Structural Dissociation: How Trauma Splits The Personality

By Johnathan Bigler-Lisch

The aftermath of a traumatic event(s) can be overwhelming and confusing. When someone experiences a frightening or life-threatening event, they may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can cause anxiety, dissociation, nightmares, and intrusive flashbacks of the traumatic event. At times, a traumatized person’s memories may take over all at once and they may feel as though the traumatic event were happening again. They may feel the urge to run away or to go silent when something reminds them of their trauma, whether it be a phrase, being touched in a specific spot, or a visual cue. At other times, they may feel as though the trauma happened to someone else. They may be able to brush it off as long as they avoid strong reminders of what happened, or perhaps they sometimes forget that it happened at all and go on with daily life without a second thought.

When someone experiences this dynamic, one of the most difficult aspects of navigating it is that these two sides feel irreconcilable and uncontrollable - it can be hard to predict whether something will trigger them into a flashback or if they will feel completely numb. While troubling, this phenomenon has been well documented by psychologists and trauma researchers. It is known as structural dissociation, and it occurs when we are unable to properly process a traumatic experience, causing a split between the part of our brain that deals with daily functioning and the part that deals with self-protection. While this split between two parts of our personality can be challenging, counseling can help to heal this split and help traumatized individuals live a healthy, happy life.

The Apparently Normal Personality

The first of the two halves that emerge from structural dissociation is the apparently normal personality. It has this name for a very clear reason: this part of the personality goes on with daily life and can appear to others as though the trauma had little impact or even as though it never occurred. For example, someone living with PTSD may seem to have a happy family and successful career. However, this side of the personality struggles to access the intense emotions associated with their trauma and they may avoid any and all reminders of the event. This part of the personality may experience the traumatic event as though it happened to another person, even if they know that it happened

to them. In more extreme cases, the person may dissociate so heavily from the trauma in this state that they are unable to remember it at all.

The Emotional Personality

The second of the two halves that emerge from structural dissociation is the emotional personality. The emotional personality is constantly reliving the trauma and, when it emerges, can do little except reenact it. An example of this may be someone who rails against a friend for cancelling dinner plans last minute despite them providing a clear reason. In retrospect, the individual may look back and wonder why they reacted so strongly to a minor inconvenience. Some people may even struggle to remember their reaction at all. However, on closer inspection, they may recognize that the cancellation triggered a memory of childhood neglect. In individuals who experienced trauma as a child, they may revert to childlike behaviors when their emotional part is triggered, such as becoming mute or having a temper tantrum. Because the emotional personality engages the part of our brain that deals with self-protection, it cannot access the part of our brain that creates a typical narrative memory, such as the way that we remember a night out with friends or a major life event. Instead, the memories held by the emotional personality are experienced through the senses such as remembering a scent or particular visual cue from an event. The emotional part is so focused on the traumatic event that it struggles to recognize what is going on in the present day. Different emotional parts may emerge depending on the nature of the traumatic event(s), which include fight, flight, freeze, cry for help, and submit parts.

Below are examples of how each part may manifest:

• Fight: May become very combative or heavily guarded, even when it is uncalled for.

• Flight: May engage in escapism to avoid anxiety, such as workaholism, alcoholism, or engaging in reckless behaviors.

• Freeze: May act more withdrawn such as not leaving one’s room or house for an extended period of time.

• Cry for Help: May depend more heavily on others such as asking for increased amounts of attention or help with tasks they are otherwise capable of completing on their own.

• Submit: May readily give in during conflicts or try harder to anticipate others’ needs to avoid conflict.

Integrating the Emotional Personality and Apparently Normal Personality

Integrating these two parts of the personality can be very challenging because of how each part naturally functions. The apparently normal part avoids traumatic memories and it struggles to engage with the intensity of emotions in general. For the emotional part(s), it can be extraordinarily difficult to let go of emotions such as anger or fear that may have been helpful for survival during the traumatic event. Given that the emotional part(s) experience the event as though it were still happening, they may fear that by returning to a state of safety, they will miss signs of danger and be hurt again.

Trauma can cause people to question their beliefs and assumptions about the world. For example, someone who realizes they have been suppressing memories of abuse by a parent must now revisit the role of that relationship in their life. Someone assaulted in a place they used to think was safe must now reconsider whether they will continue to go there. These questions require a lot of time and energy to answer and may bring up difficult emotions. If someone lacks a support system to help them work through these questions, they may be too overwhelmed to effectively answer them. It makes sense that the mind might split itself in two, or more, parts in order to survive day to day. If you are struggling with the lingering impacts of a traumatic experience, it is highly recommended that you seek out the help of a trauma-informed counselor who works with Structural Dissociation. While it may be scary, receiving the proper support may help to alleviate distress.

You can find a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) here: https://www.evergreencertifications.com/professionals/.