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The recording of this webinar will be available later as video-on-demand only for ESTD members.
Free Webinar December 10th, 7-8.30pm
Trauma-coerced attachment: Diagnosis, challenges, and therapy considerations
Abstract
In this webinar, we propose a framework that defines Trauma-coerced attachment (TCA; i.e., trauma bonding) as a type of dissociative disorder. Specifically, we align TCA with “Identity Disturbance due to Prolonged and Intense Coercive Persuasion” under the DSM-5’s Other Specified Dissociative Disorder (OSDD) category. TCA is defined as a powerful dependency on the abuser that is induced intentionally by fraud, manipulation, and coercive abuse. TCA occurs as a result of dissociative splits in the victim’s relational and cognitive processes around the abuse experience with reality testing often remaining relatively intact in other domains. This phenomenon has been observed in victim-survivors of gender-based violence and captive abuse, including intimate partner violence, sex trafficking, cults, and child abuse. Individuals who form these attachments can behave in ways puzzling to the outside world. They may have feelings of love, loyalty, idealization, or gratitude toward the abuser and attempt to deny or minimize the abuse, take responsibility or blame for the violence, and protect their abuser(s) from social or legal repercussions. Illustrating with clinical cases, we discuss diagnostic considerations for TCA as OSDD (e.g., the role of chronic trauma and identity disturbance) and therapeutic approaches for working with patients who have formed these attachments. We also discuss challenges in identifying the severity, elements, and precursors (i.e., coercive control) of TCA.
Chitra Raghvan
Ph.D.Dr. Chitra Raghavan is a tenured professor of psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. Since joining the faculty in 2002, she has made significant contributions to the field of forensic mental health, currently serving as the Director of the Forensic Mental Health Counseling Program. With an extensive background in clinical and community psychology, Dr. Raghavan specializes in the study of coercive control, partner violence, sex trafficking, and trauma, including PTSD and trauma bonding. Her academic journey began at Smith College, where she graduated magna cum laude, followed by advanced degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Raghavan has held esteemed positions, including research associate roles and post-doctoral fellowships at Yale University. She is widely published, contributing to scholarly journals and peer-reviewed books, and is an active speaker and trainer for judges, lawyers, and policymakers on matters related to trauma and violence. Dr. Raghavan is also recognized for her innovative training programs with the NYPD and her involvement as a forensic consultant for media productions. A polyglot and global academic, she continues to mentor students and guide research that intersects psychology, justice, and human rights.
Kendra Doychak
Ph.D.Dr. Kendra Doychak obtained her BA in Psychology, Politics, and Legal Studies from Ithaca College. She earned her MA in Forensic Mental Health Counseling and her PhD in Clinical Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. She is currently a Doctoral Lecturer and Director of the Forensic Psychology MA Program at John Jay College. Dr. Doychak conducts research in the area of gender-based violence, complex trauma, and interpersonal abuse dynamics. Over the last ten years, she has focused on coercive control and what she argues is one of the potential consequences of this abuse dynamic: a trauma-coerced attachment marked by dissociative splits in identity and relational and cognitive capacities. In particular, she has developed and examined trauma-coerced attachment in the context of commercial sex exploitation, intimate partner violence, and cults. Dr. Doychak is interested in understanding the processes through which victims develop TCA, as well as how we can distinguish normative dependency from traumatic bonding. Dr. Doychak is also a licensed clinical psychologist in New York. She maintains a part-time clinical practice seeing patients for individual psychodynamic therapy and belongs to a group practice conducting forensic assessments. Before joining John Jay, she worked in a variety of settings such as forensic agencies, public hospitals, trauma-based organizations, and psychoanalytic institutes. Her pre-doctoral clinical internship was completed at Elmhurst Hospital Center | NYC Health + Hospitals, Mt. Sinai Services.