Cognitive-Affective Disintegration in Women with Complex Developmental Trauma
Keywords:
Complex developmental trauma, cognitive-affective disintegration, alexithymia, emotional dysregulationAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to explore the lived experience of cognitive-affective disintegration in women with a history of complex developmental trauma.
Methods and Materials: A qualitative design was employed using a phenomenological approach to capture the subjective experiences of trauma-exposed women. Seventeen adult female participants residing in Hungary were recruited through purposive sampling. Inclusion criteria included a self-reported history of complex developmental trauma and current psychological stability. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews, each lasting between 60 and 90 minutes. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis with the support of NVivo 14 software. The coding process continued until theoretical saturation was achieved.
Findings: Three overarching themes emerged: (1) Fragmentation of self-experience, including subthemes such as dissociative disconnects, identity diffusion, and impaired reflective functioning; (2) Dysregulation of emotion and affect, characterized by emotional flooding, shutdown, chronic shame, and somatization of affect; and (3) Interpersonal and relational disruption, which encompassed relational hypervigilance, attachment ambivalence, and conflict avoidance. Participants described a pervasive sense of internal disconnection between thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations, as well as incoherent self-narratives and unstable relationship patterns. Alexithymia appeared as a central mechanism linking early trauma to cognitive-affective fragmentation. Findings aligned with prior literature on trauma, dissociation, and emotional dysregulation, highlighting the enduring impact of developmental trauma on emotional processing and self-coherence.
Conclusion: The findings underscore the need for trauma-informed therapeutic interventions that target alexithymia, emotion regulation, and narrative integration to restore cognitive-affective coherence and relational stability in trauma survivors.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Marco Conti (Author); Eszter Kovács
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