His work has fundamentally changed clinical practice. It is now common for trauma therapists to ask, "What do you notice in your body right now?" alongside "What are you thinking?" Somatic experiencing, sensorimotor psychotherapy, and other body-focused modalities have moved from the fringe to the mainstream.
Van der Kolk shifted the paradigm from "What is wrong with you?" to "What happened to you?" He utilized brain imaging technology to show that trauma leaves visible, physical scars on the brain. He proved that the bodies of trauma survivors are literally different; they are rewired to detect threats that aren't there, keeping them trapped in a chronic state of alertness or dissociation. bessel van der kolk
Van der Kolk’s name is now synonymous with a paradigm shift. His 2014 magnum opus, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma , spent over 150 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, a nearly unprecedented feat for a dense, academic work on psychiatry. It became a touchstone for therapists, social workers, veterans, survivors of abuse, and anyone who has ever felt that their past was holding their present hostage. But to understand the phenomenon of van der Kolk, one must understand the journey that led him to write that book—a journey marked by brilliant insight, bitter institutional battles, and a willingness to embrace the unorthodox. His work has fundamentally changed clinical practice
This observation led van der Kolk to a crucial epiphany: He proved that the bodies of trauma survivors