Mental trauma exists everywhere in our society. Research by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that the most significant public health problem—more costly than cancer and heart disease—is mental trauma.

Traumatic experiences affect human biology and identity and have devastating social consequences, such as physical ailments, problems at school and work, substance addiction, and mental illnesses. The consequences are dire for sufferers, their families, and future generations.

Drawing from his thirty years of experience at the forefront of scientific research and clinical practice, Bessel van der Kolk demonstrates in "The Body Keeps the Score" that terror and isolation, the main consequences of mental trauma, literally reshape the brain and body.

The author, one of the world's leading experts on mental trauma, develops a bold therapeutic model that differs from conventional pharmaceutical and psychotherapeutic practices and explains a comprehensive approach that heals the mind, brain, and body. He examines innovative therapies—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, theater, and yoga—that open new pathways in the effort to recover from mental trauma, utilizing neuroplasticity, the brain's inherent adaptive capacity.

Through this book, readers will discover the greatness of human resilience. Bessel van der Kolk demonstrates the terrifying power of interpersonal relationships to cause both harm and healing—and offers everyone the hope of returning to life.