ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on how to foster integration by differentiating parts previously denied, ignored, or disowned, connecting to them emotionally, and providing experiences that replace self-alienation and self-rejection with self-compassion and secure internal attachment relationships. The essence of dissociative fragmentation is the ability to split off unbearable emotions from the memory of what happened, to encapsulate and disown "not me" parts and experiences, and to be guided by cognitive schemas that exacerbate self-alienation but help children survive and adapt. The ability to quickly retrieve information and act on it automatically and efficiently, without interference from emotion or intrusive thoughts, is central to the medical professional's ability to save lives. In research on earned secure attachment or "earned security", attachment status is evaluated according to the degree of "coherence" in the subjects' narratives as they reflect back on early attachment experience.
