The trauma world was split. Many colleagues and former patients defended him passionately, arguing that his intensity was part of his genius and that the accusations were a pretext for a long-simmering institutional rebellion against his dominance. Others saw the dismissal as a necessary reckoning, arguing that a man who preached the importance of safety and relational attunement was failing to provide it to his own staff.
More controversially, van der Kolk focused on the , a region that monitors the body’s internal state (interoception). He argued that trauma fundamentally alters the relationship between the mind and the body. Survivors often feel disembodied, numb, or disconnected from their physical sensations. They might be unable to feel comfort, or they might experience ordinary touch as a threat. bessel van der kolk
The official reasons were allegations of bullying, verbal abuse, and creating a hostile work environment for junior staff and trainees. Specific accusations included yelling at employees, disparaging other clinical approaches, and fostering a cult of personality around his own methods. Van der Kolk admitted to being "impatient and demanding" but denied the most serious charges, framing the conflict as a clash between his unconventional, disruptive style and bureaucratic managerialism. The trauma world was split