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The Integration of Traumatic Memories Versus Abreaction

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The Integration of Traumatic Memories Versus Abreaction The Integration Of Traumatic dispositional or reactivated form. While the Memories Versus Abreaction: DID literature refers to reactivated traumatic Clarification Of Terminology memories as spontaneous abreactions (as if their main characteristic is the ventilation of Onno van der Hart, PhD & Kathy Steele, MN, CS intense or overwhelming affect), the PTSD field speaks of flashbacks. Although the word Some years ago, our respective children used flashback emphasizes the visual dimension, to watch a TV cartoon program, The Smurfs, authors have also acknowledged other about those blue gnome-like characters, and dimensions of these sensorimotor subsequently the children incessantly used phenomena (e.g., Blank, 1985; Bremner & the verb to smurf. As parents, we feared for Marmar, 1998; Van der Kolk & Fisler, 1995), the development of language poverty. as well as that these phenomena could be Something of this nature has occurred in the more or less encompassing. Thus, Sonnenberg professional discourse on traumatic (1985) defined flashbacks as“altered states of memories, particularly in the dissociative consciousness in which the individual believes disorders field, regarding the word he or she is again experiencing the traumatic abreaction. event. As dramatic as a full-blown flashback can be, it is but one point on a spectrum of Reactivated traumatic memories are called more or less subtle alterations in spontaneous abreactions, the treatment or consciousness experienced by those suffering processing of traumatic memories referred to from PTSD.” (p. 5) as planned abreactions, gradual and carefully paced work on trauma called fractionated In other words, when the word flashback is abreactions, and patients are helped to used, it is often unclear as to what form this abreact their trauma. It is striking that this pertains. In recent years the PTSD field has usage is very rarely accompanied by a tended emphasize other descriptive terms, theoretical rationale. We, and others, have such as intrusions, intrusive recall, or intrusive suggested that the field abandon the use of traumatic memories (e.g., Van der Kolk, the catch-all phrase of abreaction and use McFarlane & Weisaeth, 1996). However, more appropriate terminology that accurately regardless of the terminology used, traumatic reflects the wealth of knowledge available on memories are representations of experiences the nature of traumatic memories (Brown, that are either not integrated or insufficiently Scheflin & Hammond, 1996; Peterson, 1993; integrated in consciousness, memory, and Van der Hart & Brown, 1992; Van der Hart, identity, and thus are clearly dissociative in Steele, Boon & Brown, 1993). nature. This state of affairs has implications for use of the term abreaction. First we will describe the nature of traumatic memories in order to clarify the phenomena The American Psychiatric Association (1980) that are at the heart of the confusion in offered a definition of abreaction that we will terminology. Traumatic memories are use to demonstrate the problems with the hallucinatory and involuntary experiences concept as it is used in the dissociative consisting of dissociated sensorimotor disorders field: “An emotional release or phenomena, including visual images, discharge after recalling a painful experience sensations, emotions, and/or motor acts that has been repressed because it was pertaining to past traumatic experiences that consciously intolerable. A therapeutic may engross the entire perceptual field (e.g., effect sometimes occurs through partial Van der Kolk & Fisler, 1995). These traumatic discharge or desensitization of the memories are usually reactivated by so-called painful emotions and increased insight.” (p. 1) triggers, i.e., conditioned stimuli that are Abreaction has been associated with idea of saliently associated with the original reliving or revivifying trauma in order to traumatic experience. They exist either in remember. However, clinical observations have made it clear that the reliving of meaning of the traumatic experience, and traumatic experiences in dissociative disorder places such experiences in their proper place patients without integrative mental action is in one’s life history. merely retraumatizing. Instead, a much more modulated and controlled process should take The treatment, or processing, of traumatic place, in which the patient is helped to remain memories aims at relieving the dissociative oriented in the present, i.e., to be certain that nature of these highly aversive experiential the current experience is a representation of a states and transforming them to into prior event, and to share his or her autobiographical narrative memories, which experiences with the therapist. are an integrated part of the patient’s autobiographical self. We have divided this That “emotional release or discharge” could process into three major stages (Van der Hart be, in itself, a therapeutic intervention for et al., 1993): (1) synthesis, (2) realization, and traumatic memory is contradicted by all that (3) integration. we now know about the nature of traumatic memories and the role of affect in trauma. It The first stage, synthesis, refers to the is well documented that dissociative patients component of treatment that various authors often suffer from severe affective regulation in the DID field have called planned problems and problems of chronic abreactions or abreactive work. The term hyperarousal, thus becoming easily synthesis (i.e., the combination of parts so as overwhelmed by the affects that accompany to form a whole) was borrowed from World the reactivation of traumatic memory (cf., War I psychologists (c.f., Van der Hart & Herman, 1992; Van der Kolk, Van der Hart, & Brown, 1992), and emphasizes that the goal Marmar, 1996). Such feelings are experienced of therapeutic reactivation of a traumatic as affective storms that have no meaning, memory is the resolution of its dissociative verbal narrative, or therapeutic value. It is nature. The therapist guides the patient to also naïve to believe that mere affective associate elementary psychological discharge will alter the complex phenomena into more complex mental psychophysiological changes in functioning structures, which yield meaningful and that can result from extreme trauma, coherent experiences. Thus not only affects, including emotional, somatic, behavioral, but also behaviors, sensations and knowledge characterological and attachment alterations must be combined within a unitary (Cole & Putnam, 1992; Herman, 1992; Liotti, consciousness to form a whole experience 1999; Van der Kolk, 1996). Successful synthesis sets the stage for the More importantly, affect is not pent-up in next step in the integrative process called dissociative patients, but rather is realization, i.e., the process of developing unintegrated with the rest of the personality, conscious awareness of and assigning and unregulated in its expression. Cure, then, meaning to the past traumatic experience, of requires not ventilation, but therapeutically becoming aware that the trauma is indeed controlled and gradual integration of over and not occurring in the present, and dissociated psychological phenomena, that it has definite implications for one’s past, involving not just affect, but also behavior, current, and future existence. In sensation, perceptions, intentions, functions, contemporary neuropsychological language, and knowledge, into conscious awareness, realization refers to the development of memory, and identity. The integration of autonoetic awareness of one’s past traumatic traumatic memory may involve, as an experience (Siegel, 1999; Wheeler, Stuss & accompanying phenomenon, the expression Tulving, 1997). Realization is accompanied by of intense emotion, but this expression is in the patient’s increased ability to give no way the goal of treatment. This integration autobiographical accounts of his or her past encompasses full realization of the personal trauma rather than sensorimotor and behavioral re-enactments of it. Thus, Liotti, G. (1999). Disorganization of synthesis and realization, respectively, can be attachment as a model for understanding seen as parts of an overall process of dissociative psychopathology. In J. Solomon & integration. But this integration does not stop C. George (Eds.), Attachment disorganization, at the level of realization of traumatic (pp. 291-317). New York: Guilford. experiences. It is actually an ongoing process, in which the patient time and again returns to Peterson, J. (1993). Letter to the Editor: Reply various aspects of the trauma and its to Van der Hart/Brown article. Dissociation, 6, consequences, in order to redefine it 74-75. meanings within one’s evolving autobiographical self. Siegel, D.J. (1999). The developing mind: Toward a neurobiology of interpersonal So, now, as the dissociative disorders field is experience. New York: Guilford. entering its adulthood--like our respective children--we have the possibility of Sonnenberg, S.M. (1985). Introduction: The outgrowing incorrect language and using trauma of war. In S.M. Sonnenberg & J.A. more accurately descriptive terms that reflect Talbott (Eds.), The trauma of war: Stress and a deeper and more mature understanding of recovery in Viet Nam veterans (pp.3-12). our work with dissociative patients. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press. References Van der Hart, O., & Brown, P. (1992). American Psychiatric Association (1980). A Abreaction re-evaluated. Dissociation, 5, 127- psychiatric glossary, fifth
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