Working with Dissociative Fugue in a General Psychotherapy Practice: A Cautionary Tale

Abstract

Dissociative Fugue is a somewhat rare condition that therapists may see only once or twice over the course of a professional career. A brief review of the uses of hypnosis in the treatment of Dissociative Fugue is followed by a presentation of the case of a 51-year-old man who presented with the clinical picture of Dissociative Fugue State and who experienced complete amnesia for the time prior to the fugue state. This article focuses on the pitfalls that the psychotherapist in a general practice may face when working with such a patient and offers specific recommendations and scripts that may be useful in proceeding with treatment.

Key Words:

• Consultant
• Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
• dissociation
• ethics
• education
• fugue
• hypnosis
• pitfalls
• training