Hack Your Brain for Better Health
Are you an adult seeking body-based psychotherapy to improve your mental health, but turned off by outdated science, like the claims in The Body Keeps the Score? You’re not alone. As a licensed body-based psychotherapist, coach, and psychedelic guide in Tampa, I’m here to clarify a major misunderstanding in the somatic therapy world. I love the methods of body-based psychotherapy—they’re powerful and effective. My issue lies with the falsified science often used to explain them, popularized by The Body Keeps the Score. Let’s explore why the brain, not the body, keeps the score, and how modern science supports body-based therapy for lasting mental health transformation.
The Hype Around The Body Keeps the Score
When The Body Keeps the Score was published in 2014, it was a game-changer for body-based therapists like me. It brought scientific attention to the century-old practice of incorporating the body into psychotherapy, especially for trauma and PTSD. I was thrilled, pre-ordering the book and sharing it with colleagues, as it seemed to validate our methods in a world dominated by cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). By 2020, during the mental health struggles of the pandemic, the book skyrocketed in popularity, promising hope to those desperate for relief.
But then I read How Emotions Are Made (2017) by Lisa Feldman Barrett, and everything changed. This book revealed that much of the science in The Body Keeps the Score—the explanations for why body-based therapy works—was based on outdated or outright falsified ideas from the 1970s. It felt like a betrayal, as if a trusted partner had been misleading me all along.
My Stance: I Love the Methods, Not the Outdated Science
Let me be clear: I’m a staunch advocate for body-based psychotherapy. The methods, like those described in The Body Keeps the Score, are effective for addressing trauma, improving mental health, and building resilience. My problem is with the book’s scientific claims, which misrepresent how the brain and body work. These inaccuracies don’t diminish the value of somatic therapy—they just muddy the waters with bad science.
Debunking the Myths of The Body Keeps the Score
Here are some of the falsified scientific ideas popularized by the book:
- The Triune Brain Myth: The notion that our brain has separate “primitive,” “emotional,” and “rational” parts was debunked in the 1970s. The brain doesn’t work like that.
- The Amygdala as a “Fear Center”: Modern neuroscience shows the amygdala lights up with anything novel.
- The Limbic “System” for Emotions: The idea of a limbic SYSTEM housing emotions, which can be “hijacked,” is outdated. You have a limbic AREA in your brain, but there’s no such thing as a limbic SYSTEM.
- “The Body Keeps the Score”: The book’s central claim—that the body itself stores trauma—is scientifically incorrect. The brain generates patterns that the body reflects. The body is the scorecard, not the scorekeeper.
The Brain Keeps the Score—Here’s Why
The brain, not the body, is the scorekeeper. Its core task is allostasis—anticipating your body’s needs and preparing to satisfy those needs before they arise. This process, driven by interoception (how your brain senses your body’s internal signals), is like keeping score in a game. The body reflects these brain-generated patterns, visible in your physical tension, posture, or stress responses. Think of the body as the scorecard—a reflection of the brain’s past and present activity, not an independent storage unit for trauma.
The Body Keeps the Score misses this, relying on falsified ideas instead of 21st-century neuroscience like the Free Energy Principle (FEP), predictive processing, and active inference. These concepts, while complex, boil down to this: your brain runs a model of your body in the world, and successful therapy improves that model.
How Body-Based Psychotherapy Really Works
Body-based psychotherapy doesn’t work by “quieting the emotional brain” or “releasing stored trauma.” It works by helping you build a better model of your body in the world. This means:
- Developing New Perspectives: You gain new mental and physical “stances” toward life’s challenges, allowing you to respond differently to stress or triggers.
- Reframing Your Self-Concept: You form a healthier relationship with yourself and your past choices, fostering self-compassion and resilience.
- Practicing Through Movement: By moving your body in new ways—while recalling past experiences or preparing for future stressors—you rewire your brain’s model. This isn’t just mental rehearsal; it’s physical practice guided by a skilled therapist.
This process takes time and expertise. A therapist who understands both psychotherapy and body-based techniques can guide you to lasting change, not just temporary relief.
Why Choose Modern Body-Based Psychotherapy?
If you’re drawn to somatic therapy but skeptical of outdated claims, you’re in the right place. My approach embraces the power of body-based methods while grounding them in cutting-edge neuroscience. You’ll work with someone who respects the science of How Emotions Are Made and the reality of how your brain shapes your experience. Together, we’ll practice the “plays” that build a stronger, more adaptive model of yourself—on the field of life.
