Dissociation and Temporality in Substance Abuse: A Clinical Phenomenological Overview.
Valerio Ricci, Giuseppe Maina, Giovanni Martinotti
Psychopathology 2024 DOI: 10.1159/000533862 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Dissociation Psychosis Substance abuse Temporality |
| Citations | 11 |
| Key points | Proposes that dissociation in addiction should be understood as a structural, post-traumatic process of self-fragmentation that compresses vital space and freezes time. |
Abstract
The term "dissociation" encompasses a wide array of symptoms and phenomena, all sharing the common characteristic of involving altered states of consciousness where an individual temporarily loses the sense of continuity of their own identity. In the context of addiction pathology, however, the dissociative paradigm remains a topic of ongoing debate. It fluctuates between the description of individual dissociative symptoms and the notion of post-traumatic dissociation as a structural process. This process involves fragmentation that extends beyond the confines of perception and experience within a singular moment, instead ensuring a persistent discontinuity of the self throughout one's existence. Pathological addiction stresses the question of the donation of sense in this deep and dramatic experience; it situates individuals within a compressed and constricted realm of vital space, alongside a frozen perception of time. Within this context, every emotion, sensation, and comprehension becomes impaired. Consequently, we have embarked on a journey starting with a historical analysis: the aim was to construct an elucidative framework for the dissociative paradigm in the context of addiction. This involves an in-depth exploration of the fundamental constructs of trauma and temporality, examined through the lens of phenomenological perspective.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychosis as a state of aberrant salience: a framework linking biology, phenomenology, and pharmacology in schizophrenia. | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From dopamine to salience to psychosis--linking biology, pharmacology and phenomenology of psychosis. | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How do the brain's time and space mediate consciousness and its different dimensions? Temporo-spatial theory of consciousness (TTC). | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The phenomenology of deep brain stimulation-induced changes in OCD: an enactive affordance-based model. | 2013 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Substance-Induced Psychosis: Diagnostic Challenges and Phenomenological Insights Psychiatry International October 15, 2024
- Modern perspectives on psychoses: dissociation, automatism, and temporality across exogenous and endogenous dimensions. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2025
- Genetic Pathways Point to the Biology Underlying the Association Between Cannabis Use Disorder and Psychosis Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science May 13, 2026
Cites 7
- Use and abuse of dissociative and psychedelic drugs in adolescence Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior January 27, 2021
- From Self-Disorders to Ego Disorders Psychopathology 2015
- A century of research on psychedelics: A scientometric analysis on trends and knowledge maps of hallucinogens, entactogens, entheogens and dissociative drugs. European Neuropsychopharmacology November 1, 2022
- The role of dissociation in ketamine's antidepressant effects. Nature Communications December 22, 2020
- Cannabis use disorder and dissociation: A report from a prospective first-episode psychosis study. Drug and Alcohol Dependence October 1, 2021
and 2 more in the library