Psychology

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

  • Downloads：2206
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-02-25 22:50:06
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Bessel A. van der Kolk
  • ISBN：0143127748
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

• A New York Times Science Bestseller •

“Packed with science and human stories， the book is an intense read。 。 。 。 The struggle and resilience of [van der Kolk’s] patients is very moving。” —New Scientist

A pioneering researcher transforms our understanding of trauma and 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 Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence。 Dr。 Bessel van der Kolk， one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma， has spent over three decades working with survivors。 In The Body Keeps the Score， he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain， compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure， engagement， self-control， and trust。 He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports， drama， and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity。 Based on Dr。 van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists， The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives。

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Reviews

David ，

This took me years to read， and I know I will need to read it several more times to glean all I can。 Insightful， detailed， and human。

Pixismiler ，

It。 Was。 So。 Good！ I gets a little heavy on the biology but it is well worth the read。 This is another one that I want to add to my “required reading for everyone who occupies space in this Universe list。”

Stacia ，

This is an extensive resource on trauma， how it affects the body， and different techniques for healing。 It reads more like a text book but there are personal stories and examples sprinkled throughout。 I read it to further my understanding of the impact of yoga on the mind & body but I'm coming away with a much richer knowledge of how trauma is healed and the various approaches。 This is an extensive resource on trauma， how it affects the body， and different techniques for healing。 It reads more like a text book but there are personal stories and examples sprinkled throughout。 I read it to further my understanding of the impact of yoga on the mind & body but I'm coming away with a much richer knowledge of how trauma is healed and the various approaches。 。。。more

Gigi ，

An incredible book。

Zaynab ，

Yes the book has a lot of helpful information， especially for people who have been through trauma。 But after having read nothing by white authors in the last year， its shocking to me to what extent these books are white centric。 So white centric that the victim is the poor rapist and killer， who can't hold his baby because he's reminded of children he killed in Vietnam or Iraq。 The author tries to give an impression of how sensitive and caring he is， but the truth is I would have expected him to Yes the book has a lot of helpful information， especially for people who have been through trauma。 But after having read nothing by white authors in the last year， its shocking to me to what extent these books are white centric。 So white centric that the victim is the poor rapist and killer， who can't hold his baby because he's reminded of children he killed in Vietnam or Iraq。 The author tries to give an impression of how sensitive and caring he is， but the truth is I would have expected him to be more disgusted with what these criminals had done， rather than proud that they could move on and do freaking yoga。 If you care about all people as much as white people you would know that people from Iraq and Vietnam could read this， and realize ppl who killed their families and children are the ones on many occasions the author is sympathizing with and helping。One thing I would add is though some information is so scientific and makes a lot of sense， there are also parts of the book in which its just a little too crazy for me。 The woman holding her baby self in her lap and rocking her as a form of therapy。。。 talking to furniture like they are family， the whole part with "a witness can see 。。" Learned things yes， but realizing how great it was to boycott white authors for a year， i totally recommend it。 。。。more

Julia Fearis ，

This is an academic book underscored by van der Kolk's anecdotes as a trauma psychiatrist。 It is chocked full of fascinating research studies and personal accounts of how trauma impacts your brain， body， reflexes， autoimmune response and much more。 I devoured this and backed up the audio recording several times to re-listen to certain parts。 This is an academic book underscored by van der Kolk's anecdotes as a trauma psychiatrist。 It is chocked full of fascinating research studies and personal accounts of how trauma impacts your brain， body， reflexes， autoimmune response and much more。 I devoured this and backed up the audio recording several times to re-listen to certain parts。 。。。more

Vaida Vaižmužytė ，

Tikiu， kad ši knyga teikia vilties visiems， kam atrodo vilties jau neliko。 Tikiu tokio mokslo galia ir jei tik mes padėsime tiems， kurie negali padėti sau pasaulis nuo to tikrai taps geresnis。 Ir džiugiai stebiuosi kiek būdų pati išbandžiau intuityviai vedama savęs。 Žmonems reikia žmonių ir jų pagalbos dalinantis žmogiškumu - Ubuntu。

Alexa ，

Wow。 One of my favorites。 So informative

Charu ，

An eye-opening guide to trauma and its disruption of our internal systems。 A timely read as the pandemic will surely leave an imprint on us。

Claire Macfarlane ，

I know this book isn’t meant to be a page turner but I still have read similar books which are more user-friendly。 I found this book a slog to finish and I walked away with about the same amount of information as the back of the cover。

Esther Horowitz ，

It’s a 4。75。 Extremely explicit for my liking and my own history of trauma。 But other than that I loved it。

Beth A。 ，

As someone who has c-ptsd， this may be the greatest book that I have ever read。If you want to understand your own trauma， or the trauma of a loved one， read this book。That's all。 As someone who has c-ptsd， this may be the greatest book that I have ever read。If you want to understand your own trauma， or the trauma of a loved one， read this book。That's all。 。。。more

sofía g ，

i'm sure there are better books about trauma that don't take a voyeuristic approach to the experiences of people who suffer from trauma。 i'm sure there are better books about trauma that don't take a voyeuristic approach to the experiences of people who suffer from trauma。 。。。more

Megan Quinn ，

Fascinated why this book is #4 on NYT nonfiction bestseller list。 Even saw it in weekly Target circular。 I’ve owned it for yrs but never got around to finishing it， despite intriguing beginning。 But it’s reminiscent of some assigned reading for grad school， so its recent， wild upswing in popularity & mainstream market appeal is amazing to me。 There aren’t enough practicing clinicians nationwide who’d spike the book’s ratings this much （that I know of）， so I can only assume a year of isolation w/ Fascinated why this book is #4 on NYT nonfiction bestseller list。 Even saw it in weekly Target circular。 I’ve owned it for yrs but never got around to finishing it， despite intriguing beginning。 But it’s reminiscent of some assigned reading for grad school， so its recent， wild upswing in popularity & mainstream market appeal is amazing to me。 There aren’t enough practicing clinicians nationwide who’d spike the book’s ratings this much （that I know of）， so I can only assume a year of isolation w/one’s family during a pandemic led to ALL sorts of traumatic histories surfacing in ways folks are trying to cope with， since number of available mental health providers has also diminished as a result of the pandemic。 This is certainly a book for those trying to cope， in my mind。 Brilliantly written and wonderful in that the author hones in on fact that we’re grossly over-medicating & over-diagnosing the population， rather than treating underlying causes of mental illness that abound as result of past trauma。 His book includes a large section on treatment， to include body awareness techniques like yoga， hands-on therapy （massage， equine， etc。） and breath work。 He has a great chapter on neuro feedback - if you read nothing else， check out chapter 19。 The fact it’s been used in athletic performance by Olympic athletes for years makes me want to try it， too。 I was happy to see van der Kolk also include EMDR， a treatment that was life-changing for me and many others， and to learn that it’s becoming much more mainstream for many trauma patients。 Definitely recommend the book overall。 。。。more

Ronda Beveridge ，

The best book I read about healing from trauma。

Ross ，

Really good look into complex trauma and its impacts！ As both a mental health worker and someone with a lived experience of complex trauma myself， I managed to learn a ton that I can apply to my own life and my practice。 I think this book would be plenty accessible to people without a background in the mental health field， but its ideas don't feel too simple for people who already have a decent understanding of trauma。 I found the discussion of the physical health impacts of trauma particularly Really good look into complex trauma and its impacts！ As both a mental health worker and someone with a lived experience of complex trauma myself， I managed to learn a ton that I can apply to my own life and my practice。 I think this book would be plenty accessible to people without a background in the mental health field， but its ideas don't feel too simple for people who already have a decent understanding of trauma。 I found the discussion of the physical health impacts of trauma particularly insightful， and some of the treatment methods highlighted in the latter half of the book are really intriguing。 A must read if you're interested in the subject matter。 。。。more

Terri ，

Factual and slow。 As it should be。 It's going to take me a LONG time to work through this one so I'm rating it and moving it to a different shelf。 Because I'm tired of looking at it as a "current" situation。 😊 Factual and slow。 As it should be。 It's going to take me a LONG time to work through this one so I'm rating it and moving it to a different shelf。 Because I'm tired of looking at it as a "current" situation。 😊 。。。more

Elle K ，

3。5CW: pretty much every kind of trauma， it is explicit， do not go in lightly。This is a heavy go and took me ages to read tbh， I had to put it down often cause the case studies made me kinda ill。 Women are referred to multiple times by their attractiveness， and there's a case study written as if we are to sympathise with a rapist。 It focuses quite heavily on US veterans， and vietnam vets specifically - who are suffering from trauma due to the things they saw and inflicted during the war。 I would 3。5CW: pretty much every kind of trauma， it is explicit， do not go in lightly。This is a heavy go and took me ages to read tbh， I had to put it down often cause the case studies made me kinda ill。 Women are referred to multiple times by their attractiveness， and there's a case study written as if we are to sympathise with a rapist。 It focuses quite heavily on US veterans， and vietnam vets specifically - who are suffering from trauma due to the things they saw and inflicted during the war。 I would certainly not want to read this book if I were a victim of violence at the hands of the US military。On the other hand， however， I am greedy for information and this book has it in spades。 The physical effects of trauma， and how they extend forward to affect your whole life， was extremely enlightening for me and opened a lot of doors。 I think this book is a good jumping off point for understanding the effects of trauma， and I look forward to exploring this more for myself。 But while there is so much explanation， there are few answers here。 。。。more

H ，

exemplary， usefull for understanding people and the human world

Anne ，

Excellent。 Wish I would have read it years ago。I took a linguistics course this winter and it was so interesting to see how traumatic memory inhibits the brain's language center。 It's something that seems so obvious in retrospect--everyone knows how gutting verbally rehashing trauma can be--but it is very cool to see chemical evidence of this inhibition， especially when we pin so much of the ability to recover from trauma on personal/spiritual successes or failings。 Excellent。 Wish I would have read it years ago。I took a linguistics course this winter and it was so interesting to see how traumatic memory inhibits the brain's language center。 It's something that seems so obvious in retrospect--everyone knows how gutting verbally rehashing trauma can be--but it is very cool to see chemical evidence of this inhibition， especially when we pin so much of the ability to recover from trauma on personal/spiritual successes or failings。 。。。more

Carol ，

The size of the book， almost 400 pages， and the little print can be intimidating when considering the topic: trauma。 However， Bessel Van Der Kolk， MD does an outstanding job presenting the information on trauma for a layman to understand it and its significance on our society。 He makes the biology and physiology of the nervous system understandable。 He provides the historical context for the evolution of the understanding and treatment of trauma。 He uses examples that if we cannot relate to pers The size of the book， almost 400 pages， and the little print can be intimidating when considering the topic: trauma。 However， Bessel Van Der Kolk， MD does an outstanding job presenting the information on trauma for a layman to understand it and its significance on our society。 He makes the biology and physiology of the nervous system understandable。 He provides the historical context for the evolution of the understanding and treatment of trauma。 He uses examples that if we cannot relate to personally will help us as the reader to empathize with， from veterans of wars， to adults of car accidents， to child and adolescent victims of abuse。 It is fascinating to read of all the different treatment modalities that are being used to help victims of trauma find hope， from music and theater to neuro-feedback and of course talk therapy and yoga （yoga being the reason I read the book， wish there had been more in that chapter）。 The author describes the brain as a mosaic which helps to understand the complexities of this most complicated machine we call the human body， but also why it is so hard to sometimes undo what has been done to a body or create what was never there。 I would suggest that every single human being has experienced some sort of trauma in his/her life。 This book demonstrates how resilient we are as human beings and brings hope to the treatment of trauma。 。。。more

Caitlin Ho ，

Perfect blend of touching stories and concrete science that reminds us that trauma isn't just "something in our heads" but a physical manifestation of experiences。 Perfect blend of touching stories and concrete science that reminds us that trauma isn't just "something in our heads" but a physical manifestation of experiences。 。。。more

Pooja Kumar ，

'Those who are hurt， hurt others。'Oh， this book shook me。 'Those who are hurt， hurt others。'Oh， this book shook me。 。。。more

G Pereira ，

For someone who doesn't enjoy 'academic' books， The Body Keeps the Score was a refreshing mix of personal stories and helpful interventions。 It was both relatable and moving。 10/10 would recommend for anyone looking for self-help or therapists looking to support their clients meaningfully。 For someone who doesn't enjoy 'academic' books， The Body Keeps the Score was a refreshing mix of personal stories and helpful interventions。 It was both relatable and moving。 10/10 would recommend for anyone looking for self-help or therapists looking to support their clients meaningfully。 。。。more

Melissa ，

Read。 This。 Book。

Hermine ，

This is really like a handbook on trauma and contains so much discovery of the last forty years。 I don’t think I needed to read this book in this form - it was quite clinical/academic， and I would have appreciated an abridged version of highlights - but there is so much to take away from Dr van der Volk’s work and advocacy for addressing trauma in society。

Wes Marner ，

I can’t even begin to describe how this book has fired circuits in me。 This is a dense book， but it’s approachable。 And after giving a thorough review of the underpinning research， it does a great job of describing therapy methods in ways that are clear。 It’s given me a new framework for understanding some really crappy parts of my past， and I’m finishing this book with some hopefulness for new ways of reflecting on how that past impacts me today。 Highly recommended

Gelaine ，

“The brain-disease model overlooks four fundamental truths: （1） our capacity to destroy one another is matched by our capacity to heal one another。 Restoring relationships and community is central to restoring well-being; （2） language gives us the power to change ourselves and others by communicating our experiences， helping us to define what we know， and finding a common sense of meaning; （3） we have the ability to regulate our own physiology， including some of the so-called involuntary functio “The brain-disease model overlooks four fundamental truths: （1） our capacity to destroy one another is matched by our capacity to heal one another。 Restoring relationships and community is central to restoring well-being; （2） language gives us the power to change ourselves and others by communicating our experiences， helping us to define what we know， and finding a common sense of meaning; （3） we have the ability to regulate our own physiology， including some of the so-called involuntary functions of the body and brain， through such basic activities as breathing， moving， and touching; and （4） we can change social conditions to create environments in which children and adults can feel safe and where they can thrive。When we ignore these quintessential dimensions of humanity， we deprive people of ways to heal from trauma and restore their autonomy。 Being a patient， rather than a participant in one’s healing process， separates suffering people from their community and alienates them from an inner sense of self。” 。。。more

Jessica Cockroft ，

Recommended by several trustworthy friends， this book began to give me the background and vocabulary to understand what trauma is， what it does in the human body and mind， and what treatments and therapies are used to heal and reverse the effects of trauma。 This is a complicated and deep topic， and a lot of the subject matter in it was emotionally heavy and disturbing。 Even though I read it very slowly over the course of several months， it kept my interest and helping me make more sense of my an Recommended by several trustworthy friends， this book began to give me the background and vocabulary to understand what trauma is， what it does in the human body and mind， and what treatments and therapies are used to heal and reverse the effects of trauma。 This is a complicated and deep topic， and a lot of the subject matter in it was emotionally heavy and disturbing。 Even though I read it very slowly over the course of several months， it kept my interest and helping me make more sense of my and others’ experiences with trauma。 。。。more

Kristin ，

Fascinating science that is pretty accessible to read。 I skipped some parts because there were descriptions of trauma。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0