AI Article Synopsis
- The study explored how feelings of shame can lead to dissociation, particularly focusing on the impact of childhood maltreatment on this process.!* -
- Fifty female participants recalled shame-related and neutral memories while engaging in a mirror-viewing task, revealing that shame memories caused greater dissociation compared to neutral ones.!* -
- Findings emphasize the need for clinicians to be mindful of patients' emotions when addressing shame to avoid reinforcing dissociative behaviors, which may hinder effective treatment.!*
Article Abstract
Objective: The study experimentally investigated shame-induced dissociation, and to what extent that process was associated with exposure to childhood maltreatment.
Method: Using a shame-related script-driven imagery paradigm and mirror-viewing task, 50 female participants from the community recalled two shame-related and two neutral autobiographical memories, after which they listened to recordings of themselves retelling the narratives looking in a mirror or at a black curtain (i.e., mirror-viewing task).
Results: Shame-related memories compared to neutral memories resulted in higher rates of dissociation. The relationship between shame and dissociation was significantly moderated by experiential avoidance or avoidance of unwanted cognitive and affective reactions. In contrast to previous research, looking in the mirror and childhood maltreatment severity did not predict dissociative responses.
Conclusions: The strong relationship between shame and dissociation suggests the importance of monitoring patients' affect and behavior when revisiting shame-related memories, to not reinforce dissociative reactions and inadvertently foster treatment resistance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0001428 | DOI Listing |
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