Inviting Scientific Discourse on Traumatic Dissociation: Progress Made and Obstacles to Further Resolution

The path to dissociative experiences: A direct comparison of different etiological models

“…Finally, it should be noted that the present study does not examine the socio‐cognitive or “fantasy” model explaining dissociation (Giesbrecht et al, 2008; Spanos, 1994), which is considered as a rival theory to the trauma model (Dalenberg et al, 2014; Kluemper & Dalenberg, 2014; Lynn et al, 2014), as it concerns the veracity of trauma reports by dissociative individuals which is outside of the scope of the present investigation. Acknowledging this debate is important as critical views towards the trauma theory have crucial implications for patients suffering from dissociative disorders (Leonard et al, 2005; Loewenstein, 2018) or those recalling past trauma (Dalenberg et al, 2020), but our sample characteristics and data collection design are not suitable to contribute to the trauma versus fantasy issue. Interested readers are referred to Dalenberg et al (2020) for an updated review of what is currently agreed versus debated between trauma researchers and their critics.…”

“…Acknowledging this debate is important as critical views towards the trauma theory have crucial implications for patients suffering from dissociative disorders (Leonard et al, 2005; Loewenstein, 2018) or those recalling past trauma (Dalenberg et al, 2020), but our sample characteristics and data collection design are not suitable to contribute to the trauma versus fantasy issue. Interested readers are referred to Dalenberg et al (2020) for an updated review of what is currently agreed versus debated between trauma researchers and their critics.…”

Dissociative identity disorder: out of the shadows at last?

“…It is troubling and painful to acknowledge how common and devastating trauma is, especially chronic childhood abuse. Subconscious protective mechanisms can take over to deny the reality of such abuse (in a similar way as denying racism, the Holocaust, or global warming 3 ) and to believe that DID is a factitious disorder, as stated by the fantasy model. 1 However, it becomes increasingly apparent that severe childhood abuse, neglect and maltreatment are part of many psychiatric disorders and of our society.…”

The utility of the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology for distinguishing individuals with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) from DID simulators and healthy controls

“…Interestingly, it was found that, “Dissociativity correlated with symptom over-reporting in the student samples, but not in the clinical sample (emphasis added, p. 165, Merckelbach et al, 2015 ). Merckelbach, Boskovic, Pesy, Dalsklev, and Lynn ( 2017 ) subsequently suggested that the correlation between SIMS scores and dissociation could be due to many SIMS items overlapping with trauma-related symptoms although this conclusion is often overlooked by those who argue that those high dissociation over-report their symptoms (see discussion of these omissions in Dalenberg, Brand, Loewenstein, Frewen, & Spiegel, 2020 ).…”