The Body Keeps the Score

Why I'd hand it to you

Bessel van der Kolk, a psychiatrist who has spent decades working with trauma survivors, explains how trauma affects the brain and body, not just memory. He describes treatments beyond talk therapy, including EMDR, yoga, neurofeedback and theater programs, and many readers find words here for what they have lived through. It is heavy reading. There are detailed accounts of abuse and violence, and survivors should go at their own pace. In fairness, some researchers argue that parts of the book go beyond the evidence, especially on certain therapies. Read it as one experienced clinician's view, ideally alongside a good counselor.

— Matt Jordan