Trauma and Dissociation

“Dissociation,” def: The disconnection or separation of something from something else or the state of being disconnected.

This colloquial definition captures the many manifestations of dissociation from the everyday to the most distressing, including the multiple types of dissociative disorders that have been identified.

None of us exists as one singular self. Instead, we are all made up of many different parts. This “decentered self” is a core understanding of Relational Psychoanalysis where – like in the Copernican revolution that recognized Earth is not the center of the universe – the illusion of a singular ego at the center of everything has been upended. In this way, dissociation can be understood as an aspect of normal human consciousness.

However, dissociation exists on a spectrum, and distressing forms like those that show up in dissociative disorders are usually caused by trauma. If you believe you may have PTSD, Complex-PTSD, or other dissociative symptoms, contact me to see if you might benefit from working together.

These forms of dissociation are most often the result of trauma, combined with inadequate support to contain the level of distress that one was exposed to. In fact, a strong link has been found between disorganized attachment and dissociative disorders. These findings suggest that a person’s social-interpersonal circumstances impact the development of a trauma response more than the exposure to a traumatic event itself.

Attachment patterns and a person’s immediate caregiving system have a deep impact on how harmful experiences are held by the psyche. This is especially true when depended on adults are themselves the source of harm or betrayal. I often work with individuals who have developed Complex-PTSD and Developmental Trauma, using relational psychoanalysis to address these complex relational wounds.

When thinking about trauma, we often think mostly about the nuclear family, but it is important to also look at the social levels of experience. Structural violence – such as systemic racism, genocide campaigns, and forced immigration – are known forms of continuous trauma that can also lead to the development of Complex-PTSD. I have studied with experts in Global Mental Health and Human Rights and even when working with individuals, I am thinking about the systemic conditions that create and repair traumatic experience.

I am most interested in applying this understanding of systemic trauma to ending gender-based sexual violence. A culture of normalized silence at the collective level has perpetuated everyday betrayals of those who experience sexual violence within their families, schools, and workplaces. By collectively speaking up, survivors are changing norms and the experience of other survivors. Memories of difficult experiences, as well as psychic openness to change, become more accessible for individuals when their experiences are validated rather than betrayed in public discourse. The personal is political, and the political is personal.

Dr. Tracy Sidesinger

Dr. Tracy Sidesinger

Trauma and Dissociation

"Multiplicity is our first characteristic; unity our second. As your parts know they are parts of you, so must you know that we are parts of humanity."