Trauma, Memory, and Dissociation

Edited by J. Douglas Bremner, M.D., and Charles R. Marmar, M.D.

1998
446 Pages
Editorial Reviews

ISBN 978-1-58562-145-3
Item #62145

List Price: $94.00
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Description
Contents
Editorial Reviews
About the Authors

Written and edited by some of the world's foremost experts in the field, Trauma, Memory, and Dissociation provides comprehensive coverage of dissociation and memory alterations in trauma, an area that is being dramatically reshaped by vigorous new research. This one-of-a-kind book, written for researchers and clinicians alike, covers aspects of this subject that have not been thoroughly examined before. It presents empirical data on dissociative symptoms associated with exposure to psychological trauma, including combat, childhood abuse, and other traumas, as well as the important relationships dissociative disorder has with other conditions associated with extreme stress such as posttraumatic stress disorder. This book also examines areas where questions still linger concerning the psychopathology of trauma-related dissociation, including dissociation as a defense mechanism or a normal personality trait.

Because dissociation plays an important role in the recall of traumatic memories, Trauma, Memory, and Dissociation investigates the controversial areas of delayed recall of childhood abuse and false memory syndrome. This text also offers clinicians a detailed, step-by-step discussion of approaches to treat the dissociative patient. It reviews the neurobiology of dissociative disorders and illuminates areas where future research may lead to more effective treatments.

Early concepts of trauma, dissociation, and the unconscious: their history and current implications. Hypnosis, dissociation, and trauma: myths, metaphors, and mechanisms. Trauma, dissociation, and hypnotizability. Dissociation and hypnotizability: a conceptual and methodological perspective on two distinct concepts. Trauma, dissociation, and somatization. Dissociative symptomatology in adult patients with histories of childhood physical and sexual abuse. Relationships between traumatic experiences and symptoms of posttraumatic stress, dissociation, and amnesia. Peritraumatic dissociation and posttraumatic stress disorder. Treatment of dissociative disorders. Effects of flooding on memories of patients with posttraumatic stress disorder. The emerging neurobiology of dissociation: implications for treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. Trauma, memory, and dissociation: an integrative formulation. Index.

J. Douglas Bremner, M.D., is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine and Research Psychiatrist at Yale Psychiatric Institute and the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder at the West Haven Veterans Administration Medical Center, West Haven, Connecticut.

Charles R. Marmar, M.D., is Professor and Vice-Chair in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco; and Chief, Mental Health Services at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California. Dr. Marmar has authored or edited over 100 publications on the topic of traumatic stress and related disorders.

A major strength of this book is its thorough, thoughtful, and interesting treatment of the history of the theoretical and empirical work on dissociation within psychoanalytic theory. . . .Trauma, Memory, and Dissociation provides an informative and evocative review of theory and research within the traditions of clinical and biological psychiatry attempting to account for the lasting effects of trauma on memory. Psychologists interested in trauma are advised to read this impressive volume. Its real value will be the future conceptual models generated from these ideas and the empirical studies stimulated by these thoughtful investigators.—Contemporary Psychology

A fascinating examination of the historical and current understanding of trauma, memory, and dissociation. Drs. Bremner and Marmar have created an informative and lucid volume that will prove to be a valued resource for clinicians and researchers alike.—Robert J. Ursano, M.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland

An exceptional discussion of what may be the most controversial area remaining in all of psychopathology. This outstanding compilation of authors and topics addresses the many facets of traumatic memory as they explicate the conceptual foundations, parameters, and implications of this hotly debated topic. This book will shed intellectual light on issues central to the human response to extremely stressful life events.—Terence M. Keane, Ph.D., Chief of Psychology, Boston VA Med Center, Director of Behavioral Science Division, National Center for PTSD, Vice-Chair, Dept of Psychiatry, Boston Univ School of Medicine

This volume, like a similar one edited by Michelson and Ray (1996; see Allen, 1998), serves clinicians well in bringing disparate findings and viewpoints into conscious awareness.—Bulletin of Menninger Clinic, Summer 2000

This is a valuable compendium of articles by major investigators in the field. The works presented here chip away at a myriad of unanswered questions about trauma, memory, and dissociation. This book provokes new insights and further empirical research.—Linda Williams, Director of Research, The Stone Center, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts