# Quote — Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score

> The more you stay focused on your breathing, the more you will benefit, particularly if you pay attention until the very end of the out breath and then wait a moment before you inhale again. As you continue to breathe and notice the air moving in and out of your lungs you may think about the role that oxygen plays in nourishing your body and bathing your tissues with the energy you need to feel alive and engaged.

- Author: [Bessel van der Kolk](https://www.leafyquotes.com/bessel-van-der-kolk.md)
- Book: [The Body Keeps the Score](https://www.leafyquotes.com/bessel-van-der-kolk/the-body-keeps-the-score.md)
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bessel_van_der_Kolk#The_Body_Keeps_the_Score:_Brain,_Mind,_and_Body_in_the_Healing_of_Trauma_(2014)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/bessel-van-der-kolk/the-body-keeps-the-score/the-more-you

## More from this book

> Our increasing use of drugs to treat these conditions doesn’t address the real issues: What are these patients trying to cope with? What are their internal or external resources? How do they calm themselves down? Do they have caring relationships with their bodies, and what do they do to cultivate a physical sense of power, vitality, and relaxation? Do they have dynamic interactions with other people? Who really knows them, loves them, and cares about them? Whom can they count on when they’re scared, when their babies are ill, or when they are sick themselves? Are they members of a community, and do they play vital roles in the lives of the people around them? What specific skills do they need to focus, pay attention, and make choices? Do they have a sense of purpose? What are they good at? How can we help them feel in charge of their lives?

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/bessel-van-der-kolk/the-body-keeps-the-score/our-increasing-use.md)

> Scared animals return home, regardless of whether home is safe or frightening.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/bessel-van-der-kolk/the-body-keeps-the-score/scared-animals-return.md)

> Imagination is absolutely critical to the quality of our lives. Our imagination enables us to leave our routine everyday existence by fantasizing about travel, food, sex, falling in love, or having the last word—all the things that make life interesting. Imagination gives us the opportunity to envision new possibilities—it is an essential launchpad for making our hopes come true. It fires our creativity, relieves our boredom, alleviates our pain, enhances our pleasure, and enriches our most intimate relationships.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/bessel-van-der-kolk/the-body-keeps-the-score/imagination-is-absolutely.md)