Bessel van der Kolk has conducted research in the area of post-traumatic stress since the 1970s. His work focuses on the interaction of attachment

Attachment theory

Attachment theory describes the dynamics of long-term relationships between humans. Its most important tenet is that an infant needs to develop a relationship with at least one primary caregiver for social and emotional development to occur normally. Attachment theory is an interdisciplinary study...

, neurobiology, and developmental aspects of trauma’s effects on people. He has written the definitive work in the field of psychological trauma

Psychological trauma

Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...

, demonstrating the diverse impact of trauma on a person. His other major publication, Traumatic Stress: The Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body, and Society, talks about how the role of trauma in psychiatric illness has changed over the past 20 years.

van der Kolk has published extensively on the effect trauma can have on development. He has found connections to dissociative

Dissociation

Dissociation is an altered state of consciousness characterized by partial or complete disruption of the normal integration of a person’s normal conscious or psychological functioning. Dissociation is most commonly experienced as a subjective perception of one's consciousness being detached from...

 problems, borderline personality disorder

Borderline personality disorder

Borderline personality disorder is a personality disorder described as a prolonged disturbance of personality function in a person , characterized by depth and variability of moods.The disorder typically involves unusual levels of instability in mood; black and white thinking, or splitting; the...

, self-mutilation, and a wide range of other issues.

He was a co-principal investigator in the PTSD field trials for the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is published by the American Psychiatric Association and provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders...

(DSM-IV).

He has served as president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies

International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies

International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, , was established on March 2, 1985 in Washington, D.C. for professionals to share information about the effects of trauma...

, medical director

Medical director

As laboratory director,means that you are responsible for the overall operation and administration of the laboratory, including the employment of competentqualified personnel. Even though you have the option to delegate some...

 of the Trauma Center at JRI

Trauma Center at JRI

mission is to provide hope and opportunity to children and adults whose physical, emotional or learning related disability requires innovative and specialized support and treatment...

 in Brookline

Brookline, Massachusetts

Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

, and professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine

Boston University School of Medicine

Boston University School of Medicine is one of the graduate schools of Boston University. Founded in 1848, the medical school holds the unique distinction as the first institution in the world to formally educate female physicians. Originally known as the New England Female Medical College, it was...

.

Currently, he is researching how trauma can affect memory. He is also working on brain imaging studies with PTSD patients. He is also researching how yoga

Yoga

Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...

 and neurofeedback

Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback , also called neurotherapy, neurobiofeedback or EEG biofeedback is a type of biofeedback that uses realtime displays of electroencephalography or functional magnetic resonance imaging to illustrate brain activity, often with a goal of controlling central nervous system activity...

can be used as alternative treatments for trauma.

Books

• Treating Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders: An Evidence-Based Guide
• Overcoming Trauma Through Yoga: Reclaiming Your Body
• Trauma and the Body: A Sensorimotor Approach to Psychotherapy
• van der Kolk BA, ed. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Psychological and Biological Sequelae. Washington DC :American Psychiatric Press, 1984.
• van der Kolk BA, Psychological Trauma. Washington DC, American Psychiatric Press, 1987.
• van der Kolk BA, McFarlane AC, Weisaeth L (editors): Traumatic Stress: the effects of overwhelming experience on mind, body and society. New York, Guilford Press, 1996

External links

• The Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute