Description
The Body Keeps the Score
Book Summary
This landmark work, translated into more than twenty languages and with over a million copies sold, has become an essential manual for understanding trauma and its profound effects on the body and mind. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world's leading authorities on post-traumatic stress, combines decades of clinical research, neuroscience, and real-life cases to explain why trauma is not just a psychological experience, but a physical imprint that shapes our lives. The book not only analyzes the problem, but also offers a comprehensive guide to the most innovative and effective paths to healing.
What is it about?
Dr. van der Kolk argues that trauma is not a memory that can be simply "forgotten" or overcome through sheer willpower. Traumatic experience reprograms the brain and nervous system, trapping the person in a state of constant alertness or emotional disconnection. Through a rigorous scientific foundation, the author debunks myths about trauma and explains how it affects key areas such as the ability to regulate emotions, attention, memory, and personal relationships.
The book presents an overview of the main therapies and approaches that have proven effective for recovery, from EMDR therapy and neurofeedback, to yoga, theater, and pharmacology. The work is a compendium of clinical wisdom that offers both professionals and survivors a roadmap to restoring control over their own body and mind.
Key Themes
- Neurobiology of trauma and its impact on the brain (prefrontal cortex, limbic system, and brainstem).
- Traumatic memory and how the body stores experiences the mind cannot process.
- The role of attachment and early relationships in vulnerability to trauma.
- Body-based healing methods: yoga, theater, neurofeedback, and EMDR.
- The connection between trauma and physical illness, addictions, and personality disorders.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is intended for mental health professionals (psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists) and other healthcare disciplines seeking a deep and updated understanding of trauma. It is also essential reading for survivors of traumatic experiences and their loved ones who wish to understand the origin of their suffering and find paths to recovery. Likewise, it is of great interest to anyone interested in neuroscience, clinical psychology, and personal development.
What this book offers
- A clear and accessible explanation of how trauma changes the chemistry and structure of the brain.
- A map of the most innovative and scientifically-based therapies for trauma healing.
- Real clinical cases that illustrate the recovery process and offer hope.
- Tools for the reader to identify how trauma may be affecting their present life.
- An integrative vision that connects science, psychology, and the human experience.
Technical Details
- Author: van der Kolk, Bessel
- Publisher: EDITORIAL ELEFTHERIA SL
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: PSYCHIATRY, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, SELF-HELP AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, MIND, BODY, AND SPIRIT
- Collection: PSYCHOTHERAPY PROTOCOLS
- Binding: Paperback
- Publication date: March 2020
- Number of pages: 520
- Weight: 1109 g
Editorial Review
This is an undisputed reference work in the field of trauma. Dr. van der Kolk achieves a masterful balance between scientific rigor, clinical depth, and accessible, human writing. It is not a typical self-help book, but a comprehensive treatise that invites reflection and offers transformative knowledge. Its global success is no accident: it provides the keys to understanding a complex phenomenon and, more importantly, to addressing it effectively. It is an essential read that will change the perspective of any professional or reader interested in the relationship between the mind, the body, and the human experience.