ABSTRACT
In a sense, Bourneville’s late nineteenth century view on Jeanne Fery’s multiple personality disorder (MPD), now known as dissociative identity disorder (DID) (American Psychiatric Association (APA), 1994, 2013), was a precursor of the DSM-5’s main diagnostic criterium. As highlighted in the understanding of DID, the narrow conceptualisation refers to a trauma-induced division of the personality into dissociative parts (known also by many other terms) which manifest in a range of dissociative symptoms. In principle, a hypnotically induced division of the personality can also be distinguished, and the question is how or whether this temporary division relates to trauma-related dissociation of the personality. Although opinions differed, most students of this artificial somnambulism regarded it as an abnormal, morbid state, clearly related to hysteria. However, whether or not this abnormal state developed from traumatic experiences was usually not explored. In the 1990s, within the psychoanalytic movement, some awareness of the importance of trauma-generated dissociation started to grow.
