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For others, amnesia will remain but feelings and expression emerge in bodywork without cognitive anchors; healing occurs though expression of pure feeling. They will say, “I don’t know why I am sobbing,” “I feel terror but I have no memory or image.” “I have a faint sense of being strangled and I feel my throat closing up,” and they may gag repeatedly until the sound releases.
Dissociation plays a critical role in trauma survival. Veteran’s may demonstrate dissociative expressions through trance-like behavior, chronic daydreaming, and disconnectedness. Such dissociation can destroy swaths of memory. The Veteran may have a blotchy sense of history with missing chunks of significant memory within a narrative. The therapist always works to maintain solid eye contact in order to avoid issues with dissociation.