Last edit: 2021-12-17
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2. Unstable Self-Image or Sense of Self

Another thing you might experience is what psychoanalytical literature calls Identity Diffusion, which is a kind of incoherent sense of self and an unstable self-image.

This experience is related to the right brain autobiographical/episodic memory, which has some impaired function due to structural dissociation, primary (numbness/spacey/emptiness) as well as secundary (rigid "all good, all bad" idealization/devaluation splitting of "favorite" people). These defense mechanisms cause split off memories and emotional states, they develop early and need to be re-integrated to form a coherent identity.

(nathanerice.com) Philip Bromberg, the psychoanalyst most often associated with the concept of self-states, writes that “health is the ability to stand in the spaces between realities without losing any of them—the capacity to feel like oneself while being many.” Learning more adaptive coping responses requires the ability to tolerate the conflicting parts of oneself that want different things.

In the early stages of our life our emotional right brain undergoes a growth spurt which forms our attachment patterns and autonomy, this also affects the autobiographical/episodic memory and focus/attention parts of the brain.

In the beginning of recovery you might have a very small window of tolerance to be mindful and reflect, this is because your brain's prefrontal cortex has weakened connections and needs some strengthening through Mindfulness practice. Mindfulness is focused attention on the present moment, there's a lot of things you can do Mindfully active tasks, meditation, creative arts, yoga, tai chi, music, spiritual practice.

Writing a healing story, creative arts, collages and journaling are things that can contribute to recover these brain areas and form a more coherent identity and sense of self.

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