(PREVIEW) The Body Keeps the Score Book Club

·42 min·4 clips

The hosts argue behavior analysts should not treat trauma without additional training like counseling or social work.

This episode is a preview of ABA Inside Track's summer 2025 book club focused on 'The Body Keeps the Score' by Bessel van der Kolk. Hosts Robert Perry Cruz, Diana Perry Cruz, Jackie McDonald, and guest Guy Allen Haberman discuss their initial reactions to the book. They start with a roundtable where each shares general thoughts, with Alan cautioning that the book should be approached carefully by behavior analysts due to its alignment issues with the field. Jackie reveals she found the book highly anxiety-provoking and had to listen to it only during pleasant activities like walking her dog, suggesting trigger warnings. The hosts debate the role of behavior analysts in trauma treatment, emphasizing that without additional training in counseling or social work, they should not treat trauma directly but can work in teams. Diana notes the book did not inform her personally or professionally, as it lacked scientific depth on trauma's physiological impacts. The conversation shifts to the book's content, with examples like a weight loss vignette that behavior analysts might interpret through learning history. Criticisms include the book's broad, sometimes new-agey approach and its title misleading readers about focusing on the body. The hosts mention controversies, including the author being fired from his trauma center for alleged hostile work environment and a Mother Jones article questioning the scientific evidence cited. Despite this, they acknowledge the book has helped move trauma-informed practices forward in mental health fields. The episode concludes with a break before a deeper dive into the book's sections, and a promotion for the full discussion on Patreon.

As heard by us

A grounded book-club preview that tests a widely recommended trauma book against behavioral practice and professional limits.

ABA Inside Track looks at The Body Keeps the Score through a working question: why spend time on a trauma book that gets recommended often enough to merit a book-club conversation?

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Why you'd press play

You want a behavior-analytic reality check on a trauma book that gets recommended often.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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