Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.

Bessel A. van der Kolk M.D. is Professor of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Medical Director, the Trauma Center, Boston, MA, Past President, the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies. He is the author of Psychological Trauma and an editor of Traumatic Stress: The Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body and Society. Dr. van der Kolk is one of the pioneers in traumatic stress studies. He was co-principal investigator of the DSM IV Field Trial for Traumatic Stress. He has written over a hundred scientific research articles on the topic and two leading textbooks. He has taught across the US, in Europe, China, Japan, Israel, South America and South Africa. His current research focuses on 1) Memory functions in a range of traumatized populations, including children exposed to violence, post-surgery patients, and torture victims; 2) The effects of theater groups and other action- oriented interventions on resolving traumatic stress in children and adolescents 3) Functional changes in brain activity, utilizing various neuroimaging techniques. 4) Treatment efficacy of EMDR vs. pharmacological agents, funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health.