The Complexities of Dissociation

The application of EMDR therapy in the treatment of persons with dissociative disorders relies upon many principles, concepts, theories, and scientific literature. Several problematic truisms about EMDR and dissociation have been handed down through generations of trainers and learners. Factors that have compromised mental health practitioners’ ability to recognize, diagnose, and learn to treat dissociation are explicated - both more broadly and as they relate to EMDR therapy specifically. This chapter reviews those foundational issues before embarking upon a review of the explanatory, theoretical models and neurobiological correlates of dissociation. Three domains of explanation will organize a discussion of the literature demonstrating the existence and understanding of dissociation and its clinical relevance: Neuroanatomical/neurophysiological, psychological, and subjective/phenomenological.