Bessel van der Kolk (Dr.)

Faculty

About

Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., is a pioneering clinician, researcher, and teacher in posttraumatic stress, integrating developmental, neurobiological, and interpersonal aspects of trauma. His bestselling The Body Keeps the Score transformed how we understand trauma. With 150+ peer-reviewed articles, he has studied neuroimaging, memory, neurofeedback, Developmental Trauma, yoga, theater, and EMDR. He is founder of the Trauma Research Foundation, past President of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University, and PI of the MAPS MDMA-assisted psychotherapy study.

Courses by Bessel van der Kolk (Dr.)

Compassionate Grief Work: Innovative Techniques for Healing

A course on compassionate, innovative grief work. Tools including therapeutic letters, psychodrama, somatic focusing, breathwork, and ritual to navigate grief intertwined with trauma — and cultivate a new ongoing relationship with what's been lost.

Conversations on Trauma with Dr. Gabor Mate & Special Guests

A masterclass with Dr. Gabor Maté, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, and Dr. Peter Levine on the multifaceted nature of trauma and healing. Insights into trauma as embodied "stuckness" and the path to recovery.

Healing Childhood Trauma

A four-module course on somatic approaches to childhood trauma. Demonstrations of shape and countershape, psychodrama, and ideal figures — guiding the safe processing, release, and resourcing that support resilience.

Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate

Learn a holistic, body-centered framework for understanding and working with trauma — for yourself and your clients. A 3-month online certificate with world-renowned somatic trauma faculty.

Dates Sep 27 – Dec 18, 2026

Somatic EMDR Therapy Certificate

According to Bessel van der Kolk, somatics and EMDR are the two most effective trauma treatments — this 60-hour live online certificate brings them together, with Dr. van der Kolk, Dr. Arielle Schwartz, and Dr. Scott Lyons.

Somatic Psychedelic Facilitator Certificate

A pathway to becoming a seasoned somatic psychedelic facilitator. Combine the healing power of somatics with the profound insights of psychedelics and plant medicines to release trauma at its root and guide clients into the primal body, where true liberation lives.

Summit: Healing Trauma with EMDR and Applied Neuroscience

An 8.5-hour on-demand summit with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk and seven leading experts on integrating EMDR with somatic therapy. Body-based tools, applied neuroscience, and play to deepen trauma healing.

The Body Keeps the Score: The Science of Healing Trauma

A 4-part, 8-hour Master Workshop with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk on the neuroscience of trauma and healing. Evidence-based tools — EMDR, neurofeedback, mindfulness, and somatic practice — to rewire the brain and restore connection.

The Body Remembers: Somatic Pathways to Trauma Healing

A 4-hour expert series with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk on the somatic pathways of trauma healing. Explore EMDR, yoga, neurofeedback, and emerging psychedelic-assisted therapy through a body-based lens.

Trauma in the Body: Conversations on Somatic Transformation

A 4-hour expert series with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, Dr. Peter Levine, Dr. Gabor Maté, Dr. Diane Poole Heller, and Dr. Scott Lyons on the body's path through trauma. Somatic recovery, attachment, and the ethics of emerging therapies.

Working with Shame in the Body: Somatic Tools for Practitioners

A five-module course offering a somatic approach to shame and shadow work. Embodied tools for distinguishing healthy from toxic shame, reclaiming disowned parts of self, and guiding clients through real transformation.