Tag Archives: PTSD
Are Flashbacks a Dissociative Symptom?
Dissociation is generally considered to be a defense mechanism because it distances us from painful or unacceptable realities (e.g., depersonalization, derealization) or it makes a painful reality disappear entirely (i.e., dissociative amnesia). Today’s thought question is: “Are flashbacks dissociative?” Do … Continue reading
Persisting Peritraumatic Dissociation Is Different From Evolution-Prepared Dissociation
Evolution-prepared dissociation provides a hyper-clear picture of the dangerous circumstances that evoked it. In contrast, non-evolution-prepared peritraumatic dissociation does precisely the opposite — it distances, obscures, pushes away, avoids, hides, and blocks a clear picture of the dangerous circumstances that … Continue reading
The Evolutionary Link Between Trauma and Dissociation
As a clinician who wants to understand dissociation, I keep bumping into two fundamental questions: 1. What is the relationship between trauma and dissociation? 2. What is the relationship between dissociation and PTSD? I ended my last post with a … Continue reading
It Takes a Community To Understand Dissociation
Understanding Dissociation.com launched one week ago. Since then, it has logged 500+ Hits, 41 Comments (albeit nearly half of them mine as I respond to your Comments), and 19 subscriptions by email. A good start, I think. Because I am … Continue reading
Are You Aware of the Disagreements About Dissociation?
We are in the midst of a largely unacknowledged disagreement about what dissociation is. A few parties to this disagreement are quite explicit about their difference of opinion (e.g., Steele, Dorahy, Van der Hart, & Nijenhuis, 2009). Most of us, … Continue reading
