« Bessel van der Kolk is a giant. An essential pioneer in the understanding of trauma, whose work has transformed thousands of therapeutic journeys – including my own.
Like many, I first met him through his teachings, then through his book The Body Keeps the Score, which has become a companion for so many mental health professionals. And finally, I met him “in real life”, in Oxford, in 2023, during an evening event at the Museum of Natural History.
That evening, I told him about Quantum Way, including our publishing branch, and our work to make the most cutting-edge therapies accessible to French speakers. He replied, “If you invite me to Paris, I’ll be there.”
So we invited him. And he said yes.
Bessel’s teaching is unique: he explores, he questions, he rigorously supervises research, and above all, he conveys an essential conviction: trauma is not a life sentence, and the path to healing is through the body.
He defends evidence-based practices that are also profoundly human. He challenges dominant models, paves new ways, and restores hope to those who accompany trauma survivors on the healing path, as well as to those who walk it.
These are the two days we’re offering you: an exceptional encounter with Bessel, and with Licia Sky, his partner in work and life, whose presence embodies listening, bodily adjustment and human warmth.
And because we believe in the power of art for inner transformation, we’ll also be welcoming AjoiA, a musical project that heals, led by Andrew (Shovell) Lovell and Anthony Gorry.
I hope to see you there, and together, to make this a trauma-informed, kinder, more conscious, more connected world »
— Florence