Memory fragmentation in dissociative identity disorder.
J Trauma Dissociation
; 6(1): 55-70, 2005.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-16150685
ABSTRACT
This study examined the quality of self-reported memories of traumatic experiences in participants with dissociative identity disorder (DID) and compared them with their memories of non-traumatic, but emotionally significant life experiences. Systematic interview data were gathered from 30 DID patients in The Netherlands. All participants reported a history of severe childhood abuse; 93.3% reported some period of amnesia for the index traumatic event, and 33.3% reported periods of amnesia for significant non-traumatic childhood experiences. All participants who had been amnestic for their trauma reported that their memories were initially retrieved in the form of somatosensory flashbacks. This suggests that, like PTSD patients, DID patients at least initially recall their trauma not as a narrative, but as somatosensory re-experiencing. Surprisingly, however, DID participants also recalled emotionally charged non-traumatic life events with significant somatosensory components, a phenomenon that has not been previously reported. This finding raises important issues regarding basic memory processing abnormalities in DID patients.
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Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Memory Disorders
/
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
Limits:
Adult
/
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
J Trauma Dissociation
Journal subject:
TRAUMATOLOGIA
Year:
2005
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Países Bajos