Bessel van der Kolk#Writings and views

Van der Kolk was born in the Netherlands in July 1943. The Hague was occupied by the Nazis at the time and his father was sent to a workcamp. He was the middle child of five. His mother taught her children to play musical instruments. Bessel played piano and cello and was taught six languages.{{Cite web |last=Carr |first=Danielle |date=2023-07-31 |title=How Trauma Became America’s Favorite Diagnosis |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trauma-bessel-van-der-kolk-the-body-keeps-the-score-profile.html |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=New York Magazine |language=en}}

He studied a pre-medical curriculum with a political science major (B.A.) at the University of Hawaii in 1965. As an undergraduate, he was active in Students for a Democratic Society and was influenced by R. D. Laing and other thinkers in the anti-psychiatry movement. He gained his M.D. at the Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, in 1970, and completed his psychiatric residency at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Harvard Medical School, in 1974.{{cite web |title=Curriculum Vitae of Bessel van der Kolk M.D. |url=http://besselvanderkolk.net/curriculum-vitae-of-bessel-van-der-kolk-md.html |publisher=Bessel Van Der Kolk |access-date=May 16, 2019 |archive-date=July 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710123302/http://www.besselvanderkolk.net/curriculum-vitae-of-bessel-van-der-kolk-md.html |url-status=live }}

After his training, van der Kolk worked as a director of Boston State Hospital. He became a staff psychiatrist at the Boston Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic. Van der Kolk developed an interest in studying traumatic stress in 1978 while working with Vietnam war veterans suffering from PTSD and serving on the Harvard Medical School faculty. He was a member of the PTSD committee of the 1980 and 1994 editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and conducted the first studies on the use of fluoxetine and sertraline in the treatment of PTSD.

In 1982, van der Kolk started the Trauma Center in Brookline, Massachusetts while he was working as a junior faculty member at Harvard Medical School.{{cite news | access-date = August 20, 2022 | work = The Guardian | date = September 20, 2021 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/sep/20/trauma-trust-and-triumph-psychiatrist-bessel-van-der-kolk-on-how-to-recover-from-our-deepest-pain | title =Trauma, trust and triumph: psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk on how to recover from our deepest pain | first = Zoe | last = Williams | url-status = live | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210920053121/https://amp.theguardian.com/society/2021/sep/20/trauma-trust-and-triumph-psychiatrist-bessel-van-der-kolk-on-how-to-recover-from-our-deepest-pain | archive-date = September 20, 2021 }} Since then, he has conducted numerous training programs and clinical trials.{{cite web |access-date=June 23, 2019 |title=Training and Education Program |url=http://www.traumacenter.org/training/training_landing.html |website=Trauma Center |archive-date=September 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930141656/https://jri.org/ |url-status=live }} Van der Kolk has performed extensive studies on the nature of traumatic memory{{cite journal|last1=van der Kolk |first1=BA |last2=van der Hart |first2=O |date=1989 |title=Pierre Janet and the breakdown of adaptation in Psychological Trauma|journal=Am J Psychiatry |volume=146|pages=1330–1342}} and took a leading role in the first studies on the psychopharmacological treatments of PTSD.{{cite journal|last1=van der Kolk |first1=BA |last2=Dreyfuss |first2=D |last3=Berkowitz |first3=R |last4=Saxe |first4=G |last5=Shera |first5=D |last6=Michaels |first6=M |date=1994 |title=Fluoxetine in Post Traumatic Stress|journal=J Clin Psychiatry |pages=517–522}} He conducted some of the earliest studies on the biological substrates of PTSD{{cite journal|last1=van der Kolk |first1=BA |last2=Greenberg |first2=M |last3=Boyd |first3=H|last4=Krystal |first4=J |date=1985 |title=Inescapable shock, neurotransmitters, and addiction to trauma: toward a psychobiology of post traumatic stress|journal=Biol Psychiatry |volume=20|issue=3 |pages=314–325|doi=10.1016/0006-3223(85)90061-7 |pmid=2858226 |s2cid=34436511 }} and on stress-induced analgesia.{{cite journal|last1=van der Kolk |first1=BA |last2=Greenberg |first2=MS |last3=Orr |first3=S |last4=Pittman |first4=RK |date=1989 |title=Pain Perception and endogenous opioids in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder|journal=Psychopharm Bull |volume=25|pages=117–121}} Involved in the first neuroimaging studies of PTSD{{cite journal|last1=Rauch |first1=S |last2=van der Kolk |first2=BA |last3=Fisler |first3=R |last4=Alpert |first4=N |last5=Orr |first5=S |last6=Savage |first6=C |last7=Jenike |first7=M|last8=Pitman |first8=R |date=1996 |title=A symptom provocation study using Positron Emission Tomography and Script Driven Imagery|journal=Arch Gen Psychiatry |volume=53|issue=5 |pages=380–387|doi=10.1001/archpsyc.1996.01830050014003 |pmid=8624181 }} and dissociative identity disorder,{{cite journal|last1=Saxe |first1=GN |last2=Vasile |first2=RG |last3=Hill |first3=TC |last4=Bloomingdale |first4=K |last5=van der Kolk |first5=BA |date=1992 |title=Temporal lobe changes in Multiple Personality Disorders demonstrated by rCBF and SPECT imaging|journal=J Ment Nerv Dis|volume=180 |issue=10 |pages=662–663 |doi=10.1097/00005053-199210000-00009 |pmid=1402846 }} van der Kolk received the first grants from the National Institutes of Health to study EMDR{{cite journal|last1=Levin |first1=P |last2=Lazrove |first2=S|last3=van der Kolk |first3=BA |date=1999 |title=What psychological testing and neuroimaging tell us about the treatment of PTSD by EMDR|journal=J Anxiety Disord |volume=13|issue=1–2 |pages=159–172|doi=10.1016/S0887-6185(98)00045-0 |pmid=10225506 |doi-access=free }} and yoga.{{cite journal|last1=van der Kolk |first1=BA |last2=Stone |first2=L |last3=West |first3=J |last4=Rhodes |first4=A |last5=Emerson |first5=D|last6=Spinazzola |first6=J |date=2014 |title=Yoga as an adjunctive treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder: a randomized controlled trial|journal=J Clin Psychiatry |volume=75|issue=6|pages=559–565}}

In 1999, van der Kolk initiated the creation of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. By 2019, it had grown to a network of 150 sites specializing in treating traumatized children and their families around the US.{{cite web|access-date=June 23, 2019|title=Who We Are|url=https://www.nctsn.org/about-us/who-we-are.html|website=nctsn.org}}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} In that context he and his colleagues studied more than 20,000 traumatized children and adolescents to formulate Developmental Trauma Disorder, a new trauma disorder not yet been accepted within the DSM. He has systematically studied innovative treatments for traumatic stress in children and adults, such as trauma-sensitive yoga, theater, embodied therapies, neurofeedback, and psychedelic therapies.{{cite news|first1=Jeneen|last1=Interlandi|access-date=March 14, 2019|title=A Revolutionary Approach to Treating PTSD|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/25/magazine/a-revolutionary-approach-to-treating-ptsd.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 22, 2014|issn=0362-4331|via=NYTimes.com|archive-date=March 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328165809/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/25/magazine/a-revolutionary-approach-to-treating-ptsd.html|url-status=live}}

Van der Kolk was named in Time's 2024 list of influential people in health.{{Cite magazine |title=TIME100 Health |url=https://time.com/collection/time100-health/ |access-date=2024-09-23 |magazine=TIME |language=en}}

Van der Kolk has a particular interest in developmental psychopathology and the study of how trauma has a differential effect, depending on developmental stage and the security of the attachment system.{{cite journal|last1=van der Kolk |first1=BA |last2=Pelcovitz |first2=D |last3=Roth |first3=S |last4=Mandel |first4=F |last5=McFarlane |first5=AC|last6=Herman |first6=J |date=1996 |title=Dissociation, somatization and affect dysregulation: the complexity of adaptation to trauma|journal=Am J Psychiatry |volume=153|issue=7 Suppl |pages=83–93|doi=10.1176/ajp.153.7.83 |pmid=8659645 }}

Van der Kolk's book, The Body Keeps the Score, was published in 2014. It focuses on the central role of the attachment system and social environment to protect against developing trauma related disorders and explores a large variety of interventions to recover from the impact of traumatic experiences. Van der Kolk coined the term "Developmental Trauma Disorder" for the complex range of psychological and biological reactions to trauma over the course of human development, also known as complex post traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD).{{cite web | access-date = June 23, 2020 | title = What Developmental Trauma Disorder Looks Like in Kids | url = https://www.todaysparent.com/family/special-needs/how-developmental-trauma-disorder-affects-kids | work = Today's Parent | date = January 30, 2020 | first = Sarah | last = Treleaven | archive-date = June 22, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200622035737/https://www.todaysparent.com/family/special-needs/how-developmental-trauma-disorder-affects-kids/ | url-status = live }}

The book was well received. As of February 2025, The Body Keeps the Score had spent more than 328 weeks on The New York Times best seller list,{{Cite news |title=Best Sellers - Books - The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/ |access-date=2025-02-10 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=2015-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204203738/http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/overview.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Blum |first=Dani |date=September 19, 2022 |others=Videos by Sophie Park |title='One Foot in the Present, One Foot in the Past:' Understanding E.M.D.R. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/19/well/emdr-therapy.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408130145/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/19/well/emdr-therapy.html |archive-date=April 8, 2023 |access-date=April 9, 2023 |newspaper=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} and 212 weeks (over 4 years) in the United States on Amazon’s bestseller list.{{Cite web |date=February 2, 2025 |title=Most Sold Nonfiction | Amazon Charts |url=https://www.amazon.com/charts/2025-02-02/mostsold/nonfiction/ref=dp_chrtbg_dbs_1 |archive-url= |archive-date= |website=Amazon}} It has been translated into 43 languages.{{Cite web |title=The Body Keeps The Score |url=https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/resources/the-body-keeps-the-score |access-date=April 2, 2023 |website=Bessel van der Kolk, MD. |language=en}} However, scientists have criticized the book for promoting pseudoscientific claims.{{cite journal |last1=McNally |first1=Richard J |date=November 2005 |title=Debunking Myths about Trauma and Memory |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epdf/10.1177/070674370505001302 |journal=The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry |language=en |volume=50 |issue=13 |pages=817–822 |doi=10.1177/070674370505001302 |issn=0706-7437 |doi-access=free |archive-date=2025-02-11 |access-date=2025-01-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250211084724/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epdf/10.1177/070674370505001302 |url-status=live }}

Martin Kristen of The Washington Post criticized Van der Kolk for promoting "uncertain science", such as mirror neurons, the polyvagal theory, and the triune brain model. A 2023 editorial published in Research on Social Work Practice criticized the book for promoting treatments that have limited to no evidence. It states that van der Kolk and Levine "regularly ignore, misrepresent, and sometimes veer into or close to pseudoscience when it comes to the scientific knowledge base of PTSD treatment". Similarly, Peter Barglow, writing for the Skeptical Inquirer, criticized him for endorsing controversial treatments, including EMDR and emotional freedom technique.{{Cite web |last=Barglow |first=Peter |date=September–October 2024 |title=Trauma Here, Trauma There, Trauma, Trauma Everywhere! |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/2024/08/trauma-here-trauma-there-trauma-trauma-everywhere/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240823094113/https://skepticalinquirer.org/2024/08/trauma-here-trauma-there-trauma-trauma-everywhere/ |archive-date=2024-08-23 |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=Skeptical Inquirer |language=en-US}}

In his 2005 Canadian Journal of Psychiatry article psychologist Richard McNally described the reasoning of Kolk's 1994 article "The Body Keeps the Score" as "mistaken", and his theory as "plague[d]" by "[c]onceptual and empirical problems." McNally describes "recovered memory therapy," inspired by Kolk's approach, as "arguably the most serious catastrophe to strike the mental health field since the lobotomy era". McNally's 2003 book Remembering Trauma gave a detailed critique (pp. 177-82) of Kolk's article, concluding Kolk's theory was one "in search of a phenomenon".{{cite book |last1=McNally |first1=Richard J. |title=Remembering trauma |date=2003 |publisher=Harvard University Press |location=Cambridge, MA |isbn=9780674010826}}

In a 2024 Mother Jones article, author and journalist Emi Nietfeld criticized the book, claiming the book "stigmatizes survivors, blames victims, and depoliticizes violence."{{Cite web |last=Nietfeld |first=Emi |title=What the most famous book about trauma gets wrong |url=https://www.motherjones.com/media/2024/12/trauma-body-keeps-the-score-van-der-kolk-psychology-therapy-ptsd/ |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=Mother Jones |language=en-US}} She reached out to multiple researchers of the original research the book cites for comments, and reported multiple researchers said The Body Keeps the Score distorted their research. The evidence the book presents regarding how trauma is "remembered" by the body is also weak. She also illustrates the book lacks considerations for broader social and political factors of violence and trauma.

As of 2024, van der Kolk was married to his second wife, living in rural Massachusetts and still seeing patients.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/9ab76454-f2d5-44b7-9a7a-0b342cd4ae93|title=Psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk: 'When trauma becomes your identity, that's a dangerous thing'|website=www.ft.com|date=28 June 2024 |access-date=2024-06-29|archive-date=2024-06-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240629140125/https://www.ft.com/content/9ab76454-f2d5-44b7-9a7a-0b342cd4ae93|url-status=live |last1=Ross |first1=India }}

• Van der Kolk, B. A., ed. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Psychological and Biological Sequelae. Washington DC: American Psychiatric, 1984. {{ISBN|978-0880480536}}
• Van der Kolk, B. A., Psychological Trauma. Washington DC: American Psychiatric, 1987. {{ISBN|978-1585621620}}
• Van der Kolk, B. A., McFarlane, Alexander C., Weisæth, L. (eds). Traumatic Stress: The Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body and Society. New York: Guilford, 1996. {{ISBN| 978-1572304574}}
• Van der Kolk, B. A. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking, 2014. {{ISBN|9780670785933}}.

{{reflist|22em}}

• Carr, Danielle. [https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trauma-bessel-van-der-kolk-the-body-keeps-the-score-profile.html "Tell Me Why It Hurts: How Bessel van der Kolk’s once controversial theory of trauma became the dominant way we make sense of our lives"]. New York Magazine, July 31, 2023.

{{Wikiquote}}

• {{Official website|www.besselvanderkolk.com}}
• [http://traumaresearchfoundation.org Trauma Research Foundation]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolk, Bessel van der}}

Category:1943 births

Category:Living people

Category:Boston University faculty

Category:Dutch psychotherapists

Kolk, Bessel van der

Category:Members of Students for a Democratic Society