Four-Phased Dynamic Therapy Model in Treating Trauma-Induced Dissociation

Abstract

Traumatic memories are highly emotional, life-altering events that would appear to have the best chance of persisting into the entire life. In complex trauma syndrome, they are usually endless causing often dissociative phenomena—the alterations in one’s consciousness. Thus, traumatic memories may cause a constant feeling of intense fears, helplessness, loss of control, affliction of the powerlessness, and threat of annihilation. Traumatised person usually reports loss of the basic sense of self and bodily integrity. The principle of healing is empowerment of the patient’s ability to re-create the basic capacities for trust, autonomy, competence, identity, and intimacy. The dissociative PTSD subtype is characterised by overmodulation of the affects—predominance of reexperiencing and hyperarousal symptoms with “hidden” and deeply unconscious traumatic memories. Although there are many ways to conceptualise dissociation, in this article we have emphasised the trauma-induced dissociation that involves detachment from the overwhelming emotional content of the experience during and in the aftermath of trauma experience. It has been hypothesised that such experiences elicit dissociation, promoting discontinuity of one’s conscious experience and narrative memory. Four-phased patient oriented Dynamic Therapy model in treating trauma-induced dissociation targets three main goals: 1) restoration of a form of the relatedness (Interconnectivity), 2) restoration of a sense of the aliveness/vitality (Dynamism), and 3) restoration of an awareness of the self and inner events (Insight).