Bessel van der Kolk (Leiden, 1943) is probably the most influential voice in contemporary trauma psychiatry. Director of the Trauma Research Foundation in Boston, and a professor at Boston University, he has dedicated over forty years to the neurobiological study of trauma and its treatment.
His book *The Body Keeps the Score* (2014) integrates research in neuroscience, psychopharmacology, somatic therapy, EMDR, yoga, neurofeedback, and relational approaches. Its central thesis: trauma is inscribed in the body and nervous system, and purely verbal approaches are rarely sufficient.
Although van der Kolk does not come from the systemic field, his work is an essential reference for understanding why physical movements in a Family Constellation—bowing, symbolically embracing, returning a burden—operate where words alone cannot reach. Constelando integrates his neurobiological framework alongside the systemic one.
Evidence and Contemporary Voices
Bessel van der Kolk is a professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine and director of the Trauma Center at the Justice Resource Institute. His research focuses on the neurobiological effects of trauma, demonstrating alterations in the HPA axis, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex through neuroimaging (van der Kolk, 2014). Longitudinal studies in Vietnam veterans and child abuse survivors confirm that chronic trauma induces somatic dissociation and persistent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with interventions like EMDR and yoga showing efficacy in RCTs (van der Kolk et al., 2007; van der Kolk et al., 2014). Collaborations with researchers like Ruth Lanius (Western University) have validated autonomic hyperarousal in PTSD using fMRI (Lanius et al., 2010). In transgenerational trauma, Yehuda et al. (2016) at Mount Sinai document epigenetic changes in children of Holocaust survivors, aligning with van der Kolk's neurobiological models without requiring unverified systemic mechanisms.
Verifiable Quotes
- "The body keeps the score, not just the mind." — Bessel A. van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma(2014, p. 97).
Researchers and Key Figures
- Bessel A. van der Kolk — Boston University School of Medicine — neurobiology of trauma and PTSD
- Rachel Yehuda — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai — epigenetics of transgenerational trauma
- Ruth A. Lanius — Western University — neuroimaging in traumatic dissociation
Auditable Sources
Additional research generated with consultation of academic sources (Perplexity Sonar Pro). Citations and URLs are the responsibility of their original source; verify before formally citing.
Bibliography
- The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der Kolk. Eleftheria, 2015.
These books are in the reference library that nourishes Constelando el Origen.
Site articles discussing this topic
Related terms
Transgenerational trauma
Pain or trauma unprocessed by one generation that is transmitted—psychically, somatically, and, according to recent evidence, epigenetically—to subsequent generations.
See entryInterrupted bonding
An early break in the bond between a child and their primary attachment figure—usually the mother—that leaves a profound systemic imprint.
See entrySystemic movement
An internal action or physical gesture that reorders the image of the system during the constellation and releases the blocked dynamic.
See entryA session that nameswhat hurts
If you recognize this dynamic in your own story, a Family Constellation can reveal where it comes from and what movement can bring order to it. Daniela respectfully accompanies each case.
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