Book Catalog

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

Bessel van der Kolk MD

Human behaviorMemory and learning

59 pages126 min

This book profoundly explores the pervasive impact of trauma, particularly developmental and complex trauma, on the brain, body, and sense of self. It reveals how early-life abuse and neglect induce physiological changes, disrupt brain function, and lead to persistent emotional dysregulation, dissociation, and relational difficulties. Critiquing inadequate diagnostic systems and over-reliance on pharmacology, the author advocates for holistic, body-oriented, and relational therapies such as EMDR, yoga, neurofeedback, Internal Family Systems, and therapeutic theater. The core message emphasizes self-awareness, communal rhythms, and the restoration of agency as crucial for survivors to integrate their past and live fully in the present.