeze are often signs of adaptation rather than dysfunction.
Session 2: Fri Sept 25, 12-1pm pst
The second of three book club sessions will focus on Sections III and IV. Kristin will share how attachment and adverse childhood events impact how we experience and manage emotions. She will also discuss how impacted nervous systems can interfere with healthy relationships. Finally, the importance for survivors and professionals to accurately understand how developmental trauma impacts future functioning is essential to receiving appropriate diagnoses and treatment.
Session 3: Fri Oct 23, 12-1pm pst
The last book club for The Body Keeps the Score will address Part V: Paths to Recovery. Kristin will share why insight and understanding alone don’t help the emotional brain out of the effects of the trauma.
What healing options exist, and how do they work?
About Kristin:
Kristin Russell, PhD is a licensed psychologist and coach. For more than 30 years, Kristin has partnered with women to treat mood and anxiety disorders, helping them navigate life’s challenges with greater resilience, self-understanding, and emotional well-being. She is deeply dedicated to empowering women to offer themselves the same compassion, care, and understanding they so readily extend to everyone else.
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The Body Keeps the Score; Session 1
Join Kristin Russell, PhD, licensed psychologist, for the first of a three-part book club exploring The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, MD. This groundbreaking book offers invaluable insight into how your brain and body have evolved to help you survive life’s challenges—even when those same survival responses can make it difficult to truly thrive. While the book is rich with life-changing information, it can also feel overwhelming to read on your own.
Session 1: Fri Aug 28, 12-1pm pst
We’ll explore the anatomy of the brain, how trauma changes neural pathways, and why responses such as hypervigilance, people-pleasing, emotional shutdown, or fight, flight, and freeze are often signs of adaptation rather than dysfunction.
Session 2: Fri Sept 25, 12-1pm pst
The second of three book club sessions will focus on Sections III and IV. Kristin will share how attachment and adverse childhood events impact how we experience and manage emotions. She will also discuss how impacted nervous systems can interfere with healthy relationships. Finally, the importance for survivors and professionals to accurately understand how developmental trauma impacts future functioning is essential to receiving appropriate diagnoses and treatment.
Session 3: Fri Oct 23, 12-1pm pst
The last book club for The Body Keeps the Score will address Part V: Paths to Recovery. Kristin will share why insight and understanding alone don’t help the emotional brain out of the effects of the trauma.
What healing options exist, and how do they work?
About Kristin:
Kristin Russell, PhD is a licensed psychologist and coach. For more than 30 years, Kristin has partnered with women to treat mood and anxiety disorders, helping them navigate life’s challenges with greater resilience, self-understanding, and emotional well-being. She is deeply dedicated to empowering women to offer themselves the same compassion, care, and understanding they so readily extend to everyone else.