Episode 91: Bessel van der Kolk

His book about healing trauma, The Body Keeps the Score, has been on the paperback bestseller list for more than 4 years. So why are people so interested in trauma, terrible events that sear themselves into our minds and won’t let go? Psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk says these experiences, from emotional abuse to sexual assault, become embedded in parts of our brain that we’re not consciously aware of. Van der Kolk has spent decades working on ways to free people from the traumatic events that have shaped their lives. We talk about ghosts past and present, psychedelic drugs and what we have to do to feel comfortable in our bodies on this episode of “Now What?”