J.S. Lee's Reviews > The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

Thank you for sharing. This review was definitely helpful. This is generally my issue with a lot of these well-renowned books on trauma.

100% this. I kept pushing and pushing, thinking that maybe if I just made it far enough, he’d reveal the best form of therapy for those that endured childhood and/or sexual abuse. He might make it there, but I couldn’t hold on through the descriptors. I was reading to look for ways to process my own experiences and wound up regressing.

Check his Wikipedia page. It seems that the organisation he worked for may have actually abused the #metoo movement to cloak their own actions. The fact that all their senior staff resigned and that the case was settled in his favour after which the center closed down does seem to lend this credibility. He then used that money to start his own nonprofit.

That said, it is perfectly fine to still not like the book, I can understand how it can be triggering, and he did come across a little arrogant in the sample I read. It is also very much possible for a person to both be an asshole and have horrible workplace conduct, and yet contribute a lot to a field in which no work had been done yet. People aren't all good or all bad, and they can certainly seem to contradict themselves.

Disturbing. Disturbing as so much of male violence leads to trauma in the first place.

yeah I tried to read this and, not only were the Vietnam vet chapters kind of boring, but the book doesn't really raise the question of why should the reader keep caring about this patient after hearing what horrible stuff he did

I was feeling the same way. Thank you for validating.

Not sure how far you got or if you are just referencing the particular stories of the veterans who happened to be processing guilt over their actions. But if you finish the book, he does bring in case stories of women with domestic abuse and sexual trauma, of which he was compassionate and remorseful in.

As someone with the perspective of experiencing similar traumas and also as one with a counseling background etc., I did not find him to be dehumanizing.
Also, you can only infer so much in writing, men and women do have different writing styles in how their voice is perceived especially in an academic leaning genre, and when presenting real life case sessions for a study, like this book, you have to present it in a sense without bias or certain emotions attached.
For instance, the rape victims of those vets mattered, but the subject matter was the trauma of the vet and the destruction it caused him to do, not the trauma of his victims. It would be impossible for him to present their cases when he wasn't their doctor and they weren't the point of relevance.

I felt the same way while reading this! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, because I honestly feel uncomfortable with the amount of praise this book gets online

Omg yes! Picked up this book twice and still couldn’t get through to completing it because of how triggering it is. On top of that the author sounded arrogant and it made me question his motives

I tried several times, I was expecting more in depth information about psychs, counsellors, SW’s, who deal with the trauma and their patients. I was expecting more in regards how they rewired traumatised individuals but alas I was disappointed. If I want to read about neuroplasticity, I’m better off reading Norman Doidge.

TBH, this book reads more like a rag mag than something helpful.

I came to the reviews looking for someone talking about this too because this was horribly triggering to me. I can't help but feel he*should* "suffer" or be in prison for what he did. He murdered children and raped. I cannot get that out of my head. And it's pissing me off that it was included in a book that trauma survivors are reading.

Thank you for your review - I have finished maybe about a tenth of the book, and I already feel the same about it. This is a prime example of a book that requires being co-written. The "objective doctor" can do more harm if the approach to their practice and patients is standoff-ish and voyeuristic.

Oh I was comng here to say this. I feel as if a book from a woman's perspective might serve me better. This one just made me feel subhuman,

Ick. Triggering for sure. Seems more geared toward professionals in the field as opposed to a guide for victims.

Thank you for bringing this to light !

If you are seeking books on trauma, please read reviews on if the content will be triggering before reading. It is a heavy and very serious issue, as I’m sure you’re aware. I do commend you for trying to get the help you deserve.

This is a helpful book, but is incredibly scientific in nature and cannot thoroughly explain the theories and outcomes without delving into personal stories.

I can’t say I agree with the opinion of war soldiers vs. rape victims. The entire book is informative and very dry.

Everyone is different and reading is subjective, but I wish you the best in your search for peace.

I agree with Jackie. This is a very clinical book, and thus readers who are sensitive to "dry" or scientific narrative voices may feel uncomfortable reading it.

I would agree with your comment on rape victims v soldiers if I'd only read the first 10-15% of the book. This is the first book on trauma that I've read that makes me feel very seen, for all of my categorical identities and experiences. It is also the first, after a very long journey, with recommendations that have yielded practical results. Simply because the solutions aren't black and white - as traumatic journeys are unique, and therefore solutions must be too.

I've shared this book with my father, who is one of the bioethicists with UNESCO, and he shared that he is both disheartened, yet unsurprised that the author's decades of research is so rarely known + received so much pushback. It would (and likely will) turn the world of psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience upside down, and practitioners are reluctant to change. Our mental health systems are broken & ineffective, because of inaccurate or outdated philosophies. His findings are beyond necessary, however, because clearly the present mental health system is not working and most approaches are outdated and lacking critical missing pieces.

It's only a matter of time before our world has to accept his findings as the solutions.

I agree that it is a difficult read, and can be triggering. I cannot get through it without my dog beside me, light classical music playing in the background, and frequent breaks for tea. I sincerely hope that one (or a few) of his peers publishes books with similar content, since this is one of a kind and uncommonly known. Until then, I sincerely hope you find the answers you're searching for. Wishing you unconditional love & light♥️

I felt the same after partially reading this book, really good way of explaining it!

I had to take self-care breaks when I was reading this book. I found it helpful as it helped me get more of a clear picture of how my brain functions from growing up with childhood trauma. I think I wouldn’t recommend it as a self-help book, but rather recommend it to those who are in the helping field that have already done some healing work.

I'm about 60% through this and finding it quite a disappointing read, I recently read What Happened to You and in my opinion it has a far better study of all kinds of trauma, specifically childhood trauma and how it affects adulthood but still somehow feels more encompassing than this book. I find the author focusses on Veterans PTSD in The Body Keeps the Score quite a lot when maybe other forms of trauma work better for the examples? With the amount he speaks about Veterans and War related PTSD I think it really should be part of the title of the book, it is an almost primary focus of all the discussions. Glad others seem to feel similar, I'd been looking forward to this for so long but it's not turning out how I expected so far.

I agree!! I was like these stories are causing me to have a trauma response. Thanks for telling me in the first chapter what that would be like...before you traumatized me.

Thank you for this review! I kind of just assumed the author was a woman, so I wouldn't have expected that kind of triggering content and victim blaming at all. Back to the library it goes unread!

Thanks for the review. I’m so weary of the typical SIWMIC (standard issue white man in charge), that I now have decided I won’t read it. If he isn’t mindful enough to avoid stereotypical male behavior, I can’t trust him to read him.

He is arrogant and far more compassionate to the (male) vets than to women, in the talks I've seen on YouTube. Still, many chauvinist jerks describe reality, and have insights that can change science. Gabor Mate is MUCH better, in The Myth of Normal. We women can take what's useful and leave the rest. And write the truth ourselves. It is tedious to watch, even TV commercials which describe PTSD only for veterans. Two biggest populations with PTSD-- warriors and women.

Thanks for that review, will read with caution.

I was about to get this from the library when I read your review. I google him and you are correct. I now don't want to read his book.

Oh no :( I have learned so much from it I'm halfway through, do you know any better alternatives for people like us?

I'm sorry you had such a painful experience. When I was studying to be an art therapist, in one class I experienced being re-traumatized while doing a project that was supposed to be therapeutic. The instructor was young but seemed to have a high reputation, maybe because of a hospital she had worked at. Anyway, this unpleasant experience helped me to be more sensitive and careful in my profession. Any little thing could trigger someone. Thank you for sharing your experience and helping others by doing so.

Grateful I came across this review. Will give this book a miss.

Thank you for this review! I loved the first half of the book, but set it down after a particularly triggering passage. It never occurred to me to think that his treatment of the above-mentioned women was the reason it had been such a struggle for me to read, but it makes complete sense to me now.

I needed a book about how to heal from SA and came across this review. Thank you so much, i would’ve read it if you didn’t comment. 🧡

Wow! Thank you for sharing this honest review. As a trauma survivor I will not read it. Thank you so much for saving me the turmoil.

Thanks for the review. I really despise the fact that most of the world is highly compassionate for veterans but no so much for the rest of us.

Im so grateful for this review. My therapist told me to read it, event though she knows I’m a SA survivor.. That would have triggered me so bad

Now I am concerned to continue reading. I am also a survivor and have found certain parts of the book helpful in understanding what is happening inside my body. But I am only 16% into the book. Thank you for the review because now I am aware something may become too triggering and if I see it happening I’ll know to put the book down.

Can someone give a page or chapter update so I know what to avoid? Thanks :,(

I just removed this book from my list after learning the same thing. I found a short list of some recommendations:

The deepest well-Nadine Burke
True refuge- Tara Brach
Trauma and recovery- Judith Herman
The Wisdom of your body- Hillary McBride
The body never lies- Alice Miller
My grandmother’s hands- Resmaa Menakem

Thank you for the heads up. This is one of the many reasons I only go to women in health care and mental health spaces. Also, thank you to Kayla for better recommendations.

I think a lot of the problem is people are turning to this book as if it’s a self help book or something that will help them heal from recovery and it truly isn’t. As someone going into social work and therapy I find it extremely informative on trauma and how it affects someone …BUT I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who’s a survivor of trauma because it can be so so triggering. Or if they do want to read it from an educational standpoint, I advise they talk to their therapist first to see if they might be ready for it. I don’t even think this book was meant to gain the attention of those who have experienced trauma and want something to help them heal, but more for the professionals who work with those who have experienced trauma. However somehow it’s caught so many trauma survivors attention and they still try and use it as such.

You read a book about trauma and expect not to get triggered???? And upset that the author talks about trauma and shares some stories from his patients?? Why would you attempt to read this if you’re going to bash the author for talking about trauma. Part of healing is facing your triggers so that they stop triggering you. Of course, you didn’t finish the book so you wouldn’t know that. To your other point about women, he expressed extreme sympathy to every one of his trauma patients regardless of experience. Your looking for problems and you found them. Good luck with the healing.

@Gio shes not triggered about the trauma. Shes triggered from the discussion about how his patient killed children and then raped women and he wants us to feel sorry for the man. Thats the issue.
Plus the author just not a good person. If you google him he has a serious misogynistic lean to him.

Ive read a lot of books about trauma and this is the only one ive had a serious issue with. As a survivor of sexual violence, i dont want to sit and hear a guy defend someone who raped women because of trauma. I dont. Thats horrible.

If anyone here wants to read some good books. Read Why Does He Do That? By Lundy Barcroft and What Happened To You co wrote by Oprah both have been incredibly healing and you dont have to read about someone defending a rapist

Misogyny is everywhere. Not surprising it is in authors of mental health books. I wonder how knowledgeable one needs to be of mental health medicine to understand this book. Also are there other accounts of EMDR readily available? For some reason men just don’t or won’t get how scary and threatening they are.

Thank you. I won't read it then, it's more than a good reason not to.

Those who accuse Van der Kolk of being a “bad person” may want to reread the Wikipedia information about his being dismissed. From there I paste the following: “The executive team of the Trauma Center unanimously protested this termination, and all senior members of the Trauma Center resigned. Van der Kolk filed a lawsuit against the Justice Resource Institute for several counts of action including misrepresentation and defamation. The suit ended in a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). The suit was settled quickly out of court. In 2020, the Trauma Center at the Justice Resource Institute closed permanently.”

I am surviver of sexual assault and I will tell you this book is psycho education not a self help book. For me , learning about all the different types of therapy and reading that people who have experienced sexual trauma can in fact heal and get back to “normal”. Van der Kolk is an amazing researcher and psychiatrist but he is not magic and neither is this book. This book is an aide in the journey to recovery not the cure.

I had to start and stop this book 3 times. I get it. I’m very happy I finished it.

I think this is an incredibly triggering book for people who have experienced trauma, because so many traumatic and triggering experiences are described in detail. I think it’s completely understandable that you had to stop reading. I would not recommend it to anyone who is grappling with severe trauma, for that reason.

@Anna, that is an assumption based on nothing. That particular passage does not excuse or suggest pity for Tom. It's about cause and effect. It's about the anger after that traumatic event in the rice field and Tom's reaction to that anger. Bessel also describes that this reaction of revenge has been a common occurrence throughout history. The fact that this man killed children and raped a woman has nothing to do with Bessel's professional attitude as a doctor who investigates the trauma field. Knowledge comes from the many similar stories from different people. No matter how bad they are, it doesn't matter. And I don't mean that insensitively. Don’t read these kind of books if you want to cherry pick what you want to hear. It’s important to separate two things. We can still understand where his reaction came from (Trauma) but you don’t have to approve what Tom did.

Wow. I think there is a lot of projection there because I didn’t see that at all. Did you finish it?? Because I don’t know where at all you could find this in his book. Sorry you feel that way

What? He presented the case literally as matter of fact-ly as possible. You’re not supposed to feel “sorry” for him… this is research. This kind of misleading projection is genuinely harmful and borderline unethical. You’re preventing people from getting help because you’re triggered by a book about… trauma? Re-evaluate your entire existence.