The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
The author's most accessible and widely recognized standalone work, presenting his central ideas about traumatic stress and recovery.
Author guide
Bessel van der Kolk Books in Order
Bessel van der Kolk is a Dutch-American psychiatrist, researcher, author, and educator whose career has focused on how children and adults adapt to traumatic experiences. His work connects neuroscience, attachment research, psychiatry, and body-based approaches to the study and treatment of traumatic stress. He founded and directed major clinical and research programs devoted to trauma and is best known for The Body Keeps the Score.
nonfictionpsychologypsychiatrytrauma studies
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Novels (1)
- The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
nonfiction · 2014
A pioneering researcher and one of the world’s foremost experts on traumatic stress offers a bold new paradigm for healing Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five…
Edited works (3)
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Psychological and Biological Sequelae
edited-volume · 1984
- Psychological Trauma
edited-volume · 1987
- Traumatic Stress: The Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body, and Society
edited-volume · 1996
"Now in paperback, this bestselling classic presents seminal theory and research on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Together, the leading editors and contributors comprehensively examine how trauma affects an individual's biology,…
Frequently asked questions about Bessel van der Kolk
Who is Bessel van der Kolk?
Bessel van der Kolk is a Dutch-American psychiatrist, researcher, author, and educator whose career has focused on how children and adults adapt to traumatic experiences and on treatments for traumatic stress.
Where did Bessel van der Kolk receive his medical training?
He earned his M.D. from the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine in 1970 and completed psychiatric training at Massachusetts Mental Health Center/Harvard. He later held professorships at Harvard Medical School and Boston University School of Medicine.
Sources: besselvanderkolk.com (opens in a new tab)besselvanderkolk.com (opens in a new tab)
What research fields influenced Bessel van der Kolk’s approach to trauma?
His work has drawn especially on neuroscience and attachment research, which he has connected to the study of trauma’s effects on the brain, mind, body, and relationships.
What major awards has Bessel van der Kolk received?
His honors include the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998 and the American Psychiatric Association’s Benjamin Rush Award in 1999.
Sources: istss.org (opens in a new tab)psychiatry.org (opens in a new tab)
What is Bessel van der Kolk’s legacy in trauma studies?
In 1984, he established one of the first U.S. clinical and research centers devoted to civilian traumatic stress, and his work helped lead to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. He is also widely known for bringing trauma research to a broad readership through The Body Keeps the Score.
Sources: besselvanderkolk.com (opens in a new tab)penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)