Book · 2014 · Psychology
The Body Keeps the Score
Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
#18 of 16,916 books, ranked by how many different people bring it up on podcasts
- episodes
- 71
- podcasts
- 19
- people
- 42
- episodes recommend it
- 28
The book 'The Body Keeps the Score' reminds us that no matter what's happening intellectually, all the work I’ve done in therapy for 23 years has to land in the body.
What they say about it
- Catchy and impactful title“best title of any book”3

- Trauma stored in the body“how trauma is stored in our bodies”3
- Bestselling book on trauma“perennial bestseller in the new york times”2
The best things said about it
But I find that there's a limit to where talking therapy can go, and that is trauma that's stored in the body, which you're not even consciously aware of. Have you heard of that book, The Body Keeps the Score?
I started reading a book, it's a famous one called The Body Keeps the Score, and it's basically the premise is about how trauma is stored in our bodies.
I mean uh i don't know if you know the name bessel van der kolk he's a psychiatrist this is in the perennial bestseller in the new york times called the body keeps the score which is about trauma.
There's this amazing book called The Body Keeps the Score, which is about, it's a medical book, but it's about the ways in which traumas of varying levels of intensity manifest in the body.
The body keeps the score. Yeah. Which is like the densest, most [ __ ] up book you could ever read. It's about like generational trauma, but you call it The Body Keeps the Score, and you're like, That's a secret. I need to know that.
Ryan Holiday The Daily Stoic · Oct 2025 Many people have perhaps heard of the book the body keeps the score which is a very successful and popular book about the idea that trauma can be quote unquote stored in the body.
Andrew Huberman Huberman Lab · Jun 2023 Where and when it comes up
How it comes up
42 people who brought it up
- Dr John Delony8 episodes · recommended in 7
- Gabor Mate3 episodes · recommended in 2
- Dr. Tara Swart3 episodes · recommended in 1
- Shaan Puri3 episodes · recommended in 1
Chris Williamson2 episodes · recommended in 1
Ryan Holiday2 episodes · recommended in 1- Blair Socci1 episode · recommended in 1
- Bridget Phetasy1 episode · recommended in 1
Dr. Mark Hyman1 episode · recommended in 1- Dr. Sanjay Gupta1 episode · recommended in 1
- Joe Navarro1 episode · recommended in 1
- John Deloney1 episode · recommended in 1
Why people recommend it
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk is a deep exploration of how trauma physically impacts the brain and body. On ChooseFI, a guest named Allison recommended the book for explaining the connection between mental stress and physical symptoms. Dr. John Delony frequently referenced Bessel van der Kolk's work on The Dr. John Delony Show, explaining how the human body stores trauma and why the mind sometimes blocks out painful memories. Dr. Sanjay Gupta discussed the book on The Mel Robbins Podcast in relation to past life events and the physical manifestations of trauma. Joe Navarro recommended it on The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett when discussing the physical toll of toxic relationships. Dr. Tara Swart and Kevin Smith both discussed the book on This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von while exploring how talking therapy has limits when dealing with deeply stored, unconscious somatic trauma.
Every mention
Dr John Delony it's a gift it's a talent and um as Vandercook says your body's keeping the score it knows and so this is n… 8
“like sometimes forgetting is like the body keeps the score Vander says”
“except like Vander Kulk says, the body's keeping the score.”
“The old adage that Bessel van der Kolk Bessel van der Kolk, sorry. Bessel van der Kolk coined The Body Keeps the Score is very true.”
“so there's a famous book U by Dr Bessel Vander you probably heard me say it on the show um I used to talk about all the time especially at the beginning of the show it's called the body keeps the score”
“the name of vand CK's book is the body keeps the score”
“it's a gift it's a talent and um as Vandercook says your body's keeping the score it knows and so this is not a not not a romantic case of wrong time”
“vanderkolk wrote the book and the title of the book is the body keeps the score”
“the body keeps the score by bessel vander kulk”
Gabor Mate i mean uh i don't know if you know the name bessel van der kolk he's a psychiatrist this is in the perennia… 3
“I quote this in the Myth of Normal, my friend and colleague and teacher, Bessel van der Kolk, psychiatrist who wrote the book The Body Keeps the Score.”
“My friend and colleague, and teacher, Bessel van der Kolk, a psychiatrist who wrote the book 'The Body Keeps the Score,' said to me once, 'Gabor, you don’t have to drag your hurts around with you all the time,' which means you don’t have to allow—not to forget about the hurts, but not to let that control your consciousness.”
“Read Bessel van der Kolk's book on trauma called The Body Keeps the Score.”
“i mean uh i don't know if you know the name bessel van der kolk he's a psychiatrist this is in the perennial bestseller in the new york times called the body keeps the score which is about trauma”
“i don't know if you know the name bessel van der kolk he's a psychiatrist this is in the perennial bestseller in the new york times called the body keeps the score which is about trauma”
Dr. Tara Swart But I find that there's a limit to where talking therapy can go, and that is trauma that's stored in the bo… 3
“And that's why um you know most people have heard of the book the body keeps a score which speaks about how trauma is held in the body.”
“So, the serotonin hypothesis is very exciting as a neuroscientist because a lot of people have heard of Bessel van der Kolk's work and the book The Body Keeps the Score. And it makes sense kind of intuitively that the body does keep the score and and like I've said there's no amount of trauma that you can't you can't”
“have you heard of that book the body keeps the score yeah so it was written in the' 70s but it's back in the bestseller list which is making me feel hopeful that more people are realizing that since the pandemic that we've got trauma stored”
“But I find that there's a limit to where talking therapy can go, and that is trauma that's stored in the body, which you're not even consciously aware of. Have you heard of that book, 'The Body Keeps the Score'? Yeah, it was written in the '70s, but it's back on the bestseller list, which gives me hope that more”
Shaan Puri the second thing is the body keeps the score it's a great book on dealing with trauma 3
“I've read The Body Keeps the Score and I like intuitively know that like trauma is a physical thing, but like to put it on a really practical level, you ever get like a slack or an email from a co-orker that says, 'Can we talk?'”
“and one of the things he always talks about is like the body keeps the score have you read that book”
“the second thing is the body keeps the score it's a great book on dealing with trauma”
Chris Williamson I think Bessel vul's really great book the title I think probably did a lot of disservice and Confused a lo… 2
“I think Bessel vul's really great book the title I think probably did a lot of disservice and Confused a lot of people who never read it and made assumptions about what was in the book”
“yeah when it comes to the body keeping the score what do you mean how does the body actually register this”
“you mentioned that you tried every modality that you put in the body keeps the score which is the one that you have found to be either most impactful”
Ryan Holiday have you read the book The Body keep score well I think you would like it but it's the idea that these thin… 2
“The body keeps the score. Yeah. Which is like the densest, most [ __ ] up book you could ever read. It's about like generational trauma, but you call it The Body Keeps the Score, and you're like, That's a secret. I need to know that.”
“Have you read the book 'The Body Keeps the Score'?”
“have you read the book The Body keep score well I think you would like it but it's the idea that these things happen to us we endure these things”
Blair Socci Um, but yeah, I started reading a book, it's a famous one called 'The Body Keeps the Score', and it's basic… 1
“but yeah i started reading a book it's a famous one called the body keeps score and it's basically the premise is about how trauma is stored in our bodies”
“Um, but yeah, I started reading a book, it's a famous one called 'The Body Keeps the Score', and it's basically the premise is about how trauma is stored in our bodies.”
Bridget Phetasy you know I hate I hate that the word triggered has been destroyed like it's been destroyed because it does… 1
“you know I hate I hate that the word triggered has been destroyed like it's been destroyed because it does when you have had trauma and there's a brilliant book the body keeps the score and he talks about how it lives in your body basically”
Dr. Mark Hyman and there's a book called the body keeps score and and Carolyn mace was a sort of a Mystic said you your bi… 1
“and there's a book called the body keeps score and and Carolyn mace was a sort of a Mystic said you your biography becomes your biology”
Dr. Sanjay Gupta If you talk to people like Bessel van der Kolk who wrote this great book called The Body Keeps the Score, I… 1
“If you talk to people like Bessel van der Kolk who wrote this great book called The Body Keeps the Score, I think what Bessel would suggest um is that there's something else that's probably happened in your life.”
Joe Navarro you know, there's a great book called the the the body keeps the score. The body will definitely keeps the… 1
“you know, there's a great book called the the the body keeps the score. The body will definitely keeps the score.”
John Deloney So here here the the title of the book says everything by Dr. Vanderolk. The body keeps the score and I'm w… 1
“So here here the the title of the book says everything by Dr. Vanderolk. The body keeps the score and I'm with you.”
Kevin Smith there's a book called The Body remembers which is about trauma and how the body stores trauma scientificall… 1
“there's a book called The Body remembers which is about trauma and how the body stores trauma scientifically proven body remembers trauma”
Naomi Wolf one really wonderful book is the body keeps score about trauma 1
“one really wonderful book is the body keeps score about trauma”
“One really wonderful book is The Body Keeps Score about trauma, right?”
Patrick O'Shaughnessy There's this amazing book called The Body Keeps the Score, which is about, it's a medical book, but it's ab… 1
“There's this amazing book called The Body Keeps the Score, which is about, it's a medical book, but it's about the ways in which traumas of varying levels of intensity manifest in the body.”
Paul Conti the book the body keeps the score by dr van der kolk is also a very very helpful resource 1
“the book the body keeps the score by dr van der kolk is also a very very helpful resource”
Rachel Zofness the other book is the body keeps the score Bessel vanderkle 1
“the other book is the body keeps the score Bessel vanderkle”
Tim Ferriss it was at that point after that that jack made a number of recommendations for resources that we'll talk ab… 1
“it was at that point after that that jack made a number of recommendations for resources that we'll talk about later but included books by peter levine like waking the tiger the body keeps the score by bessel van der kolk and a handful of other things”
“the body keeps the score and a lot of these relate to what peter might call somatic”
Trevor Noah I think I think they talk about something similar in the book of The Body Keeps the Score, but Yeah, great… 1
“I think I think they talk about something similar in the book of The Body Keeps the Score, but Yeah, great book.”
Yannis Pappas there's a book called um the body keeps the score by I think his name is Bessel 1
“there's a book called um the body keeps the score by I think his name is Bessel”
Steven Bartlett I read this book called The Body Holds the Score and I was actually speaking to one of my best friends yest… 9
“the body keeps the score this was a a pretty radical approach to thinking through trauma and it became a meme which is an interesting thing to see”
“I haven't read the book, but I loved the title of the book, The Body Holds the Score, and I watched a summary of that book, and one of the things it talks about in the book is the role of yoga as one of the things that really helps people with certain mental health predicaments.”
“you know the body keeps the score”
“yo there's this book called The Body holds the score but the title is just the thing that I I I've I've actually gained the most from it just says that when there's things going on in our psychology and our mind the body will show it”
“I read um read some books I think one of them was called the body holds the score which talks about mhm the role that acting can play as sort of a therapy”
“do you know the book The Body holds the score”
“I read this book called The Body holds the score then if you ever heard of it and one of the most fascinating things about it is it talks about how acting and moving the body in like yoga have been proven to be the best forms of um antidepressant like without you know taking ssris or anything they've been”
“I read this book called The Body Holds the Score and I was actually speaking to one of my best friends yesterday who was a extreme workaholic”
“on the surface i was kind of shrugging off and playing it cool but my body as the famous book goes held the score”
Brad Barrett and we're talking about about the body keeps the score and I have a longer quote here but I think it's a go… 3
“and we're talking about about the body keeps the score and I have a longer quote here but I think it's a good one he said”
“and I think about a famous book that came out a couple years back the body keeps the score”
“And I think about a famous book that came out a couple of years back: The Body Keeps the Score.”
“I suspect there's a book called the body keeps the score which is yes similar I don't know if that that's in your book as well”
Russell Kennedy So the short version is you had a trauma that's too much for you to bear as a child. It got pushed into you… 3
“So the short version is you had a trauma that's too much for you to bear as a child. It got pushed into your unconscious mind and because the body is a representation of the unconscious mind, the body keeps the score and that trauma gets stored in your body”
“and as Bessel Vandercook talks about on the body keeps the score the the mind is is represented by the body so if there's a representation of your body in your unconscious mind we can use that sensation in your body”
“Bessel Vandercook talks about that and the body keeps the score we're not teaching people how to get rid of their anxiety”
“you stuff it into the unconscious and the body keeps the score just like vessel vanicoke says”
Andrew Huberman many people have perhaps heard of the book the body keeps the score which is a very successful and popular… 2
“I think it that whole verbiage comes from this notion and the quite pioneering although I would say somewhat outof-date book the body keeps the score I think is it was an important book best title of any book you could imagine in the psychology space because it's so catchy am and I want to give proper respect to um”
“many people have perhaps heard of the book the body keeps the score which is a very successful and popular book about the idea that trauma can be quote unquote stored in the body”
“Many may have heard of the book 'The Body Keeps the Score,' which suggests that trauma can be stored in the body; however, it is important to clarify that traumas aren't actually stored in the body itself. What is stored are the activations of neural circuits that include both the brain and body, which center around a brain structure called”
Connor Beaton there's actually more information being sent from your body up into your brain than from your brain down in… 2
“there's actually more information being sent from your body up into your brain than from your brain down into your body which is the work of Bess Bessel vanderock from the body keeps the score”
“you know a lot of the research shows you know the book body keeps the score”
Caroline Burckle "The Body Keeps Score." Huge for me. 1
“"The Body Keeps Score." Huge for me.”
Coleman Ruiz when I read this word in his book body keeps the score Alexia if that's a real thing where you can't put la… 1
“when I read this word in his book body keeps the score Alexia if that's a real thing where you can't put language to you know what's going on”
“And back to Bessel van der Kolk, when I read this word in his book "The Body Keeps the Score," Alexia.”
David Perell You wrote an amazing one about the body keeps the score. That is so good. 1
“You wrote an amazing one about the body keeps the score. That is so good.”
Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett There’s a catchy book title, but with all due respect to, I think, the important work of Vander, that overs… 1
“your body doesn't keep the score you know yeah great book title because it's super catchy but with all due respect to I think the important work of Vander I think it oversimplified and led people to believe that their back pain was trauma and that all trauma is semat of size and it's not”
“There’s a catchy book title, but with all due respect to, I think, the important work of Vander, that oversimplification led folks to believe their back pain was trauma and not all trauma is somaticized.”
Jay Shetty I know we're both big fans of that book, The Body Keeps the Score. 1
“I know we're both big fans of that book, The Body Keeps the Score.”
Jessica Baum think the body keeps the score. That if you don't want to call it your inner child, we still need to start… 1
“think the body keeps the score. That if you don't want to call it your inner child, we still need to start to look at how memory systems work in your body and how that your memory system is constantly speaking to you.”
Joe Rogan There's a book called The Body Keeps the Score by— I think his name is Bessel! 1
“There's a book called The Body Keeps the Score by— I think his name is Bessel!”
Kelly Rowland there's this book that i still have to read called the the body keeps the score i believe yes 1
“there's this book that i still have to read called the the body keeps the score i believe yes”
Laverne Cox the biggest piece is slowing myself down to actually track what's going on in my body and we we all know th… 1
“the biggest piece is slowing myself down to actually track what's going on in my body and we we all know that book the body keeps the score and so no matter what is going on intellectually”
“The book 'The Body Keeps the Score' reminds us that no matter what's happening intellectually, all the work I’ve done in therapy for 23 years has to land in the body.”
Neal Brennan it's like this guy peter levine wrote a book called the body keeps the score which is like the body stores… 1
“it's like this guy peter levine wrote a book called the body keeps the score which is like the body stores trauma and then if you do traumatic release it'll like shake it out”
Nicole LePera The book The Body Keeps the Score was one of the first, right, offerings of this idea, this concept our bod… 1
“The book The Body Keeps the Score was one of the first, right, offerings of this idea, this concept our body is remembering.”
Pat Lencioni for even before i read the book i remember seeing the title of vander cook's the body keeps the score and t… 1
“for even before i read the book i remember seeing the title of vander cook's the body keeps the score and the the the title was convicting even before i read it”
Ruari Fairbairns Significant influences the programs in here or Besser Vanderok right uh the body keeps the score our relati… 1
“Significant influences the programs in here or Besser Vanderok right uh the body keeps the score our relationship with alcohol is intrinsically linked to the experiences we had as a child that's just a fact right now if we called this hey come and sort your trauma program.”
Scott Barry Kaufman Um this notion that trauma is stored in the body I don't think is scientifically accurate. You know, the bo… 1
“Um this notion that trauma is stored in the body I don't think is scientifically accurate. You know, the body keeps the score is like the number one. It's been on the New York Times bestseller list.”
“The body keeps the score is like the number one. It's been on the New York Times bestseller list. It's created a whole cold falling and has so much popularity.”
Steve Levitt I'm sure you're familiar with the book the body keeps the score by Bessel vender i'm probably misinterpreti… 1
“I'm sure you're familiar with the book the body keeps the score by Bessel vender i'm probably misinterpreting his argument for certain I'm radically simplifying it”
Steven Kotler And it is a direct rebuttal against Vanderbilt, who I think is totally wrong. And I think that book is very… 1
“And it is a direct rebuttal against Vanderbilt, who I think is totally wrong. And I think that book is very problematic.”
Wright Thompson And you know, the the idea that you know, there's that book The Body Remembers the Score. The ground rememb… 1
“And you know, the the idea that you know, there's that book The Body Remembers the Score. The ground remembers the score, too.”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker1
“There's a book that I've read since I had my seizure, which is called The Body Keeps Score by Bessel van der Kolk. While I haven't had trauma in my life, which is a focus of most of that book, there are parts of that book that I really identify.”
Often mentioned with
Other mentions (8: passing, ad reads, own books)
“Just like she said, the body keeps a score. My first FMLA leave, I mentioned I had a concussion.”
“The body keeps the score.”
“- So now, of course, I still invest a lot in my health. I'm not arguing with the three key things, but I found an interesting experience in life. The body keeps the score.”
“And oh this body it stays keeping the score.”
“it is interesting indeed that it's so obvious and I actually have gotten you know my bookstore sold five million copies I've hardly had any blowback of people say that I'm getting it wrong”
“so the body keeps the score right yeah”
“And then, during COVID, I read The Body Keeps the Score. And I had struggled with some things for my entire life in terms of anxiety and just getting stuck in kind of ruts of feeling.”
“I also have to say that it's a toss up between your book Never Split the Difference, and The Body Keeps the Score for the award for best titles of any book.”

