09/08/2025
Oh Bessel Van Der Kolk! This story is just sad. Earlier, Gabor Mate did something similar. These so-called "trauma therapists" are creating trauma. Be careful of the rising antisemitism in health care. Jewish clients are seriously at risk in our communities in finding a good professional. Here's the story:
Students arrived at the Omega Institute, a spiritual retreat center in New York, expecting to learn about trauma and neuroscience from the renowned psychiatrist and trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk, author of “The Body Keeps the Score.” Instead, he veered into politics, comparing Israelis to N***s. When a Jewish woman in the audience spoke up, explaining how offensive his comments were to her as the descendant of Holocaust survivors, he doubled down, and his wife Licia Sky, who was leading the event with him, defended him. Multiple attendees walked out, and one woman screamed in pain. But the Omega Institute did something few universities have done: it immediately condemned van der Kolk’s remarks as antisemitic, apologized to attendees, and made it clear he will never teach at Omega again. Although he initially apologized, he has now retracted his apology and is threatening to sue the Omega Institute for libel if they don’t retract their condemnation of his antisemitic remarks. Leah Silver, LCSW
