The Body Keeps the Score
by Bessel van der Kolk
★ Top 10 book of 2014 · #9 on Best Books of 2014
A leading trauma expert draws on three decades with survivors and recent science to show how trauma reshapes body and brain. He examines treatments like neurofeedback, yoga and drama, and the power of relationships to heal.
Best for: Readers curious about how trauma affects the brain and what treatments can help recovery
The Body Keeps the Score is #9 on BookWard's Best Books of 2014, out of 66 2014 books that cleared our data bar.
What The Body Keeps the Score is about
Bessel van der Kolk draws on more than thirty years of work with trauma survivors to explain how traumatic stress affects both mind and body. His central argument is that trauma reshapes the body and brain, wearing down the ability to feel pleasure, stay engaged, control impulses and trust other people. He gives special weight to attachment and social surroundings, arguing that relationships can hurt but can also heal.
The book also surveys ways of recovering, including EMDR, yoga, neurofeedback, meditation, sports and drama. It has stayed a bestseller for many years and appears in 36 languages. It is also contested: critics say it misstates some conclusions, leans on outdated research, and may steer readers away from evidence-based treatments such as CBT. It will interest survivors, their families and anyone curious about trauma, ideally read alongside professional advice.
The Body Keeps the Score on the Best Books of 2014
The Body Keeps the Score came out in 2014. Of the 66 books first published in 2014 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #9 on our Best Books of 2014 list.
Why it made the list: 1,688 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.1 out of 5 (38 ratings); 67 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 2014 list
- Ugly Love Colleen Hoover, #7
- Milk and Honey Rupi Kaur, #8
- Ignite Me Tahereh Mafi, #10
- Solitaire Alice Oseman, #11
See all Best Books of 2014 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2013 Best Books of 2015.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 1,550 want to read it, 67 are reading it now and 70 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4.1 out of 5 from 38 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 92 | 55% |
| Reader love | 58 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 86 | 20% |
Questions about The Body Keeps the Score
When was The Body Keeps the Score published?
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk was first published in 2014.
Was The Body Keeps the Score one of the best books of 2014?
The Body Keeps the Score is #9 on BookWard's Best Books of 2014, out of 66 2014 books that cleared our data bar. 1,688 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.1 out of 5 (38 ratings); 67 are reading it right now.
Why is The Body Keeps the Score on the Best Books of 2014 list?
1,688 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.1 out of 5 (38 ratings); 67 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 2014
- To All the Boys I've Loved Before Jenny Han, #1
- The Long Haul Jeff Kinney, #2
- Surrounded by Idiots Thomas Erikson, #3
- Zero to One Peter A. Thiel, #4
- After (After Series, Book 1) Anna Todd, #5
- All the Light We Cannot See Anthony Doerr, #6
See the full Best Books of 2014, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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