An Integrative Developmental Model of Dissociation

Subjective experiences of dissociative and conversion disorders among adolescents in India

“…Witnessing their loved one(s) being abused or mistreated have let many of the adolescents to be hyper vigilant and reactive to raised voices and angry faces, fearing of danger to themselves, and to their loved ones. These repeated exposures to multiple forms of trauma are associated with the highest levels of dissociation (Hulette et al, 2011; Silberg, 2013, p. 7). Hence, the child experiencing dissociative symptoms might be a means to escape extreme stressful situations that gradually generalized to other circumstances (Waters, 2016, p. 138).…”

Trauma practice: Historical overview.

“…If this is identified early, when safety can be provided, reexperiencing of the original trauma as adults or experiencing new trauma events may be avoided. Silberg (2013) has identified five classes of symptoms indicating shifts in consciousness that occur developmentally: (a) perplexing shifts of consciousness; (b) vivid hallucinatory experiences; (c) marked fluctuations in knowledge, moods, or patterns of behavior and relating; (d) perplexing memory lapses for one's own behavior or recently experienced events; and (e) abnormal somatic experiences. Imaginary friends, common during early developmental stages, can morph into different personality states by moving from the typical play to the imaginary friend telling the child things without conscious input, and trying to control the child's behavior for short, and then longer, periods of time.…”

“…Imaginary friends, common during early developmental stages, can morph into different personality states by moving from the typical play to the imaginary friend telling the child things without conscious input, and trying to control the child's behavior for short, and then longer, periods of time. Silberg (2013) suggested a model called EDUCATE: educating the child about dissociative processes, learning dissociation motivation and strategies, understanding the child's hidden triggers that bypass awareness, teaching the child to claim these hidden aspects of self that are being dissociated, helping the child learn to regulate arousal and affect so feelings are less behaviorally disruptive, identifying trauma triggers that stimulate automatic re-experiencing of trauma memories, and helping the child be able to terminate or end the treatment successfully.…”

“…Briere and Scott (2015) have studied attachment disorders exhibited by many children and adolescents with complex trauma diagnoses. Some also have dissociative disorders that Silberg's (2013) treatment approach may help resolve, although there is not yet literature on its application to survivors of sex trafficking. Theories abound about attachment disorders, with the most common highlighting children's hampered ability to trust and attach to other people when parents or caretakers failed to provide for their needs.…”

“…The definition and understanding of dissociation, however, is considerably broader than DID. The DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) defines dissociation that is associated with trauma as a disruption and/or discontinuity in the normal subjective integration of one or more aspects of psychological functioning in memory, identity, consciousness, perception and/or motor control, and there is a wide range of helpful treatment strategies available to the practitioner who works with clients who dissociate (e.g., Courtois & Ford, 2013;Ducharme, 2015;Silberg, 2013). Intervention with people who dissociate is more complex than with those with other forms of traumatization, because dissociation is most commonly associated with a history of repeated ongoing trauma and a number of coexisting diagnostic syndromes.…”