Abstract
Research and clinical experience reveals that severe traumatisation may cause development of Complex Trauma Syndrome (complex PTSD) with the trauma-related dissociation, which is often associated to the severe violence or crimes. Unlike other types of the dissociation or dissociative disorders, this subject matter is the most relevant to forensic psychiatry as severely traumatised individuals (with a history of dissociation) are often subjects of the court proceedings—dissociation has legal repercussions for relevance to the legal constructs of the accused’s responsibility for the wrongdoing. Trauma victim’s behaviour during dissociative flashbacks is quite unpremeditated and uncharacteristic, and does not appear to be an alternative motive as the most individuals experience amnesia for the episode, nor they are aware of the re-enacted trauma experiences. This article provides views and nature of the trauma-related dissociation and its forensic implications on trauma victim legal standing.
Highlights
Dissociation is defined as the disruption and/or discontinuity of normally integrated functions of the consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, body representation, motor control, and behaviour which can potentially disrupt every area of psychological functions (American Psychiatric Association, 2013)
Research and clinical experience reveals that severe traumatisation may cause development of Complex Trauma Syndrome with the trauma-related dissociation, which is often associated to the severe violence or crimes
It is common that dissociation is influenced by the proximity or the aftermaths of trauma experience (i.e., Complex Trauma Syndrome)
Summary
Dissociation is defined as the disruption and/or discontinuity of normally integrated functions of the consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, body representation, motor control, and behaviour which can potentially disrupt every area of psychological functions (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). As an aftermath of the severe trauma, the memories of traumatic experience cannot fully be integrated into one’s personal awareness, and they are split off (dissociated) from the conscious awareness and one’s control. The victims of trauma may develop “phobia of traumatic memories” which disrupts integration of the traumatic experience, and split traumatic memories off from the consciousness. Such traumatic memories became integrated (or fixed) in one’s unconsciousness and cannot be liquidated nor translated into a personal narrative. Upon exposure to the reminder(s) of the trauma, the trauma victim experiences unconscious and out of control somatosensory representations because the traumatic memories are fixed to the trauma in the past (there-and-) and stored in the individual’s unconsciousness, or stayed fragmented. Upon exposure to the reminder(s) of the trauma, the trauma victim experiences unconscious and out of control somatosensory representations because the traumatic memories are fixed to the trauma in the past (there-and-) and stored in the individual’s unconsciousness, or stayed fragmented. Janet (1925) proposed that the efforts to keep fragmented
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