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Bessel van der Kolk, author portrait
Photo:Cross Cultures TV·CC BY 3.0·
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Bessel van der Kolk

American
Born 1943
Bessel van der Kolk is a Boston-based Dutch-American psychiatrist, author, researcher and educator. Since the 1970s his research has been in the area of post-traumatic stress. He is the author of four books, including The New York Times best seller The Body Keeps the Score, which was translated into 43 languages. Scientists have criticized the book for promoting pseudoscientific claims about trauma, memory, the brain, and development.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed The Body Keeps the Score.
1
Books Reviewed

In Bessel van der Kolk's own words

Dr. Bessel van der Kolk presents at the Oslo Freedom Forum on how trauma reshapes the mind and body and how survivors can heal.

Uploaded by Oslo Freedom Forum, 2024 · Watch on YouTube ·

Brain scans show trauma deactivates frontal lobes

Kolk notes that in his pioneering neuroimaging studies, researchers discovered that individuals reliving trauma experience a deactivation of the frontal lobe, leaving them dumbfounded and unable to speak.

Trauma cannot be told as a story

Kolk explains that trauma cannot be easily communicated through speech because it is stored and experienced as overwhelming physical sensations in the gut and chest rather than as a verbal narrative.

Desmond Tutu's physical approach to healing

Kolk describes Archbishop Desmond Tutu as one of the finest trauma therapists he encountered during South Africa's Truth Commission, highlighting how singing and dancing fostered communal safety and averted predicted violence.

Yoga's efficacy compared to psychiatric medications

Kolk recalls conducting the first clinical study on yoga for PTSD despite ridicule from peers, discovering that yoga yielded better outcomes than conventional psychiatric medications.

MDMA trials foster vital self-compassion

Kolk shares his experience as a principal investigator on MDMA clinical trials, reporting that MDMA can dramatically aid recovery by soothing the nervous system and fostering self-compassion.

In order

Bessel van der Kolk books in order

2 books; 1 reviewed on LuvemBooks. Dates and covers from Amazon.

  1. Psychological Trauma cover
    1987
    Psychological Trauma
    Amazon ↗
  2. The Body Keeps the Score cover
    2014
    The Body Keeps the Score
    Our review →
Cover of The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

4.8/5

reader rating · 84,118 ratings

Bessel van der Kolk's The Body Keeps the Score is a widely-read popular science book on psychological trauma that has earned both broad acclaim and substantive scholarly criticism — essential reading for anyone seeking to understand trauma's reach, but one that deserves to be approached alongside current evidence-based literature.

Reviewed Feb 20, 2026

Ask LuvemBooks about Bessel van der Kolk

Bessel van der Kolk is a psychiatrist and trauma researcher whose work examines how traumatic experience is stored in the body and nervous system, not just in conscious memory. LuvemBooks has reviewed one of his books: The Body Keeps the Score, which draws on decades of clinical research to argue that effective trauma treatment must engage the body — through approaches like EMDR, yoga, and neurofeedback — rather than relying on talk therapy and medication alone. It carries an Amazon reader rating of 4.8 out of 5 from over 84,000 ratings, reflecting an unusually wide readership for a book rooted in clinical psychiatry.
Where should I start?
The Body Keeps the Score is the natural starting point — and, given LuvemBooks has reviewed one book by van der Kolk, it is also the only option currently in our catalogue. It works well as an entry point because van der Kolk builds his argument progressively, moving from neuroscience and clinical history into practical treatment approaches, making it accessible to readers with no prior background in psychiatry or psychology.
What's their writing style?
Van der Kolk writes as a clinician first — his prose is grounded in case histories and research findings rather than abstract theory, which gives his work a concrete, evidence-anchored feel. He tends to move between the personal stories of patients, his own professional journey, and the underlying neuroscience, using that structure to make complex material feel immediate and human. His tone is direct and at times forceful: he is willing to be openly critical of mainstream psychiatry's reliance on medication and conventional talk therapy.
Books we've reviewed
LuvemBooks has reviewed one book by Bessel van der Kolk: The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, a landmark work of trauma science that examines how traumatic experience reshapes the brain and body, and what kinds of treatment can help — rated 4.8 out of 5 by over 84,000 Amazon readers.
What genre do they write?
Van der Kolk writes in the Science and Nature category — specifically at the intersection of psychiatry, neuroscience, and psychology. His work is clinical non-fiction: research-driven but written for a general audience, with a strong emphasis on practical implications rather than purely academic analysis. Readers drawn to books about psychology, mental health, and human biology are the natural audience.
What should I read after The Body Keeps the Score?
If The Body Keeps the Score resonated with you, a logical next step is Peter Levine's Waking the Tiger or In an Unspoken Voice, which explore the somatic experiencing approach to trauma in greater depth. Gabor Maté's The Myth of Normal extends many of van der Kolk's themes into broader questions about how modern life and early adversity shape health. For a more neuroscience-focused follow-on, Daniel Siegel's The Developing Mind provides detailed grounding in the attachment and brain development concepts van der Kolk references.
Who is Bessel van der Kolk?

Who is Bessel van der Kolk?

Bessel van der Kolk is a Dutch-American psychiatrist based in Boston, widely regarded as one of the leading figures in trauma research and treatment. He is the founder of the Trauma Research Foundation and has spent over four decades studying how trauma affects the brain, mind, and body. He is best known for The Body Keeps the Score, which synthesises his clinical work and research into an accessible account of trauma and its treatment.
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

4.8

/ 5

Bessel van der Kolk's The Body Keeps the Score is a widely-read popular science book on psychological trauma that has earned both broad acclaim and substantive scholarly criticism — essential reading for anyone seeking to understand trauma's reach, but one that deserves to be approached alongside current evidence-based literature.

View on LuvemBooks →

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Authors Like Bessel van der Kolk
Matthew Walker

Matthew Walker

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Matthew Walker’s Why We Sleep expands on how invisible biological processes reshape the brain and body, offering a sleep-science lens on overnight processing, memory consolidation, and nightmares.
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Bill Bryson's The Body shares this curiosity about the brain and body, shifting from clinical case histories to a lighter, wry tone.
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The Body: A Guide for Occupants
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Mark Wolynn

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Mark Wolynn's It Didn't Start with You pairs neuroscience with inherited family trauma, focusing on how trauma lives in the body across generations.
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It Didn't Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are
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Lisa Barrett

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Lisa Barrett's How Emotions Are Made presents the science of emotion, complementing Bessel van der Kolk's focus on how emotions become physically embedded in the body.
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How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain―How We Create
Gabor Maté

Gabor Maté

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Gabor Maté's When the Body Says No explores a stress-disease argument that closely parallels Bessel van der Kolk's research on how trauma is physically stored in the body.
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When the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection
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Jimmy Moore

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Jimmy Moore is an American blogger and author best known for his "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog and podcast, and for his books on nutrition. He has appeared on television and radio programs promoting a high-fat, moderate diet lifestyle. He is also co-author of the *Complete Guide to Fasting*, covering intermittent and alternate-day fasting approaches.

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The Complete Guide to Fasting