TY - JOUR

T1 - Uncomfortably numb

T2 - new evidence for suppressed emotional reactivity in response to body-threats in those predisposed to sub-clinical dissociative experiences

AU - Dewe, Hayley

AU - Watson, Derrick

AU - Braithwaite, Jason J

N1 - This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Cognitive Neuropsychiatry on 28/07/2016, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/13546805.2016.1212703

PY - 2016/9/2

Y1 - 2016/9/2

N2 - Introduction: Depersonalisation and derealisation disorders refer to feelings of detachment and dissociation from one’s “self” or surroundings. A reduced sense of self (or “presence”) and emotional “numbness” is thought to be mediated by aberrant emotional processing due to biases in self-referent multi-sensory integration. This emotional “numbing” is often accompanied by suppressed autonomic arousal to emotionally salient stimuli. Methods: 118 participants completed the Cambridge Depersonalisation scale [Sierra, & Berrios, 2000. The Cambridge Depersonalisation Scale: A new instrument for the measurement of depersonalisation. Psychiatry Research, 93, 153–164)] as an index of dissociative anomalous experience. Participants took part in a novel “Implied Body-Threat Illusion” task; a pantomimed injection procedure conducted directly onto their real body (hand). Objective psychophysiological data were recorded via standardised threat-related skin conductance responses and finger temperature measures. Results: Individuals predisposed to depersonalisation/derealisation revealed suppressed skin conductance responses towards the pantomimed body-threat. Although the task revealed a reliable reduction in finger temperature as a fear response, this reduction was not reliably associated with measures of dissociative experience. Conclusions: The present findings significantly extend previous research by revealing emotional suppression via a more direct body-threat task, even for sub-clinical groups. The findings are discussed within probabilistic and predictive coding frameworks of multi-sensory integration underlying a coherent sense of self.

AB - Introduction: Depersonalisation and derealisation disorders refer to feelings of detachment and dissociation from one’s “self” or surroundings. A reduced sense of self (or “presence”) and emotional “numbness” is thought to be mediated by aberrant emotional processing due to biases in self-referent multi-sensory integration. This emotional “numbing” is often accompanied by suppressed autonomic arousal to emotionally salient stimuli. Methods: 118 participants completed the Cambridge Depersonalisation scale [Sierra, & Berrios, 2000. The Cambridge Depersonalisation Scale: A new instrument for the measurement of depersonalisation. Psychiatry Research, 93, 153–164)] as an index of dissociative anomalous experience. Participants took part in a novel “Implied Body-Threat Illusion” task; a pantomimed injection procedure conducted directly onto their real body (hand). Objective psychophysiological data were recorded via standardised threat-related skin conductance responses and finger temperature measures. Results: Individuals predisposed to depersonalisation/derealisation revealed suppressed skin conductance responses towards the pantomimed body-threat. Although the task revealed a reliable reduction in finger temperature as a fear response, this reduction was not reliably associated with measures of dissociative experience. Conclusions: The present findings significantly extend previous research by revealing emotional suppression via a more direct body-threat task, even for sub-clinical groups. The findings are discussed within probabilistic and predictive coding frameworks of multi-sensory integration underlying a coherent sense of self.

KW - Dissociation

KW - depersonalisation/derealisation

KW - anomalous experience

KW - embodiment

KW - skin conductance responses

U2 - 10.1080/13546805.2016.1212703

DO - 10.1080/13546805.2016.1212703

M3 - Journal article

VL - 21

SP - 377

EP - 401

JO - Cognitive Neuropsychiatry

JF - Cognitive Neuropsychiatry

SN - 1354-6805

IS - 5

ER -