Somatoform Dissociation (Mosquera)

Treating Somatoform Dissociation With EMDR Therapy

Somatoform dissociation is characterized by multiple somatic symptoms and troubling presentations that initially resemble physical illnesses, however, by definition, no physical explanation for the symptoms can be found.

Clients with somatoform dissociation are often given multiple diagnoses and receive trials of multiple ineffective treatments. In the presenters’ view, these symptoms are often intrusions of the sensory elements of unresolved traumatizing events, including childhood physical and sexual abuse, neglect and attachment failures. With many dissociative clients we can establish contact with dissociative parts easily and communicate with them, but parts can be more difficult to identify in some somatoform dissociation cases, therefore an approach other than the usual techniques for working with dissociated parts is required.

In the standard EMDR protocol for PTSD we can work with material that the patient does not want to disclose. With somatoform dissociation we can work with material that the client cannot disclose verbally (only through symptoms) and does not even understand. EMDR Therapy is an integrative approach that processes the information in different levels, including the physical sensations. In this workshop practical examples on how to deal with such symptoms in EMDR therapy will be provided.