Foundations of Trauma and Dissociation in Psychedelic Care
The basic foundations of understanding addiction memory in psychedelic care.
Dissociation, a psychological defense mechanism, enables individuals to emotionally detach from traumatic events as a means of protection. This fundamental concept finds its roots in the late 19th century with Pierre Janet, who first articulated the connection between hysterical crises and hypnosis. Janet proposed that patients exhibiting hysteria and high hypnotizability suffered from traumatic dissociation, a process where intense emotions effectively fractured an individual’s personality, compartmentalizing traumatic incidents into the subconscious.
This idea was later revitalized in the 1970s, eventually leading to the inclusion of dissociative disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) in 1980. However, in 1980, they included it and also identified that trauma was “an abnormal response to an abnormal event” so historical context demonstrates the level of awareness and Stage of Awareness that society is in. Like the James Webb Telescope in Astro-Physics, Dr. O’Brien’s research (O’Brien, 2023), qualitative common sense, and Addiction as Dissociation Model (ADM) is challenging the notion of what reality is because traumatic events do not have to be painful or actually happen to be dissociative or traumatic to the unconscious body.
The ADM highlights a complex evolutionary aspect of dissociation and how it is infused with addiction to the point that one cannot separate them because by separating them they become dissociated, of which basic physics observes that nothing is created or destroyed. While it is presented as a natural, unavoidable, and fundamental process for both survival and thriving , it can also transition into clinically significant or pathological states that serve to protect against explicit hurt that is implicitly felt, thereby contributing to addiction because the need to sooth is how one handles the break and the healing process. A key understanding in the ADM is how the endogenous opiate and cannabinoid system start the healing process, suggesting that they produce are positive states of healing, but yet in society, using these to heal is regulated by professions and professionals who live like the DSM has captured all addictions.
This presents a paradox: a mechanism inherently designed for self-preservation can, under conditions of chronic or overwhelming trauma, inadvertently become a trap. The brain, in its protective efforts, can create conditions conducive to maladaptive coping strategies. This observation underscores the necessity for therapeutic approaches that respect dissociation’s protective function while simultaneously guiding individuals toward a healthier, more integrated processing of trauma, rather than merely attempting to suppress dissociative symptoms. Furthermore, being the start of the healing process, psychology can know what this means, but not practice it because what psychiatry does not because they are bound to the cognitive, moral, philosophy, dysfunction, and diagnoses that healthcare, the medical model, and the law believe are what is best for us.
As Dr. O’Brien observes, “if a professional cannot follow their morals and “the science”, then the professions (and professionals) who deny the ability to do so (or god-given plants that are literally apart of us and science has shown to heal since the dawn of evolution) can be seen as not following the science or are missing that the science of psychology can now directly name (and treat) unresolved trauma, their “disorder”, level of dysfunction (e.g., dissociation), cognitive and developmental delay, irrational beliefs, emotional underdevelopment, and promote moral and spiritual development by psychology telling them the truth about the age (and pathology) of our professional system.
Research consistently demonstrates a strong link between traumatic experiences and the development of substance use disorders. Dissociation has been specifically identified as a critical mediating factor in the relationship between PTSD severity and alcohol-related problems. But what if the drug use is the trauma and the subsequent dissociation effect is the source of reenactments (unconscious repetitive use where the choice of using is made, hence addiction is not a disease, but dissociation; of which traumatology says is not because it is a normal response to normal events. The ACE Study showed how normal trauma is, but what is not normal is being denied healing, of which is exactly what the law and medicine have done to the field and practice of psychology). Individuals who exhibit heightened dissociative symptoms face an increased risk of self-medicating with alcohol and other substances.
From the ADM perspective, drug use itself can be viewed as a form of “chemical dissociation,” serving to enhance and perpetuate dissociation as a primary defense mechanism. This creates a self-perpetuating cycle where the drug provides temporary relief by intensifying dissociation, which then becomes a conditioned response. This conditioning can lead to an individual becoming “addicted to dissociation itself”. In this context, the drug is not merely a substance; it functions as a tool for maintaining a dissociated state, rendering recovery exceptionally challenging if this underlying mechanism remains unaddressed. Consequently, treatment must extend beyond merely addressing the substance and instead target the dissociative processes and the unresolved trauma that drive them. This necessitates the implementation of integrated, dissociative-informed care that empowers individuals and communities to develop adaptive coping strategies by relying on chemical dissociation to bring them to the dissociative lands that they do not believe exists.
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References
O’Brien, A. (2023a). Addiction as Trauma-Related Dissociation: A Phenomenological Investigation of the Addictive State. International University of Graduate Studies. (Dissertation). Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/courses/addiction-as-dissociation-model-course/
O’Brien, A. (2023b). Memory Reconsolidation in Psychedelics Therapy. In Path of the Wounded Healer: A Dissociative-Focused Phase Model for Normative and Pathological States of Consciousness: Training Manual and Guide. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/courses/addiction-as-dissociation-model-course/
O’Brien, A. (2023c). Path of the Wounded Healer: A Dissociative-Focused Phase Model for Normative and Pathological States of Consciousness: Training Manual and Guide. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/
O’Brien, A. (2024a). Healer and Healing: The re-education of the healer and healing professions as an advocation. Re-educational and Training Manual and Guide. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/
O’Brien, A. (2024e). Path of the Wounded Healers for Thrivers: Perfectionism, Altruism, and Ambition Addictions; Re-education and training manual for Abusers, Activists, Batterers, Bullies, Enablers, Killers, Narcissists, Offenders, Parents, Perpetrators, and Warriors. Re-Education and Training Manual and Guide. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/
O’Brien, A. (2025). American Made Addiction Recovery: a healer’s journey through professional recovery. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/
*This is intended for informational, educational, and personal growth.
