Dissociative Amnesia

What It Is & How It Relates to Trauma

Amnesia is a condition in which memory is disturbed or lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into the “organic” or the “functional”. Dissociative amnesia is one example of a functional type, meaning there is no underlying physical cause (such as brain injury).

Dissociative amnesia is classified by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, as a dissociative disorder, which is usually associated with trauma in the recent or distant past, or with an intense internal conflict that forces the mind to separate incompatible or unacceptable knowledge, information, or feelings.

Dissociative amnesia is considered a disorder when the symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

Dissociative fugue is a subtype of dissociative amnesia, and it pertains to the loss of personal identity accompanied by sudden aimless wandering and ‘lost time’. Although rare, it is commonly associated with victims of sexual abuse.

Dissociative amnesia as a symptom often occurs in people diagnosed with other dissociative disorders, such as

Depersonalization~ Derealization; A state of profound detachment from the self in which a dreamlike trance takes over. The senses may be distorted and muted, and a robotic experience of the self and one’s body takes over. One feels ‘unreal’. Difficulties with concentration and gaps in memory are a common symptom of depersonalization and derealization.

and

Dissociative Identity Disorder; Previously referred to as multiple personality disorder, DID refers to distinct personality states (alters) which co-exist with the core personality, also referred to as the host. Switching to altered states may involve amnesic episodes, in which the host personality is unaware of the presence of the other personality states. Alternatively some alters may interact with each other.

When a person is plagued by dissociative amnesia, they are unable to remember personal information. They are aware that they have forgotten information, but do not know what they have forgotten. In some instances this loss can lead to the erasure of a vast amount of memory, so that people even forget basic facts about their identity, such as where they live or what their name is.

People with dissociative amnesia usually report a gap or series of gaps in their recollection of their life history. The gaps are usually related to episodes of abuse or equally severe trauma. In this way, like with dissociation in general, dissociative amnesia is a survival mechanism and serves to protect the individual from material that might have been too overwhelming to cope with.

It is important to understand that dissociative amnesia serves a protective function. It protects the individual from the consequences of extreme trauma and catastrophic fear.

The flip side is that memory loss can prevent the development of appropriate coping mechanisms, such as managing painful emotions. Remember, even if traumatic events or painful emotions are not remembered, they are often impacting you adversely at some level.

Dissociative amnesia can be addressed as part of trauma therapy. In fact, as you work on developing basic coping skills and establish a safe enough environment in the present, you may find yourself gaining access to previously blocked information.

You may become ready to know what has been forgotten when you have enough support internally and externally to cope with the information that was previously walled off.

Ultimately accessing disowned, ‘forgotten’ memories allows for the assimilation of trauma and the reparation of a fragmented self.