Chapter 6: Disorders of Trauma and Stress

autonomic nervous system (ANS)

the network of nerve fibers that connect the central nervous system to all the other organs of the body

endocrine system

the system of glands located throughout the body that help control important activities such as growth and sexual activity

sympathetic nervous system

the nerve fibers of the autonomic nervous system that quicken the heartbeat and produce other changes experienced as arousal

parasympathetic nervous system

the nerve fibers of the autonomic nervous system that help return bodily processes to normal

hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis

one route by which the brain and body produce arousal

corticosteroids

hormones, including cortisol, released by the adrenal glands at times of stress

acute stress disorder

a disorder in which a person experiences fear and related symptoms soon after a trauma but for less than a month

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

a disorder in which a person experiences fear and related symptoms long after a traumatic event

rape

forced sexual intercourse or another sexual act committed against a nonconsenting person or intercourse between an adult and an underage person

torture

the use of brutal, degrading, and disorienting strategies to reduce victims to a state of utter helplessness

resilience

the process of adapting well in the face of adversity

prolonged exposure

a treatment approach in which clients confront not only trauma-related objects and situations but also their painful memories of traumatic experiences

eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)

an exposure treatment in which clients move their eyes in a rhythmic manner from side to side while flooding their minds with images of objects and situations they ordinarily avoid

psychological debriefing

a form of crisis intervention in which victims are helped to talk about their feelings and reactions to traumatic incidents. Also called critical incident stress debriefing

psychological first aid (PFA)

a disaster response intervention that seeks to reduce the initial distress of victims and foster their adaptive functioning, but without procedures that may be premature, intrusive, or inflexible

dissociative disorders

disorders marked by major changes in memory that do not have clear physical causes

memory

the faculty for recalling past events and past learning

dissociative amnesia

a disorder marked by an inability to recall important personal events and information

dissociative fugue

a form of dissociative amnesia in which persons travel to a new location and may assume a new identity, simultaneously forgetting their past

dissociative identity disorder

a dissociative disorder in which a person develops two or more distinct personalities. Also known as multiple personality disorder

subpersonalities

the two or more distinct personalities found in individuals suffering with dissociative identity disorder. Also known as alternative personalities

state-dependent learning

learning that becomes associated with the conditions under which it occurred, so that it is best remembered under the same conditions

self-hypnosis

the process of hypnotizing oneself, sometimes for the purpose of forgetting unpleasant events

hypnotic therapy

a treatment in which the patient undergoes hypnosis and is then guided to recall forgotten events or perform other therapeutic activities. Also known as hypnotherapy

fusion

the final merging of two or more subpersonalities in dissociative identity disorder

depersonalization-derealization disorder

a dissociative disorder marked by the presence of persistent and recurrent episodes of depersonalization, derealization, or both