Title : Addiction to dissociation in inner life of schizophrenia
Abstract:
This paper studies the role of dissociation as a central defense mechanism in the sustenance of schizophrenia, moving beyond a purely symptomatic understanding to explore the underlying complex developmental traumatic experiences. It postulates that chronic mental health disability like schizophrenia are linked to strong compulsion to dissociation, hindering access to and processing of buried feelings of terror, rage, despair and hate. Employing a qualitative psychodynamic clinical case study approach, this study aims to understand the intergenerational transmission of dissociation as well as the subjective experience of the fragmented inner life. Key findings suggest that rigidity to dissociation contributes to chronic mental health issues and manifests intra-subjectively as a persistent sense of brokenness, paradoxically fostering a heightened moment to moment awareness. Furthermore, dissociation is learned intergenerationally through familial and cultural responses to pain and trauma, often carrying a thread of invisible and secret traumas. The therapeutic process, therefore, involves dismantling dissociation through the reconstruction and integration of these past painful experiences into the client's core. The study emphasizes the significant challenge in building a therapeutic container for clients with fragile sense of self, weaving the disintegrated pieces of psyche and facilitating the movement towards ambivalence. This study aims to inform clinical practice with clients diagnosed with schizophrenia.
