Kronos devours his young son: A case study of severe interpersonal trauma, dissociation and survival in childhood and adolescence

therapeutic progress of a 15 yr old boy with a fragmented-dissociated mind due to years of emotional, physical and sexual abuse by his father. The Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model that informs Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) and the Theory of Structural Dissociation of the Personality (TSDP) were utilized to conceptualize and guide the treatment. A single-case AB design was applied in assessing the impact of intervention while several instruments and measures were employed over time to assess changes in the youth's subjective emotional state. In addition, objective behavior change was also recorded over time. The data indicate that the youth's subjective emotional experience improved over time. In addition, there was a significant decrease in the frequency of targeted negative behaviors over time. Stabilization and orientation to the present were essential to the treatment while integrating the traumatic memories into a life narrative became a major goal of treatment in a guarded University Inpatient Hospital Unit for children and adolescents.

Conference

English

Tessa Prattos
Penny Papanikolopoulos
Despina Konstas

Prattos, T., Papanikolopoulos, P., & Konstas, D. (2016, June). Kronos devours his young son: A case study of severe interpersonal trauma, dissociation and survival in childhood and adolescence. In Research track - case studies (Domna Ventouratou, Chair). Presentation at the at the 17th EMDR Europe Association Conference, The Hague.