The Body Keeps the Score

Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

By: Bessel van der Kolk M.D.

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

Number one New York Times best seller

“Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding and treating traumatic stress and the scope of its impact on society.” (Alexander McFarlane, director of the Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies)

A pioneering researcher transforms our understanding of trauma and offers a bold new paradigm for healing in this New York Times best seller.

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 more than 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.

Cover image: © 2020 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Courtesy of the Archives Henri Matisse, All rights reserved.

©2014 Bessel van der Kolk (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Good book. Reader fine.

I appreciated the audio version of this influential book. The reader is excellent and I’ve heard him read other things very well. My only complaint was his pronouncing the DSM-V repeatedly as the letter “V”, rather than the Roman numeral 5, for Fifth edition. It’s a very well-known reference book for anyone in the counseling or psychology field, so the mistake was jarring each time. Other than that, excellent!

Life changing, really

At age 52, this is the single most valuable resource I’ve encountered to help me understand my past and how it impacted my adulthood and choices. I feel like I can move forward better equipped.

Best book I have listened to in over a year!

Insightful, informative, inspirational, and should be required reading for anyone working in the mental health industry, education, social work, and possibly every line of work where one person interacts with another. unless you are a hermit that never interacts with other human beings, you will learn something useful from this book.

I wish I had come across this book when it first came out. I actually wish I could have been treated by the doctor when I was growing up. This book was very impactful and personal to me. I highly recommend it.

Most important book I've ever read

A must read for all people. Will help you build empathy and understanding about what others may be going thru.

everyone should read it

this is so important to our society and everyone should read it to be trauma aware

Wow

I wanted to read this book to understand myself as well as people around me. This is fascinating as he gives case study examples as well as information about the human mind and how it deals with trauma.
We are fascinating and complicated creatures, I wish you all well.

SO HELPFUL!

I appreciate the tone of the writer. He is so smart, but makes sure to explain all the medical and psychological underpinnings before he starts a new subject. The narrator was fine too, I had to remind myself, he wasn't the author. I could listen, while doing chores, and stay focused to both tasks. This book has changed my life. The author shares from decades of experience and empirical research. A MUST READ if you want to heal from trauma, understand it more, or help someone. Many modern options for therapy & lesser valued ones were discussed. I feel like anyone who wants to heal from trauma could find at least one of these methods that would work for them. God bless you Mr. Van der Kolk!

I saw myself in this book.

The book spoke to me on a personal level. It described my trauma. The writer is sensitive to my feelings, he uses a soft language that made me feel that he puts me first- he knows how I feel. The most amazing part, he put words and meaning to what I used to confront my trauma and heal- he put a stamp of approval that I am in the right path. I now purchased the workbook. Thank you.

transformatively insightful!

This book is brilliant at illuminating what's running the show for so many trauma survivors and why simple things can feel totally impossible, but then he gives hope that we really can access the next level of living with the right kind of healing. He is truly a gift to the suffering world.

A must for clinicians of any specialty.

Any book that causes you to dig deeper, be more compassionate, or considerate of your daily interactions with total strangers is well worth digesting and putting into practice.