Contributed by Bessel van der Kolk
What Defines Greatness for America
The Impact of New Policies on Social Wellness and Clinical ResearchBessel van der Kolk explores the impact of new policies on social wellness and the future of research in America. Read more
The Ever-Shifting Norms of Psychotherapy
Four Thought Leaders on Our Evolving FieldFour thought-leaders take stock of the shifting contours of our field. Read more
A renowned trauma expert tracks the historical contours of our culture's ambivalent relationship with trauma—and shares his hopes for the field. Read more
Bessel van der Kolk: 'There's More to Life than Trauma'
The Question You Should Be Asking In SessionFrom his Symposium workshop, Bessel van der Kolk singles out the one question therapists should be asking their traumatized clients. Read more
How Psychedelic Therapy Will Change Your Practice
Bessel van der Kolk & Monnica Williams on the Future of Trauma HealingBessel van der Kolk and Monnica Williams, two prominent trauma researchers, weigh in on what the field should be talking about now that psychedelic-assisted... Read more
Isolation and Self-Care
Singing from the BalconiesEven in a restrictive time like this, when so many of us are divorced from the ordinary structures of our lives, there are practical things we can do to... Read more
VIDEO: Bessel van der Kolk on Taking Care of Our Mental Health During Coronavirus
What the Research Says about Staying Connected in Times of CrisisHow do you find community in the midst of physical distancing? However you can. In this clip from the 2020 Networker Virtual Symposium, trauma expert Bessel... Read more
Learning to Bear the Unbearable
How MDMA WorksBessel van der Kolk assesses the importance and possible impact of the growing psychedelic-therapy movement. Read more
VIDEO: Learning to Let Go of Trauma
Bessel van der Kolk on the Power of Creating a NarrativeImagine the helplessness of being unable to distinguish painful past experiences from present ones. According to Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps... Read more
The Politics of Mental Health
The Story of the PTSD DiagnosisPioneering trauma specialist Bessel van der Kolk took aim not only at the politics within the therapy field that determine what diagnoses get into the DSM, but... Read more
Learning to Bear the Unbearable - September/October 2018
How MDMA WorksAs a researcher and outspoken advocate for therapeutic innovation, Bessel van der Kolk has been as influential as anyone in shaping the landscape of trauma... Read more
VIDEO: When is It Trauma? Bessel van der Kolk Explains
Is Your Client Traumatized? For the Answer, Look to the BodyOften we hear things from clients like “My relationship ending was so traumatic for me,” or “When my uncle passed away, I was totally traumatized.”... Read more
Then, Now & Tomorrow
Oral Histories of Psychotherapy 1978-2017A group of innovators and leaders look back over different realms of therapeutic practice and offer their view of the eureka moments, the mistakes and... Read more
VIDEO: Helping Clients Integrate Past and Present
Bessel van der Kolk on Integration and Healing in Trauma TreatmentImagine the helplessness of being unable to distinguish painful past experiences from present ones. According to Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps... Read more
Bessel van der Kolk
Bessel A. Van der Kolk, M.D., is a clinician, researcher and teacher in the area of post-traumatic stress. His work integrates developmental, neurobiological, psychodynamic and interpersonal aspects of the impact of trauma and its treatment. Dr. van der Kolk and his various collaborators have published extensively on the impact of trauma on development, such as dissociative problems, borderline personality and self-mutilation, cognitive development, memory, and the psychobiology of trauma. He has published over 150 peer reviewed scientific articles on such diverse topics as neuroimaging, self-injury, memory, neurofeedback, Developmental Trauma, yoga, theater and EMDR.
He is founder of the Trauma Center in Brookline, Massachusetts and president of the Trauma Research Foundation, which promotes clinical, scientific and educational projects. His 2014 #1 New York Times best seller, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Treatment of Trauma, transforms our understanding of traumatic stress, revealing how it literally rearranges the brain’s wiring – specifically areas dedicated to pleasure, engagement, control, and trust. He shows how these areas can be reactivated through innovative treatments including neurofeedback, somatically based therapies, EMDR, psychodrama, play, yoga, and other therapies.