Speaker(s):
Presentation:
“I don’t know what happened. She seemed fine and then she just started screaming.”
Young children who have experienced early adverse events have few tangible defenses. While fight and flight may be easily pictured, dissociation is an overlooked and often misunderstood survival mechanism for these children. While we all dissociate at times, the child who has experienced overwhelming or chronic traumatic stress may struggle to leave their protective dissociative states, even after the danger has presumably passed. This can cause difficulties with day-to-day functioning, relationships, and emotional regulation, leaving the child and family confused, frustrated, and even frightened by the seemingly-erratic nature of dissociative behaviors.
In this presentation, we will explore the presentation and mechanisms of dissociative behaviors in young children with developmental trauma across settings. We will also discuss implications for treatment by using play therapy techniques to engage the dissociative child by moving them into a state of felt safety.
Objectives:
- Identify symptoms of dissociation in young children who have experienced adverse events
- Describe relational and environmental factors that impact a dissociative child’s functioning
- Apply play therapy techniques to help engage the dissociative child