Healing the Fractured Child by Waters Frances S.;

Author:Waters, Frances S.; [Waters, Frances S.;]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company, Inc.
Published: 2016-03-16T04:00:00+00:00

Case Example: Cathy

Cathy, whose case was discussed in Chapter 7, had depersonalized as a result of aversive assaults to her body (e.g., forced to take cold showers, made to sleep in wet clothes, being placed for hours in an unheated storage room, being beaten and screamed at frequently). Her self-states developed different roles to manage these traumatic events, and their participation in mindfulness techniques was critical to Cathy’s ability to avoid depersonalization and hyperarousal. Because much of Cathy’s sensory disturbances were contained in Little Sister, engaging Little Sister with Cathy in the techniques was paramount to their effectiveness. The other self-states agreed to cheer them on during the exercise and comfort Little Sister. With all parts of Cathy onboard, sensory techniques were practiced during therapy sessions and at home. The exercises focused initially on pleasant sensations in the “here” and “now” to awaken Little Sister’s somatic senses. After this was mastered, the pendulation technique was used in therapy. Cathy and Little Sister, with support of the other self-states, moved back and forth from pleasant to distressing sensory stimuli while noticing bodily sensations.

Because Cathy had experienced years of her father incessantly screaming in her face, Cathy and Little Sister would blank out visually when an angry person came close to Cathy or yelled at her. Cathy needed to overcome this automatic defense response and “reawaken” her visual and auditory skills. To encourage this process, Cathy and Little Sister practiced listening to music they enjoyed and identifying the lyrics and musical instruments involved. Cathy was a gifted singer and enjoyed singing along as well. To work on improving visual mindfulness, we would look outside of my office windows and observe the forest with its sloping hillside and creek. I asked Cathy to describe what she saw. She described how sunlight and shadows played on the trees; she noted the shapes and colors of the leaves, the wildflowers on the hillside, and the sounds of the creek, birds, and squirrels. We would use pleasant activities such as these to build her auditory and visual awareness. I then moved to having her imagine angry people shouting at her from a distance and then in close proximity.

To help Cathy reconnect to her physical self, I asked her to close her eyes as I placed objects with different textures, shapes, and temperatures in her hands, on her arms and on her face, and asked her to identify their characteristics. When she was able to feel these objects, I had her imagine someone suddenly touching her shoulders (a reminder of her father shaking her) with her and Little Sister staying present while tracking bodily sensations. Cathy enjoyed the challenge. Using the pendulation technique and shifting her focus back and forth from pleasant to trauma-related sensations, Cathy began to master troubling sensory triggers. She and Little Sister began to gain mastery over their traumatic sensory experiences, and Cathy’s window of tolerance increased without her becoming hyperaroused or numb.

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