Limbic Psychotherapy®: A Novel Approach to Treat Dissociative States, Traumas, Attachment Disorders, and Their Somatic Dimensions

Abstract

Pierre Janet (1859-1947) introduced traumatic dissociation in 1889, laying the groundwork for the study of psychotrauma. In the 1960s and 1970s, researchers like Spiegel (1963) and Hilgard (1977) revisited dissociative states, proposing neo-dissociation, a continuum of modified states of consciousness from normal to pathological. The DSM integrated Dissociative Troubles in 1980, following Janet and Hilgard's work. In 2006, Van der Hart, Steele, and Nijenhuis introduced "The Haunted Self," establishing the theory of Structural dissociation in DID and complex PTSD. Inspired by these pioneers, we present a novel conceptual framework, rooted in the model of Functional dissociation® introduced in 2022, more common than structural dissociation or DID : Limbic Psychotherapy®, an integrated approach rapidly addressing patient suffering. Limbic Psychotherapy® operates directly on the neurophysiological level, regulating the limbic system and balancing the ventral vagal and dorsal vagal pathways of the autonomic nervous system, following S. Porges' model. This non-verbal, "bottom-up" method avoids inadvertent suggestions by the clinician, often providing immediate relief by sympathetic/parasympathetic regulation. Manual interventions, previously used in TICE® (Mayer, 2017), enhance patient self-healing, eliminating intermediaries. This innovative approach facilitates the understanding and treatment of dissociative states and chronic trauma, offering a promising path to alleviate patient distress.