Healing Trauma, Brain, and Body with Bessel van der Kolk
- Yasmin Maghsoudloo
- Sep 8, 2025
- 2 min read
Table Of Contents
Trauma doesn’t just live in memories—it leaves lasting imprints on the brain and body. Few experts have brought this truth to light as powerfully as Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, psychiatrist and author of the bestselling book The Body Keeps the Score. His research has transformed the way we understand trauma and recovery, showing that true healing requires more than just talking—it requires engaging the whole self.
So how does trauma affect the brain and body, and what does Dr. van der Kolk’s work teach us about healing? Let’s explore.
How Trauma Affects the Brain
According to Bessel van der Kolk, trauma rewires the brain’s survival systems. When someone experiences trauma, especially chronic or early-life trauma, the brain adapts to stay on high alert.
Key brain areas affected include:
Amygdala: Becomes hyperactive, leading to fear, anxiety, and emotional reactivity.
Prefrontal cortex: Weakens, reducing the ability to regulate emotions and make clear decisions.
Hippocampus: Shrinks, disrupting memory and the ability to distinguish past from present threats.
These changes explain why trauma survivors may feel stuck in survival mode, experiencing flashbacks, hypervigilance, or emotional numbness.
How Trauma Manifests in the Body
Dr. van der Kolk’s central insight—“the body keeps the score”—explains how trauma lives in the nervous system and muscles, not just the mind. Survivors may experience:
Chronic pain or tension
Gastrointestinal problems
Sleep disturbances
Somatic symptoms (physical issues without clear medical cause)
This body-based memory means that healing trauma requires reconnecting with the body, not avoiding it.
Pathways to Healing: Insights from Bessel van der Kolk
Dr. van der Kolk emphasizes that traditional talk therapy alone may not fully resolve trauma. Instead, healing often requires bottom-up approaches that integrate the body, emotions, and brain.
Evidence-based strategies include:
Somatic therapies – practices like yoga, dance, or breathwork that reconnect body and mind.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) – a therapy that helps reprocess traumatic memories safely.
Neurofeedback – training the brain to regulate itself through real-time monitoring.
Mindfulness and meditation – calming the nervous system and building present-moment awareness.
Safe relationships and community – healing happens in connection, not isolation.
By combining these methods, trauma survivors can gradually retrain the brain and release trauma stored in the body.
Why This Matters for Recovery
For individuals dealing with addiction, PTSD, or complex trauma, understanding the trauma-body connection is crucial. Many turn to substances as a way to numb or escape overwhelming sensations. By addressing trauma at the root, people can break free from cycles of self-medication and find healthier ways to regulate emotions.
Bessel van der Kolk’s work reminds us that healing is possible—but it requires compassion, patience, and whole-body approaches.
Final Thoughts
Bessel van der Kolk’s pioneering research reveals a simple truth: trauma is not just a story from the past, but an experience written into the brain and body. Healing begins when we learn to reconnect, regulate, and reclaim our sense of safety.
Whether through therapy, mindfulness, or body-based practices, survivors can move from surviving to thriving. The journey may be long, but with the right support, the body and brain can heal.
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