6 Ways to Heal Trauma Without Medication
Bessel van der Kolk
Trauma researcher Bessel van der Kolk explains why the body keeps the score and how movement, breath, and connection can help us heal.
Why we picked this
The author of 'The Body Keeps the Score' distills decades of trauma research into six actionable approaches. Essential viewing.
Bessel van der Kolk spent decades researching how trauma lives in the body — not just the mind. His bestselling book “The Body Keeps the Score” changed how millions of people understand their own experience of stress, anxiety, and PTSD. This Big Think segment distills his core insight: traditional talk therapy alone often isn’t enough because trauma is stored physically.
His six approaches — including yoga, EMDR, neurofeedback, theater, and bodywork — aren’t presented as alternatives to professional care but as complementary tools that address what medication and conversation sometimes can’t reach. Van der Kolk is careful, evidence-based, and deeply compassionate.
At under 13 minutes, this is a powerful starting point for anyone interested in modern trauma research. It’s also a strong argument that healing is more diverse and creative than the medical model alone would suggest.