Psychology

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

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

  • Downloads：6829
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-03-04 03:23:14
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Bessel A. van der Kolk
  • ISBN：0141978619
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

The effects of trauma can be devastating for sufferers， their families and future generations。 Here one of the world's experts on traumatic stress offers a bold new paradigm for treatment， moving away from standard talking and drug therapies and towards an alternative approach that heals mind， brain and body。

‘Van der Kolk draws on thirty years of experience to argue powerfully that trauma is one of the West's most urgent public health issues 。。。 Packed with science and human stories。’ New Scientist

‘Breathtaking in its scope and breadth， a seminal work by one of the preeminent pioneers in trauma research and treatment。’ Peter A。 Levine， author of In an Unspoken Voice

‘Dr van der Kolk's masterpiece combines the boundless curiosity of the scientist， the erudition of the scholar， and the passion of the truth teller。’ Judith Herman， author of Trauma and Recovery

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Reviews

Isabel ，

I like the review that referred to this book as a “treasure trove”， I think that sums it up really nicely。 Bessel van der Kolk is really likeable and knowledgeable and his compassion and drive on behalf of traumatized individuals is contagious。 Not only did this book teach me a lot intellectually （which has given me a lot to think about and discuss with others）， it has challenged me to be more empathetic， as it has opened my eyes to the realities that so many people around me have faced and are I like the review that referred to this book as a “treasure trove”， I think that sums it up really nicely。 Bessel van der Kolk is really likeable and knowledgeable and his compassion and drive on behalf of traumatized individuals is contagious。 Not only did this book teach me a lot intellectually （which has given me a lot to think about and discuss with others）， it has challenged me to be more empathetic， as it has opened my eyes to the realities that so many people around me have faced and are facing。 I want to be more sensitive to， and understanding of， those debilitating challenges。 If it counts for anything， this book was so meaningful that it has me considering a career in this field。 It’s definitely kindled a passion。 Other books on trauma that I highly recommend are “Legacy” by Suzanne Methot and “A Mind Spread Out on the Ground” by Alicia Elliot， they are more personal and autobiographical so they compliment this more research-based book very well。 。。。more

Julia Smith ，

Fascinating outline of trauma informed interventions。 Incredibly helpful for me as a healthcare professional who works with a largely behavioral population。 The information in this book provided a physiological explanation for these behaviors as well as possible ways to more effectively interact and help within this trauma lens。

Jordan Arellano ，

I feel like I am better equipped to offer myself and the rest of the world more compassion after reading this book。 Granted， it’s a hair more scientific than I typically read， but the stories woven into the research here were so profound。 I feel hopeful that there are more ways to heal people from traumas big and small。 And just the premise that the healing of trauma is a whole-body effort really fits into many other layers of things I’m learning about right now。 Loved it。

Suzy ，

Wish I would have listened to every therapist I’ve ever had and read this way sooner。

Nadia ，

This book has helped me so much understanding my own trauma。 My grief councelor and a good friend of mine recommended that book for me since I am suffering from PTSD and have a tendency of self- sabotaging myself。 I created this barrier/ wall while dating someone not long ago and that created a lot of distance because I couldn’t understand myself and had the need to hurt myself emotionally。 By reading this book， the examples that Bessel uses on how he was able to help his patients overcome their This book has helped me so much understanding my own trauma。 My grief councelor and a good friend of mine recommended that book for me since I am suffering from PTSD and have a tendency of self- sabotaging myself。 I created this barrier/ wall while dating someone not long ago and that created a lot of distance because I couldn’t understand myself and had the need to hurt myself emotionally。 By reading this book， the examples that Bessel uses on how he was able to help his patients overcome their fear of not being good enough or feeling outside of their own skin made me realize that I want to be able to let people in。 I want to diminish trauma and be able to accept it and be okay with it。 This book helped me understand that we carry all of this weight on ourselves and blaming ourselves at the end。 Now that I read this helpful guidance book， I can start working on my trauma with my therapist slowly and start trusting her。 。。。more

Steve Williams ，

Dense， detailed， but also readable and clear explanations of different methods of treating people with severe trauma。 Fascinating。 I also enjoyed the challenge of trying to understand the complex--for me！--biology stuff。

Jasmine Morrow ，

Such a great read about something so common and important to learn about！ only took me over a year to finally get through it but it was so helpful for me to read it and find useful information！

Samantha ，

This is 。。。a lot。 A few gems mixed in what’s basically a textbook for mental health professionals。 It’s way above the average reader’s head and not what was expected at all。 A few of the examples were very interesting to read about。 That’s about it though。 I usually love books like this but this is definitely not worth it。

Mark ，

Ridiculously good。 Well written， with excellent accompanying illustrations and case examples， to clarify issues。 So good I bought a copy after getting it at the library。

Jess ，

It took me 3 years to finish this book。 I'd compare it to eating steak - taking small bites， to be chewed and digested slowly。 I took breaks to give myself a chance to really absorb all of the invaluable insights it provides。 I'm so grateful for the wisdom it has lended me as I have begun recovery from a lifetime of unprocessed trauma。 At points it was triggering; it made me cry， but in a healing way。 The *only* thing I disliked was the epilogue。 （I consider myself anti-government in almost all It took me 3 years to finish this book。 I'd compare it to eating steak - taking small bites， to be chewed and digested slowly。 I took breaks to give myself a chance to really absorb all of the invaluable insights it provides。 I'm so grateful for the wisdom it has lended me as I have begun recovery from a lifetime of unprocessed trauma。 At points it was triggering; it made me cry， but in a healing way。 The *only* thing I disliked was the epilogue。 （I consider myself anti-government in almost all political spheres。。。 Clearly the author and I have the same goals for society， but very different means by which we believe they should be achieved。） Otherwise， I consider it an invaluable resource for trauma recovery。 I also recommend it to anyone who wants to better understand a loved one who has experienced trauma。 。。。more

Kendall （Books with Kendall） ，

I’m not sure quite how to formulate my thoughts about this book into words。 It was very informative and I could see it really helping people work through their trauma or give someone the push to seek the help they need。 I don’t think anyone who has suffered abuse or trauma is ever going to fully be in the right head space to read this book， so keep that in mind when making your decision about whether to read this or not。 As someone who went through years of abuse， I felt nauseas the ENTIRE time I’m not sure quite how to formulate my thoughts about this book into words。 It was very informative and I could see it really helping people work through their trauma or give someone the push to seek the help they need。 I don’t think anyone who has suffered abuse or trauma is ever going to fully be in the right head space to read this book， so keep that in mind when making your decision about whether to read this or not。 As someone who went through years of abuse， I felt nauseas the ENTIRE time I read this book and I felt panicky and on the edge the whole time as well。 It is extremely triggering。 That being said， I’m grateful to have read it and I’m excited to see if the things i learned will benefit me in the future。 。。。more

Caty Burke ，

This book was one that I read very slowly， in part because some of the content was intense and in part because I was learning a lot of new information。 Enlightening for me personally and eye-opening for ministry; it’s fascinating how clearly psychology shows that humans are body-soul composites。 The Body Keeps the Score helps readers understand the effects of trauma， effects that last long after the traumatic event（s） have passed， and offers hope for healing。 I am very grateful for Dr。 van der K This book was one that I read very slowly， in part because some of the content was intense and in part because I was learning a lot of new information。 Enlightening for me personally and eye-opening for ministry; it’s fascinating how clearly psychology shows that humans are body-soul composites。 The Body Keeps the Score helps readers understand the effects of trauma， effects that last long after the traumatic event（s） have passed， and offers hope for healing。 I am very grateful for Dr。 van der Kolk’s work。 He was in the middle of more research on EMDR and neurofeedback when the book went to print and I would be interested in an updated version。 Regardless， I will certainly be revisiting this book。 。。。more

Taylor Franchuk ，

Clear， moving， data driven approach to explaining the effects of various forms of trauma on the mind and body。 Challenges a lot of unhelpful approaches that have generally been used to address the symptoms of trauma。

Nicola Forbes ，

I enjoyed the neuro anatomy aspect of this but overall it was a little to psychoanalytic-y for my liking。

Hamza Saleem ，

Excellent resource for research on PTSDSection 5， 'Paths to recovery'， goes into detail on how EMDR， Yoga， neurofeedback， and structure creation， has helped countless people regain control of their lives Excellent resource for research on PTSDSection 5， 'Paths to recovery'， goes into detail on how EMDR， Yoga， neurofeedback， and structure creation， has helped countless people regain control of their lives 。。。more

Tsering Yangdol ，

Absolutely brilliant！ Felt like I am having a conversation with all of my psychology textbooks but in a more concise and easy way。

teresaemerson ，

Very enlightening！ Very helpful in my own healing of trauma。 A must read。

Lulu Hennessy ，

A strong book I hate the term "trigger warning" but for me it really applied for this book， in a good way。 I don't remember the exact date I started it but I know it was the fall of 2020。 I finished it March 2 2021。 It took me that long because the beginning of the book triggered me so much。 As i finished it today I realised that I needed that。 I needed that insight to keep on reading so I could explore the topic of trauma and what it means to my body and how I function。I love that the book is w A strong book I hate the term "trigger warning" but for me it really applied for this book， in a good way。 I don't remember the exact date I started it but I know it was the fall of 2020。 I finished it March 2 2021。 It took me that long because the beginning of the book triggered me so much。 As i finished it today I realised that I needed that。 I needed that insight to keep on reading so I could explore the topic of trauma and what it means to my body and how I function。I love that the book is weighted in science but that the science is very accessible。 It is not "new-agey" or "woowoo" and it is not all about detailed studies 。 It is a good all around， in depth study and explanation of what trauma really is。If you are ready to start to investigate your experience and see what role trauma may play in them ，this book is great place to begin。 。。。more

Alicia ，

dnf @ 25% on 02/03/21。 i will finish this one day！ but i'm really not in the mood for this type of non fiction。 dnf @ 25% on 02/03/21。 i will finish this one day！ but i'm really not in the mood for this type of non fiction。 。。。more

Emily ，

Very deep。

Katie John ，

I was immensely impressed - and reassured – by this book。 This isn't some load of woo about accessing your inner child - far from it。 The book has a firm grounding in up-to-date neuroscience and in other techniques （drama， dance， bodywork） that seem to help people suffering the after-effects of trauma。 The only thing I would quibble with is the apparent assumption that group activities are the solution for everyone - some of us are introverts and need our space， especially if we are struggling w I was immensely impressed - and reassured – by this book。 This isn't some load of woo about accessing your inner child - far from it。 The book has a firm grounding in up-to-date neuroscience and in other techniques （drama， dance， bodywork） that seem to help people suffering the after-effects of trauma。 The only thing I would quibble with is the apparent assumption that group activities are the solution for everyone - some of us are introverts and need our space， especially if we are struggling with trauma！ Other than that， I will be re-reading it to glean more nuggets of useful information。 。。。more

T ，

Great book。 Super clinical though so it was tough to ride it out。 Wished his section on getting better was longer， but it sounds like his advice is to talk with a professional！

Zeph ，

Best book I have ever read。 Must read for anyone with trauma。 I bought spare copies， some I've sent to friends I know also struggle， and some to have ready for just-in-cases。 Cannot recommend this highly enough。 Best book I have ever read。 Must read for anyone with trauma。 I bought spare copies， some I've sent to friends I know also struggle， and some to have ready for just-in-cases。 Cannot recommend this highly enough。 。。。more

Suzannah ，

This was an astonishing book - it's readable， detailed， comes with a wealth of personal experience and scholarly credibility， and deals with a subject - trauma - that I think any breakable human should have some familiarity with， whether it's personal or in someone we love。 Personally， I read this book because I'm an author and wanted to make sure that if I would be tackling traumatic events， I would be able to write about them with some insight and respect。 I ended up learning a huge amount abo This was an astonishing book - it's readable， detailed， comes with a wealth of personal experience and scholarly credibility， and deals with a subject - trauma - that I think any breakable human should have some familiarity with， whether it's personal or in someone we love。 Personally， I read this book because I'm an author and wanted to make sure that if I would be tackling traumatic events， I would be able to write about them with some insight and respect。 I ended up learning a huge amount about subjects - psychology， the effects of abuse， and stress relief - that are relevant to my own life。 I would particularly recommend this book to people in any situation that requires taking care of and supporting people: teachers， foster parents， people in ministry， and so on。 You'll learn a lot about how the brain and body work， and how they can be helped to heal and rewire after trauma， or even some of the ways trauma can be prevented from developing in the first place。 Powerful， fascinating， and ultimately very hopeful。 。。。more

Conor Sheehan ，

A comprehensive look into both the causes and treatments for trauma。 Definitely not for the faint of heart。 This books review somewhat falls victim to my own expectations。 At times it can be mesmerizing and at others dull; reading like a textbook。 I think your enjoyment from a book like this will come from your passion/understanding of the topic， your personal connection to it and your ability to stomach the things that are discussed- the most intense being those that are the by-product of traum A comprehensive look into both the causes and treatments for trauma。 Definitely not for the faint of heart。 This books review somewhat falls victim to my own expectations。 At times it can be mesmerizing and at others dull; reading like a textbook。 I think your enjoyment from a book like this will come from your passion/understanding of the topic， your personal connection to it and your ability to stomach the things that are discussed- the most intense being those that are the by-product of trauma。 You learn some interesting things along the way and I'm sure to others， this will be an extremely engrossing and engaging book。 I just couldn't come to enjoy it as much as I wanted to。 。。。more

Denise Burrola ，

This book was an extremely heavy read especially in the earlier parts of the book。 It took some time for me to get through just because I needed to occasionally stop and take care of myself。 The last part brought up and described the benefit of other types of treatments that help with trauma。 As informative as the book is you could definitely feel the authors passion for the subject。

Jeremy Holroyd ，

Warning: This book may be a trigger for some people with traumatic pasts。 Reading this book I found myself questioning behaviors that forced a reevaluation of the way I have interpreted events in my past。 If you have experienced trauma and want to read this book just to better understand trauma， this book may be a bit to intense。If you have a desire to help people experiencing trauma I encourage you to push through when the stories become too real and read the whole book。 I absolutely loved this Warning: This book may be a trigger for some people with traumatic pasts。 Reading this book I found myself questioning behaviors that forced a reevaluation of the way I have interpreted events in my past。 If you have experienced trauma and want to read this book just to better understand trauma， this book may be a bit to intense。If you have a desire to help people experiencing trauma I encourage you to push through when the stories become too real and read the whole book。 I absolutely loved this book。 As a foster parent and combat veteran who has a desire to help others work through their trauma I couldn't put it down。 This book is highly illuminating to the inner workings of the brain and the body's response to traumatic events。 The stories are real and you can feel the author's passion for his patients。 The author breaks down and explains professional terminology in ways that are easy to follow and understand。 He uses practical examples to show the successes and failures that have led to his conclusions and have helped many people find healing。 。。。more

Hannah ，

This book is fascinating and really encompasses the history of PTSD research and how the body remembers trauma。 This book seems to be aimed toward clinicians or those currently in therapy for traumatic experiences。 In that regard， it wasn't really life-changing for me， but definitely an interesting read。 This book is fascinating and really encompasses the history of PTSD research and how the body remembers trauma。 This book seems to be aimed toward clinicians or those currently in therapy for traumatic experiences。 In that regard， it wasn't really life-changing for me， but definitely an interesting read。 。。。more

Theillegalgiant ，

do you have trauma （y） you are investigating （y/n） that you previously haven't given a large mental space （y/n）？if y/y/y this book is great！ I felt it leaned a little too heavily on fact based statistics while also preaching the mantra of 'anything can work！' left me knowing I have work to do but didn't entirely point me in a specific direction。 validating and eye opening in ways I didn't expect do you have trauma （y） you are investigating （y/n） that you previously haven't given a large mental space （y/n）？if y/y/y this book is great！ I felt it leaned a little too heavily on fact based statistics while also preaching the mantra of 'anything can work！' left me knowing I have work to do but didn't entirely point me in a specific direction。 validating and eye opening in ways I didn't expect 。。。more

Maryanne ，

Wonderfully written with a great balance of scientific knowledge， compassion and curiosity for the unknown。

Reference

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

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation 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: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0