Bessel van der Kolk (Dutch: [vɑn dɛr kɔlk]; born July 1943) is a Boston-based Dutch-American psychiatrist, author, researcher and educator. Since the 1970s his research has been in the area of post-traumatic stress. He is the author of four books, including The New York Times best seller The Body Keeps the Score, which was translated into 43 languages. Scientists have criticized the book for promoting pseudoscientific claims about trauma, memory, the brain, and development. Van der Kolk served as president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and is a former co-director of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.
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