The Body Keeps the Score

I think that Dr. Judith Herman's quote on the front of the book is an excellent summary, and she's a giant in the field of trauma as well: “A masterpiece that combines the boundless curiosity of the scientist, the erudition of the scholar, and the passion of the truth teller.” Van Der Kolk has many strengths as a clinician and writer, including humility, a willingness to look for and test alternative hypotheses, and a refusal to put any tribal allegiance to a particular treatment above “do what works for the patient.” This book would be interesting for the non-clinician, I think, but is a must-read for any clinician who does work with trauma. For people who are far enough in their trauma recoveries to tolerate reading about those of others, this book can also be healing for them (I have several patients who have found it very helpful). The bad news is that many people are traumatized. The good news is that there is an increasingly integrative body of knowledge on how to holistically treat them.