Bessel van der Kolk
Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD, is a pioneer clinician, researcher and teacher in the area of posttraumatic stress. His work uniquely integrates developmental, neurobiological, psychodynamic, somatic and interpersonal aspects of the impact of trauma, and its treatment. His #1 New York Times Science 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 body work, psychodrama, mindfulness techniques, parts work, yoga, and neurofeedback.
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 also founder of the Trauma Research Foundation (formerly the Trauma Center, in Boston, MA), past president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and professor of psychiatry at Boston University Medical School. He regularly teaches at universities and hospitals around the world.
Learn more about this presenter’s work:
Upcoming Programs
Bessel van der Kolk: Overcome Trauma With Yoga
Resources
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How Yoga Helps Heal Trauma: A Q&A with Bessel van der Kolk
Trauma, says Bessel van der Kolk, is the residue from the past as it settles into your body. So it needs to be healed through the body as well.
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Yoga and Trauma: Reclaiming the Body
Yoga can offer tools to come back into the body, empowering students to begin reclaiming their inner experience.
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Kripalu Perspectives: Overcoming Trauma with Bessel van der Kolk
Clinical psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk defines trauma and discusses how yoga and other mindfulness practices can foster compassionate self-observation in those healing from trauma.
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Overcoming Trauma Through the Wisdom of the Body
I came out of the bank holding onto the strap of my red leather bag. I hadn’t walked more than 30 feet when I heard footsteps running toward me from behind.
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The Cutting Edge of Trauma Treatment: Healing Through the Body
The muscles elongate. The heart opens. The breath deepens. A yoga practice can help us feel more vibrant, agile, and connected.
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