ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the helplessness felt by the survivor of trauma in relation to society’s pressure towards denial. The effects of trauma on the brain and body are reviewed, with a summary of the significant impact of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, domestic violence, neglect, community disasters such as Covid-19, and the creation of sexual abuse imagery (CSAI) on the development of dissociation. The concept of developmental trauma is introduced (Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD)), which describes the early onset of multiple forms of trauma associated with disruptions in early caregiving. This type of trauma commonly results in developmental handicaps in multiple domains of functioning, and remediation of disintegration, irregular arousal patterns, and reactivity are therapeutic goals. This chapter reviews the neurobiological underpinnings of trauma and dissociation in the amygdala, corpus callosum, hippocampus, limbic areas, and the prefrontal cortex, and describes the polyvagal theory which posits the centrality of the social engagement system to explain dissociative behavior of the traumatized child.
