European Journal of Psychotraumatology
October 23, 2020
R. Lanius, Braeden A. Terpou, M. Mckinnon
158 citations
Trauma can disrupt the sense of self, as reported by individuals with PTSD who describe feeling disconnected from themselves or emotionally numb. These self-related experiences are linked to the default mode network (DMN), a brain network active during rest and self-referential thought. In people with PTSD, the DMN shows reduced resting-state functional connectivity compared to healthy individuals, with greater reductions tied to more severe PTSD symptoms. Trauma may become intertwined with the sense of self through alterations in the DMN. Understanding these changes during rest and in response to trauma-related cues may inform therapies that address past and present experiences in PTSD treatment.
Frontiers in Neuroscience
December 10, 2020
Daniela Rabellino, P. Frewen, M. Mckinnon et al.
Peripersonal space (PPS) is the area around the body where we can reach or be reached by objects or people, and it is crucial for bodily self-consciousness, action, and protection. Multisensory processing in brain regions such as the ventral intraparietal sulcus and insula underpins PPS, helping to assess approaching threats. Although PPS's defensive role appears in phobias, its relation to altered bodily consciousness in trauma-related disorders is unexplored. This review examines behavioral and neurobiological literature on trauma disorders relevant to PPS and outlines future research directions on altered bodily self-consciousness in these conditions.
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
January 1, 2018
Harald Bækkelund, P. Frewen, R. Lanius et al.
The four-dimensional (4-D) model proposes that trauma-related dissociation involves altered states of consciousness (TRASC) and normal waking consciousness (NWC) across time, thought, body, and emotion. In 142 patients with PTSD, 46 of whom also had a dissociative disorder, TRASC experiences were less frequent and more specifically linked to other dissociation measures, dissociative disorder comorbidity, and childhood sexual abuse than NWC experiences. However, the prediction that TRASC items would show lower intercorrelation was not supported. The model offers a promising way to understand dissociation in trauma-related disorders.
Journal of Trauma & Dissociation
September 17, 2015
P. Frewen, K. Hegadoren, N. Coupland et al.
A theoretical 4-D model distinguishes posttraumatic stress symptoms that occur in normal waking consciousness (NWC) from those that involve dissociative experiences, called trauma-related altered states of consciousness (TRASC). This prospective study of 180 people assessed in emergency departments after traumatic events found that both TRASC and NWC-distress symptoms measured at 6 weeks independently predicted social and occupational impairment at 12 weeks. The results largely supported the 4-D model, but contrary to hypotheses, childhood trauma history correlated more strongly with NWC-distress than with TRASC symptoms.
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
August 18, 2014
P. Frewen, N. Kleindienst, R. Lanius et al.
People with borderline personality disorder (BPD) who also have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) report dissociative trauma-related altered states of consciousness (TRASC) less often than normal waking consciousness (NWC) symptoms. TRASC are more strongly linked to dissociative experiences and childhood emotional neglect than NWC symptoms are, especially in those with both BPD and PTSD. The prediction that TRASC symptoms would be less intercorrelated than NWC symptoms was not supported. The 4-D model categorizes trauma symptoms across time, thought, body, and emotion, each possibly experienced as normal or dissociative.