The Body Keeps the Score Audiobook By Bessel van der Kolk M.D. cover art

The Body Keeps the Score

Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

Preview

Get this deal Try for $0.00
Offer ends April 30, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Body Keeps the Score

By: Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
Narrated by: Sean Pratt
Get this deal Try for $0.00

$14.95/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends April 30, 2025 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $22.50

Buy for $22.50

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

Number one New York Times best seller

“Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding and treating traumatic stress and the scope of its impact on society.” (Alexander McFarlane, director of the Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies)

A pioneering researcher transforms our understanding of trauma and offers a bold new paradigm for healing in this New York Times best seller.

Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, has spent more than three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments - from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga - that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal - and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.

Cover image: © 2020 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Courtesy of the Archives Henri Matisse, All rights reserved.

©2014 Bessel van der Kolk (P)2021 Penguin Audio
Alternative & Complementary Medicine Mental Health Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Well-being Essentials Inspiring Thought-Provoking Human Brain Body Language Childhood Trauma Trauma Informed Mental Health Coaching Healing Emotional Trauma

Featured Article: Here to Help—The Best Therapy Audiobooks and Podcasts


Seeing and hearing other people—whether a stranger, a friend, or a celebrity—talk about their struggles with mental health helps make us feel less alone. And that sense of community often encourages those struggling to take steps towards treatment. There is nothing wrong with needing help and wanting to feel better—and some truly exceptional mental health audiobooks and podcasts are available to keep you company on that journey.

What listeners say about The Body Keeps the Score

Highly rated for:

Powerful Narratives Insightful Case Studies Validating Trauma Experiences Compassionate Trauma Exploration
Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10,828
  • 4 Stars
    1,018
  • 3 Stars
    258
  • 2 Stars
    82
  • 1 Stars
    94
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9,128
  • 4 Stars
    941
  • 3 Stars
    197
  • 2 Stars
    40
  • 1 Stars
    54
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9,012
  • 4 Stars
    891
  • 3 Stars
    217
  • 2 Stars
    60
  • 1 Stars
    89

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good book. Reader fine.

I appreciated the audio version of this influential book. The reader is excellent and I’ve heard him read other things very well. My only complaint was his pronouncing the DSM-V repeatedly as the letter “V”, rather than the Roman numeral 5, for Fifth edition. It’s a very well-known reference book for anyone in the counseling or psychology field, so the mistake was jarring each time. Other than that, excellent!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best book I have listened to in over a year!

Insightful, informative, inspirational, and should be required reading for anyone working in the mental health industry, education, social work, and possibly every line of work where one person interacts with another. unless you are a hermit that never interacts with other human beings, you will learn something useful from this book.

I wish I had come across this book when it first came out. I actually wish I could have been treated by the doctor when I was growing up. This book was very impactful and personal to me. I highly recommend it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Life changing, really

At age 52, this is the single most valuable resource I’ve encountered to help me understand my past and how it impacted my adulthood and choices. I feel like I can move forward better equipped.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Most important book I've ever read

A must read for all people. Will help you build empathy and understanding about what others may be going thru.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

everyone should read it

this is so important to our society and everyone should read it to be trauma aware

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow

I wanted to read this book to understand myself as well as people around me. This is fascinating as he gives case study examples as well as information about the human mind and how it deals with trauma.
We are fascinating and complicated creatures, I wish you all well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

SO HELPFUL!

I appreciate the tone of the writer. He is so smart, but makes sure to explain all the medical and psychological underpinnings before he starts a new subject. The narrator was fine too, I had to remind myself, he wasn't the author. I could listen, while doing chores, and stay focused to both tasks. This book has changed my life. The author shares from decades of experience and empirical research. A MUST READ if you want to heal from trauma, understand it more, or help someone. Many modern options for therapy & lesser valued ones were discussed. I feel like anyone who wants to heal from trauma could find at least one of these methods that would work for them. God bless you Mr. Van der Kolk!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I saw myself in this book.

The book spoke to me on a personal level. It described my trauma. The writer is sensitive to my feelings, he uses a soft language that made me feel that he puts me first- he knows how I feel. The most amazing part, he put words and meaning to what I used to confront my trauma and heal- he put a stamp of approval that I am in the right path. I now purchased the workbook. Thank you.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

transformatively insightful!

This book is brilliant at illuminating what's running the show for so many trauma survivors and why simple things can feel totally impossible, but then he gives hope that we really can access the next level of living with the right kind of healing. He is truly a gift to the suffering world.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A must for clinicians of any specialty.

Any book that causes you to dig deeper, be more compassionate, or considerate of your daily interactions with total strangers is well worth digesting and putting into practice.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful