One sentence summary
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma is a comprehensive book about healing trauma that delves into the mind and body’s response to trauma and how to heal.
Book genre
Mental Health, Psychology, Non-Fiction.
Main topic of the book
The main topic of The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma is how to heal trauma, focusing on how the body and mind respond to it and the various treatment methods available.
Key ideas
- Trauma affects different people in different ways: Each person comes to trauma with their own experiences and responds differently when faced with trauma.
- Trauma is stored in the body: Traumatic experiences can be stored in the body’s cells, leading to physical symptoms that the sufferer may be unaware of.
- Healing takes time and effort: Healing from trauma requires effort on the part of the person and those helping them and can take time to fully process.
- Community and relationships help healing: Being part of a community, such as faith-based groups or support groups, can help healing from trauma, as can meaningful and supportive relationships.
Main parts of the book and a short summary
The Body Keeps the Score is divided into three parts.
- Part 1 – Trauma: This part describes the various types of trauma, how they affect the body and mind, and the different treatment methods available.
- Part 2 – Treatment: In this part, van der Kolk looks at various treatments for trauma, from body therapies to psychotherapy and psychiatric therapies. He discusses how these treatments can help the person heal and why they may be necessary.
- Part 3 – Healing: The final part looks at how healing from trauma can take place with the help of community, relationships, and resilience.
Key takeaways
- Trauma is complex: Trauma is unique to the individual and can manifest in the body as physical symptoms.
- Healing is possible: With the right treatment and support, healing from trauma is possible.
- Community and relationships are essential: Finding support from therapy, family, friends, and a community can be beneficial to healing from trauma.
Author’s background and qualifications
Bessel van der Kolk M.D. is one of the world’s foremost authorities on trauma and the healing process. He is the co-director of the Trauma Center at the Justice Resource Institute in Boston, which provides services to people suffering from the effects of trauma. He has been a consultant to the WHO, NATO, and the US military, and is the author of numerous books and articles on trauma.
Target audience
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma is aimed at people who have experienced trauma, as well as students, health professionals, and researchers in the field of trauma.
Publisher and first publication date
The book was first published by Viking in 2014.