Somatic pt 2

Identity confusion

thoughts and feelings of uncertainty and conflict a person has related to their identity 

Example of Identity Alternation

• Individuals may notice a shift in their sense of how old they are, their gender identity, their preferences, skills, and memories. 

  • Even vocal pitch, body language, and physical reactivity to stress can change

Examples of Derealization

• The sense that one is in a “fog”

• A see-through wall or veil is separating you from your surroundings

• The world appears lifeless, muted, or fake

• Objects or people look “wrong” – blurry,  unnaturally sharp, too big, or too small

• Sounds are distorted, too loud, or too soft

Examples of Identity confusion

• “I have a feeling that I am made up of two or more people”

• “It happens that I have the feeling that my mind is split up”

• “At times it seems as if someone else inside of me decides what I do”

• “It happens that I have the feeling that I am somebody else” 

Identity alteration

Manifestations of alters (or alternative identities) containing and expressing differing opinions, perceptions, and senses of self.

The five core components of dissociative disorders 

Amnesia, Depersonalization, Derealization, Identity Confusion, Identity Alteration 

Munchausen syndrome by proxy, Munchausen by proxy, or factitious disorder by proxy)

is a condition in which a person deliberately produces, feigns, or exaggerates the symptoms of someone in their care. 

Symptoms of factitous disorder or Munchausen syndrome

• contaminating urine samples, taking hallucinogens, injecting fecal material to produce sickness, and similar behavior.

Encoding

The process of receiving and interpreting information, getting it into memory through automatic or effortful processing.

Types of Amnesia

Retrograde and Anterograde

Dissociative Amnesia

When dissociation causes memory loss.

Retrieval

The ability to access stored information when needed, through recall and recognition.

Ciaunica et al., 2023 (Qualitative Study on Depersonalization)

1. Detachment from self and world – Feeling like an onlooker of one’s own life.

2. Embodiment issues – Unusual or changing bodily experiences, such as loss of control.

3. Identity changes – A disconnect between thoughts, words, and actions.

Storage

The retention of encoded information over time and maintaining information