The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk: Why This Book Changed the Way We Understand Trauma

Bessel van der Kolk’s groundbreaking book, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, has become one of the most important and widely-read texts on trauma in the 21st century. First published in 2014, it blends neuroscience, psychology, case studies, and decades of clinical experience to explore one central idea: trauma is not just something that happens to you — it’s something that lives in your body.

Through powerful stories and scientific insight, van der Kolk opens up a new understanding of how traumatic experiences shape our emotions, behavior, relationships, and physical health — and most importantly, how healing is possible.

Who is Bessel van der Kolk?

Bessel van der Kolk is a Dutch-born psychiatrist, researcher, and educator. He’s been a pioneer in the field of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for over four decades. His clinical work has included treating Vietnam War veterans, survivors of childhood abuse, and patients with complex trauma histories.

Before The Body Keeps the Score, van der Kolk was known in academic circles for his research on brain imaging, memory, and trauma. This book brought his expertise to a much wider audience — from therapists and social workers to trauma survivors and everyday readers.

What Is Trauma — According to This Book?

Van der Kolk redefines trauma not just as an event (e.g., war, abuse, assault) but as the lasting effect of that event on the body and mind. He emphasizes that trauma alters the brain’s wiring — particularly areas responsible for emotion regulation, memory, and survival instincts — which can leave people stuck in states of fear, hypervigilance, or emotional shutdown.

In essence, trauma isn’t just remembered — it’s relived, often in involuntary ways:

• Sudden flashbacks or panic attacks
• Emotional numbness or disconnection
• Chronic tension, pain, or gastrointestinal issues
• Overwhelming shame or self-blame

This lingering, embodied experience of trauma is what makes it so complex — and why traditional talk therapy isn’t always enough.

Key Ideas from The Body Keeps the Score

1. Trauma is stored in the body

One of the book’s most powerful ideas is that trauma lives not just in memories, but in the body itself. Survivors may “know” they’re safe intellectually, but their body still reacts as if danger is present. Muscles tighten. The heart races. The nervous system stays on high alert.

This explains why people with PTSD may have trouble sleeping, digesting food, or feeling comfortable in their own skin — even if the traumatic event happened years ago.

2. Trauma rewires the brain

Using brain scans and neuroscience, van der Kolk shows how trauma affects areas like:

• The amygdala (fear center)
• The prefrontal cortex (logic, control)
• The hippocampus (memory and context)

In traumatized brains, the alarm system stays switched “on,” while the thinking brain often goes “offline” under stress. This means survivors may act impulsively, dissociate, or struggle with emotional regulation.

3. Children and trauma

A significant portion of the book focuses on developmental trauma — the effects of abuse, neglect, or chronic stress in childhood. Van der Kolk argues that early trauma can derail healthy development, leading to long-term problems like:

• Difficulty forming relationships
• Self-harming behaviors
• Personality disorders
• Substance use

This insight has had huge implications for how therapists treat survivors of childhood trauma — and how society views issues like addiction and mental illness.

4. Talk therapy has limits

Van der Kolk doesn’t reject talk therapy, but he argues that insight alone won’t heal trauma. Many trauma survivors know their reactions don’t make sense — they just can’t stop them.

As he puts it, “The rational brain cannot talk the emotional brain out of its own reality.” That’s why the book explores more embodied healing approaches.

5. Somatic healing is essential

Healing trauma, according to van der Kolk, means helping the body feel safe again. He highlights therapies that go beyond talk, such as:

• Yoga – Reconnects people with their bodies and breath
• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) – Helps process traumatic memories
• Neurofeedback – Uses brain scans and feedback to regulate brain activity
• Somatic Experiencing – Releases trauma stored in the body through sensation and movement
• Theatre and creative expression – Allows survivors to safely re-experience and reshape their stories

These body-based and experiential therapies are shown to help calm the nervous system and rebuild trust with oneself.

Why Has This Book Resonated So Deeply?

Since its release, The Body Keeps the Score has sold over 3 million copies and topped the New York Times bestseller list for months — often driven by word of mouth. But why?

Because it speaks directly to the lived experience of millions of people. Survivors see themselves in its pages. Therapists use it as a manual. Readers without a psychology background still find it readable, emotional, and deeply validating.

It also explains symptoms that many people struggle with — anxiety, dissociation, rage, numbing, chronic pain — in a way that makes sense, especially when other diagnoses or treatments have failed.

Criticism and Controversy

While the book is widely praised, it has also drawn some criticism:

• Some clinicians feel van der Kolk dismisses traditional psychiatry too broadly.
• His writing style blends science with anecdote, which some argue reduces objectivity.
• Others take issue with the heavy focus on body-centered therapies, especially when access to such treatments can be limited.

Still, few dispute that van der Kolk has pushed trauma research and treatment forward in meaningful ways.

Impact on Mental Health Care

The book has changed how many therapists, educators, and even policymakers think about trauma. Concepts like the window of tolerance, developmental trauma disorder, and nervous system regulation are now common in trauma-informed care.

Many trauma centers, schools, and foster care systems now integrate body-based approaches, trauma-informed language, and a more compassionate understanding of behavior.

Who Should Read This Book?

• Survivors of trauma who want to understand their own mind-body connection
• Mental health professionals, social workers, or bodyworkers
• Family and friends of those with PTSD or complex trauma
• Anyone curious about the connection between brain, body, and emotion

While the book includes difficult material — including abuse, war, and neglect — it also offers real hope. It doesn’t just dwell on what trauma does; it shows what can be done to heal.

Final Thoughts

The Body Keeps the Score is more than just a psychology book — it’s a wake-up call. It asks us to stop seeing trauma as a rare event and start recognizing how widespread, embodied, and misunderstood it often is. It challenges the medical model that treats symptoms without addressing root causes. And it empowers both survivors and practitioners with tools for lasting healing.

In van der Kolk’s words:

“Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health.”

This book is a profound guide to rebuilding that sense of safety — in your body, your brain, and your life.