The psychotherapeutic treatment of depersonalization disorder

Abstract

A psychotherapeutic approach to the treatment of depersonalization disorder is presented. The treatment process enables the patient to drop dissociation as a defense against overly vigorous scrutiny of a "self," which is felt to be inadequate when compared to highly demanding standards set by parents. When feelings of worthlessness and helplessness are "transferred" back to original sources of childhood trauma, the patient is then taught how to handle conflict without needing to dissociate from the stress as overpowering and literally depersonalizing the threat.