The Body Keeps the Score | Bessel van der Kolk

Why it is included: This is the undisputed definitive text on trauma.

Van der Kolk uses decades of neuroscience to prove that trauma is not just a "bad memory" stored in the mind; it is a physiological rewiring stored in the brainstem, muscles, and gut.

You cannot "talk" your way out of it; you must move through it.

We include this because it validates the physical reality of our emotional history.

It explains why we get stuck in loops of reaction and rigidity.

By understanding that the body holds the score, we stop fighting our own symptoms and start using somatic tools (like yoga, theater, and movement) to release the stuck energy, clearing the path for genuine recovery.