[8][9] Janet claimed that dissociation occurred only in persons who had a constitutional weakness of mental functioning that led to hysteria when they were stressed.
The authors of this article included leading thinkers of their time – John G. Watkins (who developed ego-state therapy) and Zygmunt A. Piotrowski (famed for his work on the Rorschach test).
[28] Misdiagnosis is common among people who display symptoms of dissociative disorders, with an average of seven years to receive proper diagnosis and treatment.
[5][28] The DSM-IV-TR considers symptoms such as depersonalization, derealization and psychogenic amnesia to be core features of dissociative disorders.
Some of the symptoms include but are not limited to depersonalization, derealization, dissociative amnesia, out-of-body experiences, emotional numbness, and altered time perception.
[36][6] Other tools include the Office Mental Status Examination (OMSE),[37] which is used clinically due to inherent subjectivity and lack of quantitative use.
These slow oscillations disconnect other brain regions from interacting with the posteromedial cortex, which may explain the overall experience of dissociation.
[39] Dissociation has been described as one of a constellation of symptoms experienced by some victims of multiple forms of childhood trauma, including physical, psychological, and sexual abuse.
[43] Adult dissociation when combined with a history of child abuse and otherwise interpersonal violence-related posttraumatic stress disorder has been shown to contribute to disturbances in parenting behavior, such as exposure of young children to violent media.
[44] Symptoms of dissociation resulting from trauma may include depersonalization, psychological numbing, disengagement, or amnesia regarding the events of the abuse.
Substances with dissociative properties include ketamine, nitrous oxide, alcohol, tiletamine, amphetamine, dextromethorphan, MK-801, PCP, methoxetamine, salvia, muscimol, atropine, ibogaine, and minocycline.
[55][56] Aspects of hypnosis include absorption, dissociation, suggestibility, and willingness to receive behavioral instruction from others.
Once this is achieved, the next goal is to work on removing or minimizing the phobia made by traumatic memories, which is causing the patient to dissociate.
The final step of treatment includes helping patients work through their grief in order to move forward and be able to engage in their own lives.
[60] One coping skill that can improve dissociation is mindfulness due to the introduction of staying in present awareness while observing non-judgmentally and increasing the ability to regulate emotions.
According to the Freudian theory, defense mechanisms are psychological strategies that are unconsciously used to protect a person from anxiety arising from unacceptable thoughts or feelings.
[65] Carl Jung described pathological manifestations of dissociation as special or extreme cases of the normal operation of the psyche.
This structural dissociation, opposing tension, and hierarchy of basic attitudes and functions in normal individual consciousness is the basis of Jung's Psychological Types.
Carl Jung's theory suggests that dissociation, which is often seen as a pathological or abnormal process, is actually a natural and necessary aspect of consciousness.