Toward a psychobiology of posttraumatic self-dysregulation: reexperiencing, hyperarousal, dissociation, and emotional numbing

Abstract

In this article we propose a psychobiological model that construes PTSD fundamentally as a disorder of affect arousal regulation. Neuroimaging studies of emotion regulation in psychologically healthy populations are initially reviewed as a framework for interpreting the results of previously published investigations of the neural correlates of PTSD reexperiencing and dissociation. We then apply the emotion regulation framework toward understanding other perturbed affective states in PTSD. We conclude by discussing the clinical significance of this framework for psychological assessment and treatment of posttrauma psychopathology.