The Dissociative Mind in Psychoanalysis

Turkish International Journal of Special Education and Guidance & Counselling ISSN: 1300-7432, 2024

Dissociation is an "escape way" from unbearable traumatic events, a tendency for denying or oppressing traumas and their effects as well as the emotions stemming from them. The traumatic reality is not fully grasped, nor processed but have their disruptive effects in the life of individuals subject to traumatic events. What amplifies the power and role of traumatic events in the life of individuals are less elaborative parents about their dissociogenic family dynamics, parents that adopt negative child-rearing styles, apparently normal families with dysfunctional features, societies in which individuals feel insecure and the justice is not secured all of which are compelling psychological situations that are difficult to handle. Construction of self, self-esteem, a unique and associate identity within autobiographical memory is inevitably interrupted by all these traumatic events deepened with dysfunctional family dynamics at the expense of ruining individual's singular consciousness. Dissociation is a result of actions of individuals struggling for reintegration. On that account, as "Modern Psychotraumatology: trauma and dissociation studies" and "Dissoanalysis Theory", founded by Ozturk, establish an association between trauma and identity, their reciprocal relations with memory and self are discussed herein on the ground of modern psychotraumatology.

Journal of Personality, 1994

It is a pity that Sigmund Freud misappropriated the term "metapsychology" to designate general psychological theory, as he had no need for the term, hardly used it, and managed only to create mischief among future psychoanalysts, who garbled it badly. Metapsychology deserves better and I propose to reappropriate it for its natural use to mean the psychology of psychology-tbe psychology of our problematic field, with its conflicts, manifest and latent agendas, formative historical events, healthy developments and unhealthy fixations, and symptoms. Treating the field itself as a psychological system is by no means typical, although the approach is congenial to general systems theory (Erdelyi, 1994; Miller, 1978; von Bertalanffy, 1968) and constitutes a radical version of "social cognition": the cognitive processes of a social system. This is not what most social cognitivists are about. Ironically Sigmund Freud, in, for example. Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego (1921/1955), pursued just such a psychological venture and could, therefore, be considered a radical social cognitivist. Coupled with his emphases on transference, identification and introjection, the effects of the family social drama on the formation of personality, and interpersonal (hence social) psychotherapy whose ultimate goal is the "re-education of personality"-all cognitive processes with social underpinnings-one would be inclined to conceive of Freud as a trailblazer of social cognition.

Psychological Perspectives

In a lively and wide-ranging roundtable discussion, five seasoned clinicians versed in the treatment of dissociative disorders discuss the importance of recognizing dissociative phenomena: why they happen, how to recognize them, how to work with dissociation and Dissociative Identity Disorder. The panel emphasizes the point that dissociative processes are not exclusive to those suffering from an extreme dissociative disorder and can germinate from other experiences such as attachment trauma, for example. The case is made that dissociation has important implications for work with all patients, as it conveys a more experientially near conceptualization for a model of the mind.

"Controversy about dissociation and the dissociative disorders (DD) has existed since the beginning of modern psychiatry and psychology. Even among professionals, beliefs about dissociation/DD often are not based on the scientific literature. Multiple lines of evidence support a powerful relationship between dissociation/DD and psychological trauma, especially cumulative and/ or early life trauma. Skeptics counter that dissociation produces fantasies of trauma, and that DD are artefactual conditions produced by iatrogenesis and/or socio-cultural factors. Almost no research or clinical data support this view" (page 229, Loewenstein, R. (2018). Dissociation debates: everything you know is wrong. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience , 20 (3): 229-242. Available at: www.dialogues-cns.org. (Dr K Johansson Blight is not an author of this article but recommend its reading).

Psychoanalytic Psychology, 2015

Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 2006

Exploring Dissociation. We have chosen a theme of exploration for this volume because successful efforts by dissociation researchers and theorists embody the spirit and skills of explorers. When envisioning an explorer embarking on a trek, one imagines important requisite skills and attitudes. Explorers must be well-grounded in history, drawing on the experience, maps, and map-making tools of those who travelled before. They require curiosity and compassion to motivate their efforts and temper their interpretation of new discoveries and patterning of new knowledge. Indeed, explorers must be open to surprises and to re-evaluating their maps, map-making tools, and travel plans. Thus, exploration is a transactional rather than linear process: new explorations shed new light on previous discoveries and ideas, just as previous ideas affect the development of new plans for future exploration. As dissociation has garnered greater attention, explorations seeking to describe and understand dissociative phenomena have emerged rapidly in both research and treatment literatures. This surge follows a long history of clinicians and researchers seeking simply to evidence the existence of dissociative phenomena. Early endeavors to document dissociative phenomena were often based on case study descriptions and philosophical musings (see Rieber, 2002 for historical review). Remarkably, many of the ideas of the early theorists who grappled with

American Imago, 2008

In each chapter there is a discussion of practical, clinical issues. Then the authors exemplify an analytic attitude and possible interventions. This illustrates the attitude of the authors: ''According to our opinion it is the quality of the psychoanalytic space that is decisive for whether the initiated process can be called psychoanalytic' ' (p. 69). The suggested definition of the psychoanalytic space is as follows: ''The psychoanalytic space is constituted by the sum of the psychological qualities that activate, focus, enlarge and maintain the patient's transference to the therapist'' (p. 86). In the chapter about the therapist's interventions there is a short passage about interpretation of dreams. The authors clearly state that they do not give dreams a special place when listening and see the material in the same way as anything else, where the meaning and importance are decided by the actual clinical situation. Then follow two clinical examples. Part Three, 'Theory about Change' describes curative factors in a psychoanalytic tradition and in a short chapter how to validate psychoanalytic processes by the narrative of the patient and by an in-depth interview. The Epilogue ends with the following dictum: ''The narrative of life is inscribed in the form' ' (p. 233). The whole book is rooted in clinical work, the daily relation to the patient, to the analyst and the relation between them. Underteksten can be recommended for the experienced therapist who wants to be challenged by new ways of thinking about classical psychoanalytic thought as well as for the student who wants to understand and experience the spirit of psychoanalytic therapy and how long-term treatment in depth works. The book is written in nuanced and accurate language and is well supplied with a table of contents, references, name index and index. Since its publication the book has been translated into Danish and has found a place in the curriculum in different psychotherapeutic trainings.

American journal of psychotherapy, 2006

This article describes Janet's concept of psychological trauma and the formation of rigid thought complexes (fixed ideas). This concept forms the basis for Janet's functional nosology of the neuroses, and is related to his dynamic psychology of conduct or action. It can be viewed as an early self-regulation model, because it contains a stratified bio-, socio-, and psycho-genetic hierarchy of behavioral "tendencies" that produce a more or less adaptive act by means of two hypothesized intervening variables: psychological force and psychological tension. Fixed ideas are viewed within this framework as an outcome of deficient processes of adaptation to psychological trauma. The article closes by pointing out affinities between Janet's psychological concept and modern cognitive and behavioral therapies.

2020

This is an innovative, interesting and creative way of exploring key psychoanalytic concepts. This most significant book offers a number of short presentations from prestigious analysts who explore and illustrate fundamental psychoanalytic concepts from a contemporary perspective. Clinical examples illustrate the different theoretical approaches that the authors follow, how they think and practise. Rooted on Freudian thinking, the reader will encounter different perspectives on concepts such as the presence of the analyst, transference, listening and interpretation, figures and forms, the frame and setting, the role of the drives, of trauma, sexualities and otherness among many other fundamental concepts. This book will be of great value to both psychoanalysts and to a wider interested readership alike." Catalina Bronstein, Training and Supervising Analyst of the British Psychoanalytical Society and Visiting Professor in the Psychoanalysis Unit at University College London "This is a great profoundly psychoanalytic contribution. Parsimonious, deep, insightful and introducing me to lots of things I halfknew or hadn't thought about. Good to keep by and browse at random. Will repay hours of attention." David Tuckett, formerly president of the European Psychoanalytic Federation,

1989

A century ago there occurred a peak ofinterest in dissociation and the dissociative disorders, then labeled hysteria. The most important scientific and clinical investigator of this subject was Pierre Janet (1859-1947), whose early body of work is reviewed here. The evolution of his dissociation theory and its major principles are traced throughout his writings. Janet's introduction of the term "subconscious" and his concept of the existence of consciousness outside ofpersonal awareness are explained. The viability and relevance ofdissociation as the underlyingphenomenon in a wide range oj disorders is presented. It is proposed that Janet's theory and methodology ofpsychological analysis and dynamic psychotherapy are cogent and relevant for today's students and practitioners.