Dissociation & Psychosis
Posted: December 11, 2022
There is a growing body of literature suggesting that psychotic symptoms and dissociation might be different aspects of the same phenomenon.
As in discussed in the book Psychosis, Trauma and Dissociation: Evolving Perspectives (ed Horowitz, Dorahy, & Schaffer)
In both psychosis & dissociation a person may:
- hear voices that others do not
- have tactile experiences without actually being touched physically
- may lose touch with current reality
What seems to distinguish the two disorders is the person’s explanations for their symptoms.
In psychotic disorders, the person’s reality testing is not intact, so that their thinking about the reason for their symptoms tends toward the fantastical or bizarre (aliens, CIA implanting microchips, etc.)
