![]() But it doesn’t necessarily override the body’s other defenses. The more dissociation has proven to be adaptive for clients in the past, the lower their threshold becomes, meaning they are more likely to start dissociating even in the face of smaller threats. So even when we slowly build up to addressing these parts, even the mention of them can feel threatening. Now, dissociation is one of the nervous system’s many autonomic responses to threat.Īnd as you know, therapy often requires working with the parts of clients that feel most vulnerable and hurt. Working with Dissociation as a Threat Response It may actually start off very similar to a death-feigning collapse response, but rather than limiting bodily function, dissociation allows the body to continue receiving enough oxygen, focusing the shutdown on the neural circuits instead. ![]() Polyvagal theory would describe dissociation as a dorsal vagal reaction. As Stephen Porges, PhD, explains, “This act of dissociation has this wonderful function of preserving the individual sense of self while not corrupting it by the acts that are being perpetrated on the body.” By dissociating, the client is allowing the mind to leave, even when the body is trapped. In many situations, the mind’s ability to dissociate is an adaptive – and rather heroic – response to trauma. Is Dissociation an Adaptive Defense Response? So, when working with a client’s dissociation, it’s important to find strategies that specifically address the part which the client finds problematic.įor example, if a client is frustrated by their tendency to lose time due to dissociative amnesia, Ruth Lanius, MD, PhD, suggests setting an alarm for a manageable amount of time for the client, be it 30 minutes or 3 hours, and having them write down whatever happened during that time frame.īy having the client go back and read through the previous entries, we can help them to significantly reduce lost time and stay grounded in the present throughout the day. And of course, some parts may still be serving an adaptive function. If a client was involved in a car accident but cannot remember why they were driving in the first place, they may be experiencing dissociative amnesia.Ĭlients may experience just one of these forms of dissociation, or any combination of them at various times.
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