The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk Summary
Trauma rewires your brain and body. This groundbreaking bestseller, on the NYT list for nearly four years, reveals why your past haunts your physical health. Jon Kabat-Zinn called it a "tour de force" that's transforming trauma treatment through yoga, neurofeedback, and drama.
About the author
Bessel van der Kolk, MD, is the acclaimed psychiatrist and trauma researcher behind The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, a groundbreaking exploration of how trauma reshapes the brain and body.
A pioneer in post-traumatic stress research since the 1970s, van der Kolk founded Boston’s Trauma Center and serves as a professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine.
His work with Vietnam War veterans and decades of clinical practice informed his development of innovative trauma treatments like sensorimotor psychotherapy and neurofeedback, detailed in this New York Times bestseller.
Van der Kolk’s authoritative works, including Traumatic Stress and Psychological Trauma, have shaped modern trauma therapy and earned global recognition. Translated into 43 languages, The Body Keeps the Score has sold over 2 million copies and remains a foundational text for mental health professionals and survivors worldwide.
FAQs About This Book
The Body Keeps the Score explores how trauma reshapes the brain, body, and emotional regulation, drawing on decades of clinical research. It details how unresolved trauma manifests as physical symptoms (chronic pain, migraines) and psychological struggles (hypervigilance, emotional numbness), while advocating for therapies like mindfulness, yoga, and body-based interventions to restore safety and control.
This book is essential for trauma survivors, mental health professionals, and educators seeking to understand trauma’s biological and psychological impacts. It’s also valuable for caregivers, veterans, and anyone interested in neuroscience-driven approaches to healing.
Yes—it’s a foundational text for trauma-informed care, blending scientific rigor with compassionate insights. With over 32,000 Amazon reviews, readers praise its transformative perspective on healing PTSD, dissociation, and chronic stress.
Chronic trauma triggers prolonged stress hormones, leading to conditions like fibromyalgia, migraines, and autoimmune disorders. The book explains how trauma “lives” in the nervous system, causing hyperarousal (fight/flight) or shutdown (freeze) responses that hijack present-moment awareness.
Van der Kolk advocates somatic therapies like yoga, EMDR, and neurofeedback to reprocess traumatic memories. He emphasizes reconnecting with the body through mindfulness, rhythmic movement, and expressive arts to regulate the nervous system.
Trauma alters brain regions like the amygdala (fear center) and prefrontal cortex (rational thinking), impairing emotional regulation. Overactive stress hormones keep survivors trapped in past threats, causing dissociation or explosive reactions to minor triggers.
Mindfulness helps trauma survivors observe bodily sensations without judgment, reducing hypervigilance and restoring emotional balance. Practices like meditation and breathwork calm the nervous system, improving resilience to stress.
Yes—childhood abuse or neglect disrupts brain development, increasing lifelong risks for addiction, depression, and chronic illness. Van der Kolk highlights how early trauma shapes attachment styles and self-perception, often requiring relational healing.
Some critics note its dense scientific content may overwhelm general readers. However, its holistic approach—prioritizing body-based over talk-only therapies—is widely praised as groundbreaking.
Born in Nazi-occupied Netherlands and abused as a child, van der Kolk’s personal trauma informed his decades of PTSD research. His work with Vietnam veterans and founding of the Trauma Center ground the book in clinical expertise.
- “Trauma is not just an event that took place in the past; it is a imprint left by that experience on mind, brain, and body.”
- “Being able to feel safe with other people is the single most important aspect of mental health.”
It uniquely integrates neuroscience, case studies, and somatic therapies, avoiding oversimplified solutions. Unlike purely psychological texts, it prioritizes body-awareness as the path to reclaiming agency after trauma.
Quick Summary Mode - Read or listen to The Body Keeps the Score Summary in 9 Minutes
Break down key ideas from The Body Keeps the Score into bite-sized takeaways to understand how innovative teams create, collaborate, and grow.
Flash Card Mode - Top 10 Insights from The Body Keeps the Score in a Nutshell
Distill The Body Keeps the Score into rapid-fire memory cues that highlight Pixar’s principles of candor, teamwork, and creative resilience.
Fun Mode - The Body Keeps the Score Lessons Told Through 23-Min Stories
Experience The Body Keeps the Score through vivid storytelling that turns Pixar’s innovation lessons into moments you’ll remember and apply.
Personalize Mode - Read or listen to The Body Keeps the Score Summary in 0 Minutes
Ask anything, pick the voice, and co-create insights that truly resonate with you.
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
12
117"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
12108"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
25417"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
964.5K"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
201
16"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
37483"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
12117"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
12108"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
25417"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
964.5K"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
20116"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
37483"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
12117"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
12108"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
25417"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
964.5K"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
20116"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
37483"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
See More Stories?
Get the The Body Keeps the Score summary as a free PDF or EPUB. Print it or read offline anytime.
