Dissociation : Vol. 9, No. 1 (March 1996)

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Browsing Dissociation : Vol. 9, No. 1 (March 1996) by Author "Katz, Becky Ellen"

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    Dissociation : Vol. 9, No. 1, p. 028-036 : Dissociative symptoms among patients with eating disorders: associated feature or artifact of a comorbid dissociative disorder?
    (Ridgeview Institute and the International Society for the Study of Dissociation, 1996-03) Katz, Becky Ellen; Gleaves, David H.
    We examined the relationship between eating disorders and dissociative symptoms. Seventy-six subjects were 52 females diagnosed as having either an eating disorder without a comorbid dissociative disorder (n = 14), an eating disorder with a comorbid dissociative disorder (n = 14), a dissociative disorder without a comorbid eating disorder (n = 14), or were normal controls (n = 14). All subjects were administered a variety of objective assessment instruments measuring dissociative and eating disorder symptomatology. Pathological dissociative experiences as measured by the Dissociative Experiences Scale were generally found only among the patients with dissociative disorders (with or without an eating disorder). However, both eating disorder groups endorsed a variety of eating-related dissociative experiences. None of the observed effects appeared to be moderated by depressive symptomatology. The data do support the hypothesis that dissociative phenomena, independent of a comorbid dissociative disorder, may be related to the psychopathology of eating disorders. These data also add to the body of evidence demonstrating the ability of objective assessment instruments to accurately identify patients with dissociative disorders.
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    Dissociation : Vol. 9, No. 1, p. 037-045, Autohypnosis, hypnotic anaesthesias, hypnoid states, hidden ego states, depersonalization and other dissociative phenomena underlying anorexia and bulimia case studies: methods of treatment
    (Ridgeview Institute and the International Society for the Study of Dissociation, 1996-03) Katz, Becky Ellen
    This paper reflects years of clinical experience with a group of patients with diagnosed eating disorders. Three cases are described in which a connection is made between their eating behaviors and dissociation. The primary emphasis is on the phenomena of dissociation, including autohypnosis (self-hypnosis), hypnotic anaesthesias, hypnoidal states, ego states, and depersonalization as an operational component of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and purging symptomatology. The primary focus of this anecdotal study is on the unconscious misuse of autohypnosis, hypnotic anaesthesias, and dissociation, which seems to be the predominant constituent behind the onset of these eating anomalies. The usefulness of this observation can be an essential precursor in the determination of an appropriate treatment strategy which incorporates autohypnosis into the overall therapeutic process. By virtue of years of unrecognized applications of dissociation, autohypnosis, and hypnotic anaesthesias, these three cases illustrate the likelihood that individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa could reverse their aberrant eating behaviors by using positive autohypnotic suggestions. In the case of anorexic patients who believe that the only thing they are able to control is their eating, the decision to use autohypnosis over classical hypnosis makes more sense. This does not force the patients to suffer the subjective experience of relinquishing control to other persons.