Chapter 7 - Thought Suppression and Trauma

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the effect of thought suppression on traumatic intrusions. First, traumatic intrusions are rooted in the experience of a traumatic event, while obsessions are not necessarily so. Second, while obsessions are relatively discrete and possibly verbal, traumatic intrusions are probably visual and relatively elaborated. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR), two trauma-related anxiety disorders are distinguished: acute stress disorder (ASD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Evidently, both disorders share their traumatic origin. The clinical pictures of both syndromes are similar. Although there are marked differences between obsessive and traumatic intrusions, there are also similarities between both kinds of intrusions. The elaborateness of traumatic recollections raises not only the question of the effect of suppression on target frequency, but also that of the possible effects on the quality of memory. The traumatic clip was a fragment of a fire-safety video in which a large building was on fire and several people were killed. The neutral film showed a polar bear in its natural setting.