The clinician will then slowly walk them through the events during the amnesic time period in efforts to reorient the individual to experience these events. To do this, the clinician will encourage the client to think of memories just prior to the amnesic episode as though it was the present time. Through hypnosis, the clinician can help the individual contain, modulate, and reduce the intensity of the amnesia symptoms, thus allowing them to process the traumatic or unpleasant events underlying the amnesia episode (Maldonadao & Spiegel, 2014). Based on this theory, one type of treatment that has routinely been implemented for individuals with dissociative amnesia is hypnosis. One theory of dissociative amnesia is that it is a form of self-hypnosis and that individuals hypnotize themselves to forget information or events that are unpleasant (Dell, 2010). Further, the rarity of the disorder has offered limited opportunities for research on both the development and effectiveness of treatment methods. While there is no evidence-based treatment for dissociative amnesia, both hypnosis and treatment with barbituates have been shown to produce some positive effects in clients with dissociative amnesia. Occasionally treatment is sought out after recovery due to the traumatic nature of memory loss. Treatment for dissociative amnesia is limited in part because many individuals recover on their own without any type of intervention. Emotional adjustment after the fugue is dependent on the time the individual spent in the fugue – with those having been in a fugue state longer experiencing more emotional distress than those who experienced a shorter fugue (Kopelman, 2002). Post dissociative fugue, the individual generally regains most of their memory. Similar to their sudden onset, dissociative fugues also end abruptly. The degree of the fugue varies among individuals – with some experiencing symptoms for a short time (only hours) to others lasting years, affording individuals to take on new identities, careers, and even relationships. Many times, these individuals are brought into emergency rooms by law enforcement following a dangerous situation such as an individual walking aimlessly on a busy road.ĭissociative fugue is considered to be the most extreme type of dissociative amnesia where not only does an individual forget personal information, but they also flee to a different location (APA, 2013). The onset is acute, and the individual is often found wandering in a state of disorientation. While generalized amnesia is extremely rare, it is also extremely frightening. The onset of generalized amnesia is typically acute. cannot identify songs, the current president, or names of colors) nor do they have the ability to engage in learned skills (i.e. This means that individuals have no common knowledge of the world (i.e. Individuals who experience this type of amnesia experience deficits in both semantic and procedural knowledge. The onset of localized and selective amnesia may immediately follow the acute stress or be delayed for hours, days, or longer.Ĭonversely, some individuals experience generalized amnesia where they have a complete loss of memory of their entire life history, including their own identity. For example, a soldier may experience dissociative amnesia during the time they were deployed, yet still, have some memories of positive experiences such as celebrating Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner with their unit. Selective amnesia is in a sense, a component of localized amnesia in that the individual can recall some, but not all, of the details during a specific time period. The length of time within a localized amnesia episode can vary-it can be as short as the time immediately surrounding a traumatic event, to months or years, should the traumatic event occur that long (as commonly seen in abuse and combat situations). Localized amnesia, the most common type of dissociative amnesia, is the inability to recall events during a specific period of time. There are a few types of amnesia that people with dissociative amnesia can experience. Additionally, individuals experiencing permanent amnesia often have a neurobiological cause, whereas dissociative amnesia does not (APA, 2013). This type of amnesia is different from what one would consider a permanent amnesia in that the information was successfully stored in memory, however, the individual cannot retrieve it. \)ĭissociative amnesia is identified by amnesia for autobiographical information, particularly for traumatic events.
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